Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Main MLB Picks For May 17

May 16, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (19) hits an RBI double in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks For May 17

13 of the 15 games are in the main DraftKings tournament. We have a few aces taking the mound, a few pitchers going where they have never gone before, and a few bargains lurking. Who are the beset plays? Let’s crunch some numbers!

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The money line was pretty high last night at 141.4 DraftKings points. This was due to a lot of big offensive nights. My Cubs-Reds stack finished well above at 154.9. The expensive hitters lineup made it in mostly on the less expensive Ian Happ, Addison Russell, and James McCann. The last lineup didn’t break triple digits because of three zeroes.

The winning lineup was way up to 229.45. He used a great night from Jimmy Nelson and paid up for Chris Davis and J.D. Martinez. That was a great decision as both broke 40 DraftKings points!

These picks are based mostly on statistical analysis . If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: DraftKings Main Lineup 1

May 11, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Fulmer (32) throws in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

P: Michael Fulmer ($11,200): We may as well add the pitcher to the Tigers stack, right? It’s not without warrant though Fulmer has held the Orioles to a .194 average in 36 at bats, but he has given up seven runs. Of course, four of those were on one swing to Jonathan Schoop. The nine strikeouts are nice though, and with all of the runs that Ubaldo gives up, Fulmer is about as sure a win as you can get in DFS games.

P: Ervin Santana ($9,500): This is a bit of a tough sell, but I’ve been rolling with Santana for a while now, and he hasn’t failed me so far. I wouldn’t touch this at Coors, but Ervin’s 1.50 ERA and 0.81 WHIP deserve respect at this point of the season. This could actually be a pitcher’s duel at Target Field tonight with what German Marquez did in his last start. I still like Santana’s chances for a win and a half dozen strikeouts to go with another quality start.

C: Alex Avila ($3,500): Ubaldo Jimenez has a 6.15 ERA. The Tigers have a potent offense. You know who I’m stacking tonight! Avila will start us off. He is only 6-27(.222) agianst Ubaldo, but he has eight walks, a double, a homer, five runs scored, and six RBI. That seems like a bargain!

1B: Victor Martinez ($3,400): Here’s another for the bargain shoppers. V-Mart is 12-34(.353) wtih two walks, two doubles, four homers, nine runs scored, and an impressive 12 RBI against Jimenez. Miguel Cabrera also has great numbers against Ubaldo if you have extra cash lying around.

2B: Ian Kinsler ($3,800): Kinsler is 8-28(.286) with five walks, three doubles, four runs scored, and three RBI against Jimenez. He has also stolen two bases, and will be batting leadoff. Again, this looks cheap!

3B: Mike Moustakas ($3,400): Moose has had Michael Pineda‘s number so far. He is 6-13(.462) with two doubles, a triple, two homers, four runs scored, and two RBI against Pineda. Pineda could very well have a really good game here, but that doesn’t mean that Moose wont get a few good swings at him again.

SS: Jose Iglesias ($2,600): Iglesias is an impressive 4-9 against Ubaldo with a triple, a homer, four runs scored, and four RBI. If he gets on, he’s scoring. If you trust the history, that is.

OF: Andrew Benintendi ($4,400): Benintendi is batting cleanup for a pretty potent offense against a pitcher in Mike Leake that is due for a regression. I would stack Red Sox if I werent stacking Tigers and Reds/Cubs!

OF: J.D. Martinez ($4,300): Martinez has four homers in the last three games. I think it’s safe to say he is back. Oh, he is also 5-14(.357) with two walks, a double, two homers, three runs scored, and five RBI against tonight’s starter, Ubaldo Jimenez.

OF: Andrew McCutchen ($3,900): McCutchen’s bat woke up against Arizona prior to a hitless night against Stephen Strasburg last night. He should get back to it against Jacob Turner tonight. I don’t trust much of the Pirates offense, but McCutchen does seem safe enough to use. If I trusted them and the game were in D.C., I would stack on Turner.

Next: DraftKings Main Lineup 2

May 5, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto hits a sacrifice fly against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

P: Gerrit Cole ($8,600): Cole has held the Nationals to a .235 average in 51 at bats with only one homer, four runs, and 11 strikeouts. Before you avoid this because it’s the Nationals, keep in mind that Cole held the Diamondbacks offense to only two runs in Arizona his last time out. His peripheral numbers belie the 1-4 record. He is just toiling for a bad team.

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P: Jason Vargas ($8,400): The Yankee offense is moderately less potent away from home, but they have mostly brutalized lefties this year. However, we have another stellar start from a wily veteran in Vargas’s 1.01 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. He may give up a few runs, but I still expect a quality start and enough strikeouts to give him value for this price.

C: Tucker Barnhart ($2,300): Barnhart is 5-18(.278) with two walks, a double, a run scored, and two RBI in his career against Kyle Hendricks. He is very underpriced at this stage. Just make sure that he is in the lineup again for Devin Mesoraco.

1B: Joey Votto ($4,700): Votto has smoked Kyle Hendricks so far. He is 7-11(.636) with six walks, two homers, four runs scored ,and two RBI against him so far. Votto had a gib night at Wrigley last night. Will he lead us to money again?

2B: Ian Happ ($2,700): I realize that Scott Feldman has had a good season so far. I also realize that Happ is raking early on in his major league career. This price is way too low to ignore tonight.

3B: Kris Bryant ($5,100): I may change the Cubs-Reds stack if the wind isn’t blowing out tonight, but as of now, it’s on. Scott Feldman’s 3.59 ERA is in serious trouble tonight.

SS: Trea Turner ($5,000): Yes, I know I am pitting batter against pitcher, but a lot of Turner’s prime value here could come from things that wont hurt Cole’s bottom line. You want a speedster, preferably a leadoff one, against Pittsburgh. They are terrible about throwing out opposing base runners.

OF: Mike Trout ($5,400): Trout didn’t homer last night. That bum! In extra innings, no less! Hey, he still picked up 13 DraftKings points, so it wasn’t a total loss. However, tonight could be an all or nothing kind of night with Trout. He is a measly 3-19(.158) with eight strikeouts against Miguel Gonzalez, but all three hits are home runs and he has driven in five.

OF: Adam Duvall ($3,900): Duvall is 4-8 with a homer and two runs scored off of Hendricks so far. That’s good enough for me to add him to the stack of another windy night in the windy city.

OF: Avisail Garcia ($3,700): Garcia’s two hits in six at bats against Matt Shoemaker are both home runs. He has also driven in four runs against Shoemaker. If you are looking for a stack off the beaten path, the White Sox have hit .326 against Shoemaker so far.

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA and EPL picks!