DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown

BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 29: A general view during the sixth inning of the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) DFS MLB /

Welcome into the Monday edition of the DFS MLB game by game breakdown! We have a very small four game slate on tap for tonight.

The baseball world is going to be fairly quiet tonight with only four DFS MLB games, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some money. We’ve ben doing a pretty decent job of that lately as we hit again yesterday with a score of 135.6. It was a fairly low scoring slate and that was fortunate because most of our offense took the day off. We only had three offensive guys in double digits but the big difference maker was a very low owned Matt Olson when he hit a three run home run. That score even nipped the back end of the tournament we entered so it was a solid day all around.

DFS MLB – Yankees at Tigers

Yankees Probable Starter – Domingo German, RHP

5.45 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 27.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .182 average, .268 wOBA, 34.7 fly ball rate and 26.5 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .262 average, .342 wOBA, 29.3 fly ball rate and 43.9 hard contact rate

German will be starting the second game of a double header with the Tigers tonight. His strikeout rate is appealing, but the Tigers as a team do not strike out a ton against righty pitching. I don’t think I’ll wind up with any German because there are definitely hitters that can hurt him. German throws a curve and a change up almost 60 percent of the time, which is a little bit odd. He favors his curve, so I’m most interested in hitters that hit the pitch well and that’s Leonys Martin. Granted, he’s on the wrong side of the split for German, but he’s also the best curveball hitter in the majors this season. We’d be smart to pay attention to that, and he’s just $3,000 on FanDuel.

The right handed hitters that grade out well are Nicholas Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera. Castellanos is a touch expensive, even on this slate. Cabrera would be a fine option, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sit out the second game if he plays the first. The Tigers are trying to keep him healthy and likely won’t push him to play both games.

Tigers Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Leonys Martin, Nicholas Castellanos

Secondary Options – Miguel Cabrera, Jeimer Candelario

Tigers Probable Starter – Mike Fiers, RHP

4.45 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 15.3 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .278 average, .367 wOBA, 43.0 fly ball rate and 33.0 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .280 average, .333 wOBA, 44.7 fly ball rate and 34.3 hard contact rate

Fiers has pitched just over 54 innings so far and has given up 11 home runs. His fly ball percentage is spiked over 40 percent to both sides of the plate and this is absolutely not a good matchup for him at all. He doesn’t strike out enough hitters and he’s a home run machine. The Yankees are about the last matchup he wants to see. The HR/9 would point us to the lefty bats as its 2.66 to lefties and 1.16 to righties. Greg Bird certainly stands out with his power potential and Brett Gardner is always a solid option at the top of this lineup. It’ll be hard not to play Aaron Judge given the home run potential. Especially on a small slate, the Yankee lineup is going to be popular. It’s basically any hitter you want from this lineup, although I would focus more towards the top of it.

Yankees Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Brett Gardner, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez

Secondary Options – Gleyber Torres, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks

Home Run Pick – Leonys Martin and Brett Gardner

ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Justin Upton #9 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim drops his bat as he watches a solo home run in the eighth inning, his second of the game against the Texas Rangers on September 16, 2017 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

DFS MLB – Royals at Angels

Royals Probable Starter – Danny Duffy, LHP

5.71 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 18.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .226 average, .267 wOBA, 41.5 fly ball rate and 38.1 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .286 average, .393 wOBA, 45.1 fly ball rate and 39.9 hard contact rate

You would think a team that is loaded with righties like the Angels would mean they’re pretty solid against lefty pitching. That hasn’t been the case so far because players like Albert Pujols, Justin Upton, Zack Cozart and Ian Kinsler have been terrible against any lefty they’ve encountered so far. This could be the matchup that snaps them out of it and I won’t be using Duffy this evening. The most attractive options from a wOBA standpoint are Mike Trout, Andrelton Simmons, and Luis Valbuena if he’s in the lineup. Duffy has thrown a quality start his past two games, but I have no issue attacking him with the right players.

Angels Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Mike Trout, Andrelton Simmons

Secondary Options – Luis Valbuena, Justin Upton

Angels Probable Starter – Nick Tropeano, RHP

3.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 20.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .291 average, .333 wOBA, 35.9 fly ball rate and 45.3 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .200 average, .323 wOBA, 52.4 fly ball rate and 41.3 hard contact rate

You could make a case to use Tropeano this evening. The Royals are 23rd or worse in OPS, ISO and wOBA against right handed pitching. The catch is they’re also 30th in strikeout rate by a full percentage point. The ceiling for Tropeano doesn’t appear to be there. When the pitching options are so limited, I’m likely to chase upside over anything else. I don’t think I’ll have a ton of Royals bats tonight, but Mike Moustakas and Jon Jay could find their way into my lineup. Alex Gordon has been relatively good so far this year as well and is cheaper than Jay. The right handed bats for the Royals carry upside but likely aren’t that safe given the average Tropeano has given up. Jorge Soler is intriguing against any pitcher that gives up over fly balls over 50 percent of the time.

