FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: Tuesday June 5

Welcome back to the FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups column. This is the Tuesday, June 5th 2018 edition.We’re a fantasy baseball column focused on helping you build a DFS MLB optimal lineup for each slate.

The GPP take down with Domingo German didn’t quite happen yesterday, but we were still generally very successful in some GPP plays, and won our cash games. Fortunately, the Yankees kept Domingo in the game through 6.2 innings.

At one point, he clinched the quality start, but eventually gave up a fourth run. He only had three strikeouts, but the game length gave us 17 FanDuel MLB points. So with a modest baseline, we were hopeful the offensive stacks worked out.

They did. The Yankees were disappointing, providing only two runs. But once the lineups were out, it became obvious to pivot away from some of the Yankees. We grabbed some lefty bats from the Padres, including Cory Spangenberg, who piled up 34.4 FanDuel MLB points with a home run and triple, along with two runs and RBI’s.

We were able to afford Aaron Judge with our left Padres bats, but Giancarlo Stanton would’ve been the better play, smashing a revenge home run last night against Mike Fiers. But the Angels added the the most offensive value for our lineup, with Mike Trout giving us 28.6 FanDuel MLB points and Justin Upton adding another 31.2 points.

Upton crushed a home run, took a while, and added two more singles along with his run and two RBI’s. Trout created his value the hard way, hitting three singles, taking a walk on a fourth plate appearance, and providing two RBI’s and three runs.

For tonight’s Main FanDuel MLB slate, on Tuesday, we have a very different set up. Unlike the last two days, there is a long list of very good, some elite, starting pitchers on the mound tonight. So, we have several pitchers to avoid for offensive stacks. We also may need to consider grabbing value at the offensive positions, to afford elite, 60-70 point, pitching talent.

Before we get there, a reminder to never take a DFS MLB optimal lineup as ‘bible’ for your personal lineup each day. Use the suggestions as guidance. Also, make sure you follow final lineup thoughts throughout the day on our twitter account @FantasyCPR or me @mattymcmatt17 look for late breaking lineup news.

Weather Note: After a great weather day yesterday, we do have two risks tonight. Storms appear to be moving through the Ohio Valley and into the mid-atlantic tonight, impacting games in Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. between 7pm and 11pm.

However, those storms could be brief delays, so postponements are less likely. Still, this could have a huge impact on our night, as we’ll see in a few mins. We need to be mindful that the Nationals, Rays, Rockies, and Reds all have some weather-related risk tonight. Pitching would be the biggest problem with a delay.

With weather-related considerations addressed, let’s get to the top pitching options…

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitcher Main Slate

Tonight’s slate is dripping with incredible starting pitcher talent. Max Scherzer ($12,000) is the obvious headliner. Mad Max is averaging around 50 FanDuel MLB points-per-game, and is typically a lock for nearly ten strikeouts and a long seven-to-nine inning outing.

So why wouldn’t anyone play Scherzer? Well, there are many other great options, and several are much cheaper. Patrick Corbin ($9,100) has a 33.1% K-rate and the second lowest xFIP to Max, 2.64. In fact, four of our starting pitchers have an xFIP below 3.00, which is very difficult to accomplish at this point in the season.

Corbin even has a solid match up against the Giants, who fan at around 24% of the time against left-handed pitchers. However, the Giants are more offensively efficient against lefties. So there is some risk with Patrick.

Corey Kluber ($11,500) is a strong play at home against the Brewers. The Brewers are also fanning around 24% of the time, against RHP’s like Kluber, and Corey should have a decent game again. Corey is one of the elite pitchers we’ll see tonight, but his K-rate is closer to earth, around 27%.

James Paxton ($9,300) was heating up before he fell flat against the Rangers in his last outing, and he has the Astros today in Houston. So he’s out, but tempting for GPP. So the answer really could be, we love Mad Max the most, and we’ll find a way to afford him.

Also, there are several other tempting options, which could reduce his ownership tonight. Therefore, we like Scherzer as the top pitcher tonight, regardless of the other options.

