FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: Wednesday June 6 Early Only

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

Max Scherzer ($12,000) was uber expensive for FanDuel MLB last night, but he was the clear winner in the pitching list. Mad Max threw eight innings, gave up five hits and two runs, but also took the win, quality start, and piled up 13 strikeouts. Max had a total of 67 FanDuel MLB points.

Also note-worthy, Scherzer joined an elite list of pitchers who pitched an immaculate inning. What does that mean? It’s the most efficient inning from a pitcher you’ll ever see. Nine pitches, nine strikes, three strikeouts!

The Yankees stack worked well, depending on who you had in your lineup. But the Orioles and Mets offenses fell flat in Citi Field, scoring a combined three runs. Considering the starting pitching on the mound, that was very disappointing. However, we knew the risk and were grabbing the lineups for affordability. Still, there were better options.

Typical for a Wednesday, we have a split slate today. Typical for FanDuel MLB, we have a minimum amount of games available for the Early Only slate, followed by a more robust Main slate later. You’ll also see a Late Afternoon slate available later in the day, but at the time of writing this article, it is not available.

For the Early Only slate, we only have three games or six starting pitchers to consider. So the slate is quick, but not as easy as we want it to be.

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: Green light to play all teams! The weather is generally ideal for late spring baseball during the Early Only and Main slate for FanDuel MLB. You have no concerns about playing any teams today. Every game gets in!

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

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitcher Early Only Slate

Over the last twelve hours (yes, even while sleeping), I’ve debated in my mind who I want to land on for the starting pitcher spot for the Early Only FanDuel MLB slate. I keep coming back to the same conclusion.

The Rays finally decided on Jonny Venters ($5,500) as their starting pitcher. The 33-year-old Kentucky native is a wild card for this slate. He’s only pitched 10.1 innings with a low 0.87 ERA and 0.60 WHIP. But the minimal relief data gives us no good sense for how a start will look. For cash games this is a hard pass but an interesting play for GPP.

Chase Anderson ($6,100) is facing a hot offense in a difficult season. Zack Wheeler ($7,100) has decent metrics, but there’s better strikeout upside in this slate. Tanner Roark has a low-ish 3.61 ERA, great 1.09 WHIP (standard for Tanner), and is only giving up one home run per nine innings.

But Roark’s 21% K-rate gives us a ‘meh’ conclusion. That lands us at the top of the salary list for pitchers in the Early Only FanDuel MLB slat, Dylan Bundy ($9,100) and Carlos Carrasco ($9,400). Frankly, I could pick either given the 28.3% K-rate from Bundy and typical long innings from Carrasco.

Bundy is facing a cold Mets offense since the start of May. Yesterday, the Mets bats were predominately quiet. Along with such a high K-rate, Bundy has a solid shot at 40 to 50 FanDuel MLB points.

But, while Carrasco was shelled against the Twins last outing, he’s dominated the Brewers with 14 K’s in a complete game on May 9th. The Brewers have a higher K-rate in this scenario than the Mets and Bundy is giving up over two home runs per nine innings.

Metrics always win that battle. For DFS MLB optimal lineups, it’s tempting to focus on game logs. We have a rule to never let a game log impact your decision making. But in this case, the game log matches the metrics. Yes, Carlos had a rough outing in his last two starts, but he’s very likely to dominate the Brewers and should be your top pick of this slate.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Early Only Slate

Of all the starting pitchers in this slate, the one we hate the most for pitcher picks is Chase Anderson. But Chase is ideal for an offensive stack. After eleven starts, Anderson has a horrendous 5.33 xFIP, the worst of the slate.

Chas also has a 4.45 ERA and is giving up just under two home runs per nine innings. Anderson’s WHIP is a modest 1.22, but given his ERA and xFIP, it’s clear he’s struggling once hitters get on the base path.

This all bodes very well for an Indians stack. The Tribe are red-hot right now, they’ve been that way for weeks. While some are becoming expensive, we can still afford a full Tribe stack and we’ll look for some value plays to match the Indians price.

Jose Ramirez ($5,100) may be priced out of our lineup today, but if you can afford him he’s been a nine FanDuel MLB point floor with a double-digit average and decent shot at 25 to 35 FanDuel MLB points every game.

More affordable and nearly as productive lately are Edwin Encarnacion ($4,400) and Michael Brantley ($4,400). Brantley is a great left-to-right match up against Anderson and Encarnacion is finally smashing the ball on a consistent basis. Along with a value play like Greg Allen ($2,800), the Indians are my favorite offense for this slate.

For some value, we’re going to look to the Nats, but away from someone pricy like Bryce Harper ($4,900). Instead, Juan Soto ($3,400) is a 19-year-old on fire in the big leagues right now. If Soto keeps this up, he’ll be in the $4K salary range soon. Also, Wilmer Difo ($2,700) remains hot and is dirt-cheap.

Finally, I cringe a bit as I type this, we’re going with a mini-Mets stack. Yes, the Mets bats are cold and that’s also why they’re fairly cheap. But we think it’s worth a shot at Bundy’s two-plus home run per nine rate. And with Todd Frazier ($3,000) back in the lineup, there could be more pop eventually. Also, Amed Rosario ($2,300) continues to find ways to get on base every game.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineup

For the tricky pitcher pick in the Early Only FanDuel MLB slate, we’re going with Carlos Carrasco as our top pitcher. Dylan Bundy could have a good result as well, but the risk is higher. Also, for a GPP flier, Jonny Venters is a cheap and likely low-owned play at the position.

For offensive stacks in this slate, the Indians are the top prize. Ramirez may be too expensive, but Encarnacion is on fire right now, and Brantley has been consistent all season. Also, most of the Tribe’s bats have been hot this week.

Finally, we need some affordability and the Nationals lineup is dripping with it, due to early season injuries. We’re playing Soto as much as possible, as long as he stays hot and cheap. And while we aren’t that excited about the Mets offense today, we know there is some big pop potential within the lineup, and they’re dirt-cheap.

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

FanDuel MLB Early Only Slate Sample Lineup:

P             Carlos Carrasco ($9,400)

C/1B     Edwin Encarnacion ($4,400)

2B          Wilmer Difo ($2,700)

3B          Todd Frazier ($3,000)

SS          Amed Rosario ($2,300)

OF          Juan Soto ($3,400)

OF          Greg Allen ($2,800)

OF          Jay Bruce ($2,500)

UTIL      Michael Brantley ($4,500)

Remaining Salary: $0

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.

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