Royals Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Mike Moustakas, Jorge Soler

Secondary Options – Jon Jay, Whit Merrifield

Home Run Pick – Justin Upton

ATLANTA, GA – MAY 30: Julio Teheran #49 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the second inning against the New York Mets at SunTrust Park on May 30, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Braves at Padres

Braves Probable Starter – Julio Teheran, RHP

4.03 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 19.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .216 average, .319 wOBA, 46.7 fly ball rate and 42.4 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .213 average, .316 wOBA, 41.7 fly ball rate and 35.1 hard contact rate

I have a feeling that Teheran might be the chalk pitcher in cash games and I’m not sure I can argue with that. Teheran has bounced back and forth this season between being good and not, but he does draw a solid matchup. Against righty pitching, San Diego carries the third highest strikeout rate and rank 26th or worse in average, OPS, ISO and wOBA. For his part, Teheran is in a park where his fly ball rate shouldn’t hurt him as badly. I’m not that excited to roster Padres, but Eric Hosmer might not be a bad option. He carries a wOBA of .376 and crushes fastballs, which Teheran throws a lot. This side of the game might wind up being Teheran or bust, although I don’t want to put myself in a box on a four game slate.

Padres Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Eric Hosmer

Secondary Options – Travis Jankowski, Hunter Renfroe

Padres Probable Starter – Clayton Richard, LHP

4.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 19.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .210 average, .254 wOBA, 9.1 fly ball rate and 26.1 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .267 average, .342 wOBA, 25.0 fly ball rate and 41.5 hard contact rate

There are times when I’m cautious about attacking Richard simply because his ground ball rate is so high. Tonight seems like an interesting spot for the Braves offense because they are one of the worst matchups in baseball for lefty pitching. The issue is Richard is allowing absolutely nothing to lefty batters and three of the top four in their lineup bat left-handed. Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson are likely the best options today. Albies has been beating up on lefties all season, but he is full price. Swanson is cheap at a tough position to fill this evening. I almost always have Atlanta exposure on a slate when they face a lefty. That might not be the case tonight.

Braves Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Ozzie Albies

Secondary Options – Freddie Freeman, Johan Carmago, Nick Markakis, Dansby Swanson

Home Run Pick – Ozzie Albies

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 14: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Diamondbacks at Giants

Diamondbacks Probable Starter – Zack Godley, RHP

4.38 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 21.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .252 average, .327 wOBA, 21.1 fly ball rate and 27.7 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .273 average, ..346 wOBA, 33.0 fly ball rate and 41.8 hard contact rate

I really am going to have a tough time deciding which factor is more important for Godley tonight. Is it his reverse splits and being worse against righties when facing a righty heavy lineup? Or does his curveball heavy approach against a bottom 10 curveball hitting team mean more? It’s down to Teheran or Godley in cash games for me, and while I think Godley will have a good game, he’s more expensive on FanDuel. I might just take the savings that Teheran provides. Since I think Godley might do well, I don’t really have a ton of interest in Giants hitters tonight. You could talk me into Andrew McCuthen, but it’s not a priority for me. With Brandon Belt on the disabled list, I think this offense is going to suffer a good bit.

Giants Hitters to Target

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Andrew McCutchen, Alen Hanson, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford

Giants Probable Starter – Derek Holland, LHP

4.94 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 19.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .150 average, .204 wOBA, 41.2 fly ball rate and 22.2 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .257 average, .358 wOBA, 43.8 fly ball rate and 43.9 hard contact rate

This is a spot where I really wish that FanDuel had a second utility spot because I want to play Greg Bird, John Ryan Murphy, and Paul Goldschmidt. I can only play two of them and might only end up with one just due to roster construction. One option that might go under the radar is Nick Ahmed. He’s accumulated a .377 wOBA against lefties and is very cheap. Holland is pitching in AT&T Park so the fly balls may not leave the yard with the frequency they would in other spots.

Diamondbacks Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Paul Goldschmidt, John Ryan Murphy

Secondary Options – Nick Ahmed, Ketel Marte

Home Run Pick – John Ryan Murphy

OOAKLAND, CA – MARCH 29: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels takes the field for player introductions before their game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on March 29, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB FanDuel Sample Lineup

More from FanSided

P – Julio Teheran

C/1B – John Ryan Murphy

2B – Gleyber Torres

3B – Luis Valbuena

SS – Nick Ahmed

OF – Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Leonys Martin

Utility – JaCoby Jones

In full transparency, this will likely not be my main lineup. The point of this one was to illustrate that it is possible to get Aaron Judge and Mike Trout in the same lineup. That’s likely going to be one of the biggest decisions tonight is to see if you can play both or if you have to pick between the two. If I had to pick, I’d lean towards Trout ever so slightly because he’s more well-rounded than Judge. Torres is the other big spend in this version but there’s some nice value to be had with Ahmed, Valbuena and Murphy.

The Core – Leonys Martin, Mike Trout

Stacks to Consider – Yankees(at Detroit), Angels(vs Kansas City), Diamondbacks(at San Francisco)

Next: Monday's Top DFS Plays on Draft

As always, may fortune be on your side and make sure to follow me on Twitter @bucn4life as MLB allows late swap. If there’s a late scratch and/or lineup cards aren’t put in for the late games, this article will always be updated on Twitter ASAP.

DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown – Monday, June 4

By Adam Strangis | Jun 4, 2018