DFS MLB Very Early – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25 – Yu Best Beware
By Jacob Zook
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25
Welcome to a special day for DFS MLB Love, Like, Leave. There won’t be just one article today. In fact, there won’t even be two. As an apology for disappearing for two weeks, I will be covering all three slates on Fanduel today. The 3 game early only, the 6 game midday slate, and the regular 7 PM slate. I hope this makes up for any absence.
So, can I just say wow! If you played my exact lineup yesterday, you would have accumulated homers from Kepler, Arenado (x2), Story (x2), and Granderson. From those 4 players alone, you would have scored over 150 points at the time of writing this. With mediocre contributions from Rodgers, Hiura, and Grandal, and Ray turning in a disappointing day, we still cashed across the board with no issues whatsoever.
This lineup truly could have been a world beater, especially if you took my advice on twitter and pivoted down to Canning, and used the extra cash to upgrade Thames and Hiura! Follow @ZookDFS for updates as lineups come out every day!
Not one to rest on my past laurels though, I’m going to dive right into today’s work. Let’s aim for another day of cashing success!
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25
Starting Pitchers
Love
Kyle Gibson (8,000): Gibson is by far my favorite pitcher on the early slate, I also assume he will be the chalkiest of all the pitchers. Sometimes you have to bite the chalk, and Gibson may not be crazy, as he is only the third highest priced pitcher today. On small slates, people sometimes just plug-in the most expensive pitcher and move on.
Like
Jakob Junis (6,200): If you’re looking for some salary relief in order to go heavy on bats, Junis lines up as the best low-end pitcher. He is by no means a great pitcher, but the Yankees lineup is still ridiculously beat up, and some of the players are bound to regress a little bit. This is nothing more than a dart throw to try to gain leverage on the slate.
Leave
Yu Darvish (8,900): Darvish may possess the most K upside today, but he also walks batters like crazy, and Cincy has some sneakily good bats. I am actually going to be stacking the Reds pretty heavily, so I am completely off Darvish today. My bold prediction is that he only gets through 4 innings at the most.
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25
First Baseman
Love
Joey Votto (2,800): The fall of Joey Votto has been sudden and precipitous, but he has been showing life at the plate in recent weeks. He has reached base safely in his last 13 games, and while the power and XBH have seemingly vanished, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him walk twice and score twice today.
Like
CJ Cron (3,900: The Twins are my second favorite stack today, as they’ve been absolutely red-hot in the last few games. Banuelos is a subpar pitcher, and the homeruns have just been flying off the bat in Minnesota. This is a game that could get out of hand quickly.
Leave
Anthony Rizzo (4,600): This is a bold call, but I don’t think Rizzo is going to go yard for the fourth game in a row. This is nothing more than basic regression to the mean, as 4 games of consecutive homers happens very rarely. It could happen, but I’m cautiously optimistic that it won’t.
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25
Second Baseman
Love
Derek Dietrich (2,500): Another lefty bat in the Cincinnati lineup against Darvish, I like Dietrich for the power he can provide. He’s only hit .240 this season, but he also has 12 homers in only 104 at bats, so the upside is clearly there.
Like
Jonathan Schoop (3,300): There aren’t a ton of bats in the Cincy lineup and the Twins lineup that I don’t like. I will likely have 6 bats between the two teams. Schoop has been hot recently, and there isn’t more much more to say. This could likely be a rinse and repeat of the previous two games for the Twins.
Leave
DJ LeMahieu (3,700): I wrote about leaving LeMahieu yesterday, and he gets the exact same matchup as he would have gotten yesterday, as the game got rained out. I expect there to be some decent ownership on Yankee bats today, as Junis represents a seemingly soft matchup. I think Junis is solid today though, so stay away from that Yankee trap.
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave
Third Baseman
Love
Kris Bryant (4,200): While i advised against Anthony Rizzo, there is certain appeal to stacking him and Bryant, since you are saving so much salary with the Cincy batters. Bryant has hit a staggering .350 this month with 9 homers, so he’s as hot as any hitter in the league. I may end up playing both him and Rizzo if the salary is there.
Like
Yoan Moncada (3,600): Moncada may be facing my favorite pitcher today, but hedging your bets on a small three game slate can be a good strategy on Fanduel, considering they don’t penalize a pitcher for hits allowed. Moncada is batting leadoff, so he isn’t likely to face many RBI chances, but his combination of power and speed makes him a good option.
Leave
Eugenio Suarez (3,400): Suarez is a fantastic hitter, but he excels against lefties, and loses a lot of his power upside against strikeout righties like Darvish. He gets a great opportunity, but he is the only bat at the top of the Reds lineup that I am not interested in.
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25
Shortstop
Love
Adalberto Mondesi (3,800): Mondesi is one of my favorites players in DFS, as he can provide you points in so many ways. He currently has 40 RBI’s, 28 runs, 10 doubles, and 7 triples. He also leads the league in stolen bases with 17. Whether it is Happ that starts, or Chad Green than the bullpen, Mondesi could have a huge game.
Like
Jorge Polanco (4,400): There isn’t much to say about Polanco that isn’t obvious by looking at his numbers. He’s leading the league in batting average at .344, while also providing 9 home runs out of the cleanup spot. He is likely going to get multiple chances at RBI’s today too.
Leave
Javier Baez (4,100): Baez is certainly a tantalizing player. The NL MVP runner-up possesses all the tools to be elite, but also strikes out at a clip that is staggeringly high. He also offers very little in the walk department, so if he doesn’t connect hard, he doesn’t offer much else. He’s similar to Mondesi, with more power and less speed. I like Mondesi more today.
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25
Outfielders
Love
Kyle Schwarber (3,200): Schwarber ticks all the boxes today. Lefty on righty matchup, great position in the roster, and a recent string of play that is very good. Schwarber seems to be a great leadoff hitting for the Cubs, as his ability to draw walks and also hit for power leads to him getting on base often. Roster him with confidence.
Like
Jesse Winker (2,600): I’m not going to lie to you, I am fully planning on rostering Winker today, and I am only doing so because I am home run chasing. Winker doesn’t offer much else, but when a righty is on the mound, Winker always has the potential to go yard.
Leave
Max Kepler (3,700): I have a gut feeling that Kepler gets rested today, as the Twins sometimes do when they face a lefty pitcher. At the very least, he is likely to move down in the roster to the 7th spot, so there are other options I prefer. Kepler was a fantastic call for me last night, let’s see if I can get it right again.
DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/25
Sample Lineup
SP: Kyle Gibson (8,000)
C/1B: Joey Votto (2.800)
2B: Derek Dietrich (2,500)
3B: Kris Bryant (4,200)
SS: Adalberto Mondesi (3,800)
OF: Kyle Schwarber (3,200)
OF: Jesse Winker (2,600)
OF: Nick Senzel (3,300)
Util: Anthony Rizzo (4,600)
Next. Alsco 300 Xfinity Series picks May 25. dark
As always, follow @ZookDFS for constant updates as the day goes on. On a side note, I am currently looking for a GFX artist to work with me on some art for my channel. Am willing to pay of course, so reach out to me there if you are interested! Also check out the other two DFS MLB Love, Like, Leave articles that are coming out today as well!