FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 15

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 15

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy baseball column focused on providing analysis and insights into the top FanDuel MLB lineups. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

FanSided and Fantasy CPR have you covered – For additional FanDuel MLB analysis, take a look at Matt Rogers FanDuel Economics column or Mike Marteny who provides Draft Kings MLB Picks analysis giving you the most in depth DFS coverage for tonight’s baseball slate.

Follow us on Twitter @FantasyCPR and on Facebook!

DFS players get a nice mid-week treat with a multi-slate Wednesday as games will begin at 3:10PM EST with a 5 game early slate and an additional 10 games on the main slate at 7:00PM EST.

I will continue to track winning Tournament lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Now on to the picks…For more DFS Strategy insights, check out my latest article to help take your game to the next level! I highly recommend gamers track their game performance across the various types of games they play – GPP’s, Cash, Multipliers etc – as this simple exercise will help teach you more about profitable roster construction than you can imagine.

Next: Who are the top pitching options on Wednesday?

The Wednesday pitching slate is loaded with aces as we have Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg, Johnny Cueto, Chris Sale and Noah Syndergaard all in action! With so many high end pitchers on the mound and a game in Coors Field, this is going to be one of the most interesting slates for gamers to prepare for.

Johnny Cueto ($10,700) at home versus Milwaukee(Early): Over the last 30 days, Cueto has averaged 46.8 points per start, which is just 0.5 points behind Clayton Kershaw and we can get him for $2,300 cheaper.

At this price point, Cueto has been putting up 4.4x value and gets a matchup with a Brewers team he has had a significant amount of success against. In his career, Cueto has held the Brewers hitters to .215 average and limited the Brew Crew to only 9 extra base hits and 2 home runs over 135 at bats.

Marco Estrada ($8,600) at Philadelphia(Main): From a point per dollar perspective, no pitcher on the slate has provided better value than Estrada over the last 30 days, as he has averaged 42 points per start which would equate to 4.8x value at this price point.

Estrada is a healthy road favorite and his match-up against the Phillies is one of the most favorable of any of the top priced main slate pitchers. Chris Sale has to navigate the right handed heavy Tigers lineup and Noah Syndergaard will have to be near perfect against the Pirates with the Mets offensive struggles lately!

Pitching Summary: If you are playing the early slate, Cueto would be my top choice from a tournament perspective as I expect the majority of the ownership to be skewed towards Kershaw and Strasburg. On the main slate, Sale and Syndergaard both make for top cash game plays, but Estrada is my top tournament play as his ability to exceed value will allow us to target high upside bats with our pitcher savings.

Next: Where should we look for offense on Wednesday?

With so many aces on the hill cancelling out many of the lineup options and a game in Coors Field, the Rockies and Yankees will be the chalk stacks and I expect them to be highly owned but that doesn’t mean we should completely fade this game in our FanDuel MLB lineups.

Coors Field: We all know by now that we should target hitters in Coors and all the usual top hitters are clearly in play, however if you are playing the early only slate you will not only have to deal with the high end starting pitchers eating up most of your budget but you will also have to try and differentiate yourself in tournaments.

With RHP Chad Bettis on the hill for the Rockies, this puts the left handed bats of the Yankees squarely in play and Brian McCann ($3,800) is the clear top catching option at a sub 4k price point. Also keep an eye on the starting OF, as Gerardo Parra was carted off Tuesday and replaced by Ryan Raburn ($3,200) who may get the start Wednesday against RHP Ivan Nova.

Dodgers RHB versus LHP Patrick Corbin: On the season, Corbin has been absolutely destroyed by opposing RHB, surrendering 11 home runs in 62 innings pitched and the Dodgers lineup has multiple cost effective bats to target in Chase Field.

Justin Turner ($3,100) and Trayce Thompson ($3,200) get the platoon advantage and sit at great price points which allow you to target a high end pitcher as well as a variety of Coors bats. Also with a lefty on the mound Kike Hernandez ($2,000) is always one of the best punt plays and although he is not at $220 today as he was last week, he makes for a great value play on a short slate with so many areas to spend on.

Red Sox against RHP Tyler Wilson: On the main slate, going up against a pitcher coming off back to back 5 ER allowed games, the Red Sox make for a high upside offensive stack with their plethora of left handed weapons.

Jackie Bradley Jr. ($3,500) has seen his price decrease back to a very reasonable level however we are still seeing the high upside output he is capable of as over the last 7 days, Bradley is averaging 16.3 points per game  which is good for 4.7x value.

Hitting Summary: In the early games, with only 5 games on the slate you will need to get some exposure to Coors to keep pace with so few offensive options available. Utilize the Dodgers RHB to offset some of the cost, especially with Kike Hernandez, and build as many Rockies and Yankees into the lineup as you can. The later slate should be focused on the Red Sox but do not sleep on the White Sox who get 2lock’s favorite DFS target Mike Pelfrey!

Next: Top Early FanDuel Lineup

Below you will find my initial lineup for Wednesday’s Early FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.

• Pitcher: Johnny Cueto ($10,700)
• Catcher: Brian McCann ($3,800)
• First Base: Rob Refsnyder ($2,700)
• Second Base: Jean Segura ($2,000)
• Third Base: Justin Turner ($3,100)
• Shortstop: Trevor Story ($3,400)
• Outfield: Charlie Blackmon ($4,100)
• Outfield: Trayce Thompson ($3,200)
• Outfield: Kike Hernandez ($2,000)

Next: Top Main FanDuel Lineup

Below you will find my initial lineup for Wednesday’s Main FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.

More from FanSided

• MLB Trade Grades: Dodgers reunite with familiar face in Red Sox deal
• NHL Rumors: Legendary Patrice Bergeron retires, which 3 players could be next to hang up their skates?
• MLB Rumors: Cardinals budging on Arenado, Orioles-Ohtani package, Yankees backup plan
• Patriots backup plan for DeAndre Hopkins is a shot in the dark
• Raiders: Saquon Barkley’s new contract may have screwed over Josh Jacobs

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Best of luck tonight gamer’s! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups!