DFS MLB DraftKings/FanDuel Lineup Advice and Pitcher Chart 5/17/2018
Pitchers
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Tyler Skaggs
Skaggs will face the Rays in Angel Stadium. He’s been fairly solid this season, but hasn’t had a breakout game. The Rays strike out 23.2% of the time against lefties, 13th in the league. Skaggs is one of the biggest favorites on the slate, and has an OTT of 3.5 (see pitcher chart), lowest on the slate. I think he’s too expensive for cash games, but will have a few shares of him in tournaments.
Chris Archer
Archer will face the Angels in Angel Stadium. While the Angels don’t strike out often, they should have a lineup full of righties. Archer has an OTT of four, but on this slate, that may be ok. At a price of just $6,900, Archer is one of the best plays on the slate, even in a difficult matchup.
Jon Lester
Lester will face the Braves in SunTrust Park. The Braves are a good offense, but like Archer, Lester is too cheap. He also has an OTT of four, and is a slight favorite. This is more about the price than the matchup. It’s an ugly slate, so I’m betting on talented pitchers who are underpriced rather than trying to select the best matchups. With Lester priced at $7,700, I think he’s a solid cash game play, even against a tough offense.
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Pitcher Chart
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
The pitching chart will be updated often. Make sure to check back for the newest information, especially if a column is currently incomplete!
Last Updated: 5/17/2018 – 6:57 AM CT
| Pitcher | Team | L/R | $Line | OTT | K | +/- | K% | IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. Lauer | SDP | R | +152 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 17.9 | 5 1/3 |
| C. Kuhl | PIT | R | -165 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 2 | 21.9 | 6 |
| V. Velasquez | PHI | R | +115 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 28.1 | 5 1/3 |
| L. Weaver | STL | R | -125 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 20.6 | 6 1/3 |
| J. Lester | CHC | L | -113 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 19.2 | 6 1/3 |
| M. Soroka | ATL | R | +104 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 21.7 | 5 1/3 |
| C. Bettis | COL | R | +115 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 15.2 | 5 2/3 |
| J. Samardzija | SFG | R | -124 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 18.2 | 6 2/3 |
| A. Triggs | OAK | R | +109 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 24.6 | 5 1/3 |
| A. Sanchez | TOR | R | -118 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 15.5 | 5 2/3 |
| C. Hamels | TEX | L | -127 | 4 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 25.1 | 6 1/3 |
| J. Shields | CHW | R | +117 | 4.5 | 4 | -0.5 | 13.5 | 5 |
| C. Archer | TBR | R | +139 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 22.8 | 6 |
| T. Skaggs | LAA | L | -151 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.5 | 25 | 7 |
| M. Boyd | DET | L | +150 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 18.8 | 5 1/3 |
| M. Gonzales | SEA | L | -163 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 2 | 23.3 | 6 |
| K. Gausman | BAL | R | +152 | 5 | 4 | -1 | 19.8 | 5 |
| D. Price | BOS | L | -165 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 20.9 | 5 2/3 |
Key
L/R = Lefty or Righty
$Line = Money Line
OTT = Opposing team’s run total
K = Projected Strikeouts
+/- = K-OTT
K% = Strikeout Percentage
IP = Innings Projection
Many factors can change between the time I write this article and the time lineups lock. I’ll do my best to update the article, so checking back frequently is encouraged. You can also ask questions on Twitter or Facebook. I’ll do my best to get to all of them!
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
Hitters
Rangers Bats
The Rangers will face James Shields in Guaranteed Rate Field. They have a team run total of 4.5, but I think they go over the total in this game. Even though Shields has allowed only 0.75 HR/9 this year, his HR/FB percentage is just 6.5%. After three straight seasons above 17%, there is clearly regression coming, and it could easily begin tonight. Joey Gallo has the highest home run projection on the slate and will be locked into my lineup at $4,300. Shin-Soo Choo is one of the safest cash game plays on the slate, but there are some cheap pitching options, so I may pay up at all three outfield spots. Finally, Rougned Odor is an interesting tournament option at $3,100, but I’ll avoid him in cash games if he’s batting low in the order.
Red Sox Bats
The Red Sox will face Kevin Gausman in Fenway Park. They have a team run total of five. Considering the cheap pitching options on the slate, Mookie Betts and JD Martinez are locked into my cash game lineup. I like a Red Sox stack in tournaments, but outside of Betts and Martinez, I prefer other plays in cash games. Gausman has historically done better against lefties than righties, but I don’t think that will scare me away from using Andrew Benintendi in a stack. While I prefer Gallo in cash games, Hanley Ramirez is always underowned and is worth a look in tournaments.
Josh Donaldson
Donaldson will face Andrew Triggs in the Rogers Centre. He’s my favorite option at third base on a slate where the usual top options have difficult matchups. Donaldson is slightly underpriced on DraftKings at $4,200, making him my preferred cash game play. Triggs is an average pitcher, but has been unlucky this year with a 5.31 ERA and a 1.62 HR/9. I think both of those numbers will regress slightly, but I’m willing to select Donaldson and hope Triggs struggles one more day in a hitters park.
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