DraftKings MLB Picks For May 22

We have eight games tonight, which means a little over half the league is in action. There are some good stacks out there, but pitching can be spotty. Who should we pay up for? Are any of them worth it? Let’s check some stats.

More from DFS

The money line last night was still pretty low at 104.15. My lineup missed because the Diamondbacks were held to just one run and I stacked them.

The winning lineup was a solid 180.9 DraftKings points. He used good starts from Brandon McCarthy and Eduardo Rodriguez along with double digits from every hitter carried by a Red Sox stack.

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 Lineup 1

P: Zack Greinke ($12,000): Greinke is the highest priced pitcher on the slate by a large margin, but he likely deserves to be. Only Todd Frazier and Melky Cabrera have faced Greinke before, and they have managed some success against him. However, Frazier is mired in a season-long slump, and the rest of the offense has been average at best. Greinke looks trustable here.

P: Mike Foltynewicz ($7,500): There is risk involved with this one according to the past stats, but the Pirates have had serious problems scoring runs. The Braves are also hitting .262 against Pirates ace Gerrit Cole. Foltynewicz has little strikeout upside. I’m just banking on the Pirates being terrible.

C: Salvador Perez ($3,300): Perez hit three home runs in yesterday’s doubleheader, so it’s safe to say that he is hot right now. He is also 9-23(.391) with a walk, a double, two homers, and five RBI against Michael Pineda. Many are on Pineda to slam the door on the Royals, but their offense is getting going, the game is in Yankee Stadium, and Pineda doesn’t have a good history against the Royals. That’s enough to move me off of him.

1B: Joey Votto ($4,900): Votto is 3-11 with a walk, a double, two homers, and five RBI against Josh Tomlin. Tomlin is a fly ball pitcher at a hitter friendly park. Don’t be a bit surprised if the Reds hit a few home runs. Stacking Reds is a good, but expensive, option.

2B: Brian Dozier ($4,400): Dozier is 7-22(.318) with a walk, two doubles, and four stolen bases. Ubaldo Jimenez has struggled this year. The Twins offense is better than advertised. They should show that against Ubaldo. Just watch the weather in this one. The Twins seem to be a walking rainout this year….

3B: Mike Moustakas ($3,600): Yankee Stadium is kind to left handed power, and Moose is 7-15(.467) with two doubles, a triple, two solo homers, and four runs scored off of Pineda.

SS: Andrelton Simmons ($3,000): Simmons is 4-7 with two doubles, three runs scored, and five RBI against Jake Odorizzi. For whatever reason, Odorizzi has struggled against the Angels.

OF: Max Kepler ($4,000): Kepler has walked and flown out in two at bats against Ubaldo, but Baltimore is a friendly park to left handed hitters. And there is a fly ball pitcher on the mound.

OF: Robbie Grossman ($3,700): Grossman will continue to play with some regularity so long as Byron Buxton continues to struggle at the plate. Still, with Grossman hitting the way he is, there is no problem using someone at DH either. Look for him in the lineup batting second against Ubaldo.

OF: Odubel Herrera ($3,600): Jeff Hoffman was serviceable in his first start against the Dodgers at Coors Field. That is why I only have one Phillie in here. Just in case he pitches pretty well again. In the chance that he doesn’t I want a lefty who bats near the top of the order. Herrera fits that bill.

Next: DraftKings Lineup 2

P: Michael Fulmer ($9,900): Fulmer has only faced two current Astros, but they are a combined 0-11 against him. Granted, none of those are George Springer, Jose Altuve, or Carlos Correa, so there is risk involved here. However, with Brad Peacock opposing him, I like Fulmer’s chances at a win and he has decent strikeout potential.

More from FanSided

P: J.C. Ramirez ($7,300): This is based purely on upside. Jake Odorizzi has been hit pretty hard by the Angels. Ramirez has struck out four of the 11 Rays plate appearances against him, but he has also given up four hits. That could be a problem, but the huge strikeout upside at this bargain price has me taking a chance.

C: Welington Castillo ($4,100): Castillo has no past numbers against Kyle Gibson, but does it really matter? Castillo is hitting .364 with four homers and 16 RBI. Kyle Gibson has a 8.20 ERA. Any questions?

1B: Chris Davis ($4,700): Davis is 4-11 with three walks, a solo homer, and three runs scored off of Gibson. Gibson has also been even worse this year than at any other point in his career. This could be what Davis needs to get going.

2B: Jose Ramirez ($4,100): I don’t believe the hype on Scott Feldman. I want some exposure here, and Ramirez is as good a place as any to get it.

3B: Eugenio Suarez ($4,600): Suarez is 2-5 with a run scored and two RBI against Tomlin. However, if he gets one up in the air, it could go quite a ways.

SS: J.J. Hardy ($3,000): Hardy is 5-9 with two walks, a double, a homer, three runs scored, and four RBI off of Kyle Gibson. Hardy is very underpriced tonight, and fits in nicely with my Baltimore stack.

OF: Billy Hamilton ($4,700): Hamilton is only 1-7 against Josh Tomlin, but that hit was a double and he scored a run. Hamilton is a huge catalyst at the top of this order, and I have a feeling that Cincinnati will score quite a few runs today. I want Hamilton because he will likely score at least one.

OF: Aaron Hicks ($3,900): Hicks is 4-11 with a walk, a double, a homer, two runs scored, and three RBI off of Jason Vargas. Surprisingly, this is the only homer that the current Yankees have off of Vargas. His last start was against the Yankees at home, and he didn’t fare well. It will likely be worse at Yankee Stadium. Stay away from Vargas, but stack away with Yankees hitters!

OF: Seth Smith ($3,600): Smith is only 2-8 with two walks, a double, and a solo homer against Gibson. The difference is that this time Smith is batting leadoff. That gives him more potential for runs scored, and could result in more RBI opportunities as well.

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!