FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 17
Welcome to the Friday 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.
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Friday’s MLB action kicks off at 12:10PM EST with an afternoon game in Wrigley and an additional 14 “main” games starting at 7:05PM EST for a full day of FanDuel MLB action!
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:
| Time Period | Score | Pitcher Salary | Pitcher % | Hitter % | Hitter $/Player | Value |
| Season | 254.3 | $ 8,627 | 25% | 75% | $ 3,297 | 7.26 |
| 5 Day | 262.5 | $ 9,385 | 27% | 73% | $ 3,202 | 7.50 |
| Prev Day | 276.6 | $ 9,633 | 28% | 72% | $ 3,171 | 7.90 |
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 Friday?
Although there are no pitching options above $10k on Friday night, the slate is littered with solid value options which will make for an interesting decision when building your FanDuel MLB lineups.
Michael Fulmer ($8,400) at Kansas City: Of all the pitchers on Friday night’s slate, no pitcher has averaged more points per start than Michael Fulmer, who has put up 50 points per outing which is roughly 6x value at this price point.
Fulmer has won 5 straight starts for the Tigers and has quickly established himself as one of the most impressive young hurlers in baseball.
Over his last 5 starts, his lowest output in a game has been 39 points which represents a very safe floor at a price point that is very ease to manage into your lineups. Fulmer is a slight favorite against the Royals and is playable in all formats Friday.
Matt Harvey ($8,700) at home versus Atlanta: The largest favorite on the main slate, Matt Harvey gets one of the best match ups on the board against the Atlanta Braves. Harvey has turned his season around over the last 3 starts, showing greater velocity on his pitches and getting back to going deep into games with swing and miss stuff.
Harvey has elite upside and continues to sit at a price point that should allow for an exceptional rate of return as his strikeouts continue to increase. The Mets offense has turned it on the last 2 games after sputtering for much of the last two weeks and with the win in sight, Harvey should easily reach value and has the ability and match up to be the top scoring pitcher on the slate.
Next: Who are the top hitters/stacks on Friday?
Going into the Friday slate, with no pitching options over $10k, gamers should be able to afford a higher end lineup but the question will be what match ups should we exploit when targeting our hitters.
Houston Astros at home versus LHP John Lamb: The Astros right handed heavy lineup at home against a pitcher who has been hit hard by RHP and one of the worst bullpen in baseballs behind that….stack away friends!
The Astros are my top stack of the night and I will look to get as much exposure to this game as possible, especially in tournaments where the boom or bust nature of this lineup can set you up for a huge night.
Evan Gattis ($3,000) and George Springer ($4,000) are both averaging over 10 points per game and make for top plays at their respective positions. Carlos Correa ($3,800) makes for a tremendous pivot off the more popular Manny Machado or Xander Boegarts at SS and Jose Altuve ($4,100) against a left hander is an automatic must play for those playing DFS.
If you are looking to save some money, Carlos Gomez ($2,800) has returned to the lineup and put up 11.9 points per game over the last week which is nearly 5x value at this price point and makes for a great mid priced option if you want to save money off some of the top Astros bats.
Mets LHB versus RHP John Gant: Although it has been a small sample size, Gant has really struggled against LHB this season giving up 6 ER in 7 IP and a .353 opposing batting average.
Curtis Granderson ($3,400) and Michael Conforto ($3,000) both get the platoon and appear to be breaking out of their recent struggles as both players hit home runs on Thursday night.
Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup
Below you will find my initial lineup for Friday’s Main FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.
Pitcher: Matt Harvey: ($8,700)
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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!