But, you likely need some value plays as well. Max makes things difficult for the offensive side of your lineup, and especially for GPP plays, you’ll want to grab a cheaper pitcher and stack strong offenses. And weather could be an issue tonight. 

For that route, we like the idea of taking a chance with either Madison Bumgarner ($8,700) coming off the DL or Ross Stripling ($8,500) facing the Pirates in Pittsburgh. We haven’t seen Bum yet, but the Giants appears to take time bringing him back, and we wonder if they may let him last more than five innings. Stripling has an incredible 30.1% K-rate, but half his data population is as a reliever. So there’s clear risk with either play.

On last value plug. Sean Manaea ($7,700) has been unimpressive in May. But not that long ago, Sean threw a ten strikeout no-hitter against a very good Boston Red Sox offense. He followed that up with a seven strikeout shutout of the Astros.

But in May, Sean gave up three-plus earned runs per game. If Manaea can find that magic again, against a vulnerable Rangers offense, he’s a sneaky cheap value play tonight, with very low ownership likely.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Main Slate

There are many solid stacking options tonight. Given the pitcher considerations, we focused on finding our favorite expensive stack, along with at least two cheaper stacks. For offensive stacks in FanDuel MLB, one of the key metrics we like to look at first is home runs per nine innings pitched.

Jason Vargas has gradually looked better in his last two outings, but he’s still giving up 2.13 home runs per nine innings, significantly more than most starting pitchers on the mound tonight. Vargas also has a 1.83 WHIP and 8.53 ERA. His xFIP is somehow a modest 4.84, which signals some positive regression. The .366 BABIP signals that issue as well.

Still, we’re not expecting Vargas to look like Scherzer overnight, and he’s been inconsistent even when pitching well. Against left-handed pitchers like Vargas, the Orioles have performed so-so throughout their lineup. But the O’s should have four hot right-handed bats in their lineup tonight.

Stacking Adam Jones ($3,100), Mark Trumbo ($2,400), Danny Valencia ($2,400), and Jonathan Schoop ($3,000) should be a cheap and efficient way to pile on another 30 to 40 points, while still being able to afford Scherzer, leaving plenty of money on the table for some bigger plays.

Sticking with the game in Citi Field, we also noticed Alex Cobb is giving up 1.75 home runs per nine innings, and also has a terrible 1.81 WHIP. In fact, the metrics from the starters in Citi Field tonight resemble each other very closes. So for the very same reason, we like the idea of stacking Mets bats like Amed Rosario ($2,200) or lefty Brandon Nimmo ($3,300).

Finally, depending on the pitcher you pick, you may not be able to afford the top of the Yankees order tonight, but they have a great setup against Marco Estrada in Toronto. In fact, my two favorite plays from the Yankees are Greg Bird ($3,300) and Brett Gardner ($3,200) hitting from the left side of the plate. They’re both affordable.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineup

We think Scherzer is a must-have in your lineup tonight. If you’re worried about weather, or can’t afford him, we prefer taking some risk into your pitcher pick. So Madison Bumgarner, Stripling, or Manaea are our favorite GPP, low ownership, or value plays of the night at pitcher.

For offense, we can still afford some Yankees bats tonight, and we’re focus on specifically on the lefties against Estrada. We also love the value both the Orioles and the Mets are giving us from Citi Field tonight. And a reminder, if you’re playing anyone in D.C. or Cincinnati, make sure you track the weather.

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the MAIN FanDuel MLB slate on Tuesday, June 5th:

FanDuel MLB Main Slate Sample Lineup:

P              Max Scherzer ($12,000)

C/1B       Greg Bird ($3,300)

2B            Jonathan Schoop ($3,000)

3B            Danny Valencia ($2,400)

SS            Amed Rosario ($2,200)

OF            Adam Jones ($3,100)

OF            Mark Trumbo ($2,400)

OF            Brett Gardner ($3,200)

UTIL        Brandon Nimmo ($3,300)

Remaining Salary: $100

Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for today. You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building FanDuel NHL lineups.  We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.

Next: MLB DFS Picks and Pivots

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