Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, May 19, 2019, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - LAD
FD - 41.47 DK - 22.87
On the main slate we could see cash game ownership pushing 100% tonight. With three games pushing totals over 10 on a five game slate, you really don't have a lot of palatable options. Me? I'm going with the herd and playing Ryu. While he's not a household name, Ryu has been every bit of an ace this season. His sub 9 K/9 isn't anything to write home about, but his .48 BB/9 is the stuff of legends. If math isn't your thing, that's a single walk every 18 innings. He just doesn't let people get on base for free. This incredibly efficient approach has yielded a delightful 6.64 innings pitched per start, which is a beautiful thing for both his fantasy point totals and his ability to snag a win. I love grabbing pitchers against the Rockies when they are on the road, and the nice pitcher's park here is just icing on the cake. Like I said, this is one of the easier plays in recent memory.
Opponent - WSH (Anibal Sanchez) Park - WSH
FD - 24.89 DK - 12.77
There's no way to sugarcoat it, this year has been an incredible disappointment for Foltynewicz. That stands in stark contrast to last year's dream season, where he added 1.6 K/9 and shaved almost a full run off his xFIP. He ran hot with a .251 BABIP allowed, but he was still very much an above league average pitcher. This year it's all gone sideways. The K rate is back under 8 per 9, and his HR/FB rate has more than doubled, which is why his ERA and xFIP are both dramatically suffering. It's weird, though, because his fastball is still averaging 95.2 miles per hour, and his walk rate has actually decreased. I don't know that he'll get back to 10 Ks per 9, but I do believe he can at least be a league average pitcher, and on this slate? That means something. The Nats have a below average wOBA against righties this season, and even though they're a little healthier that's about as good as we can hope for in the pitcher two slot tonight.
Also considered: Masahiro Tanaka, if you don't trust Folty. But yikes, it's a tough match-up with the Astros.
Opponent - HOU (Wade Miley) Park - NYY
FD - 13.18 DK - 9.87
Our first game with a 10 total is the Astros/Yankees affair, where Masahiro Tanaka will face off against Mr. Wade Miley. The Yankees are favored here, which means they are projected to score nearly six runs. A lot of people will look at Miley's ERA over the last two seasons and (mistakenly) assume he is a good pitcher. He isn't. His 4.21 xFIP paints a picture of a slightly below league average pitcher, and he basically skates by on a a reasonable high 51% ground ball rate. He still strikes out fewer than 8 guys per nine while walking too many, and he's a great match-up for the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. We haven't even talked about the Sanchize and his own credentials, either. He's got an OPS north of 1k against lefties this season, and should mash Miley here as well.
Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - LAD
FD - 13.02 DK - 9.69
Muncy and the Dodgers draw the young Peter Lambert today. Lambert is actually something of a real prospect, but many believe that he's been rushed to the Majors. He has a K/9 barely above 6 in AAA in the last two seasons, and as you can imagine, that shouldn't foretell great success in the bigs. He has the misfortune of squaring off against a Dodgers' lineup that can seriously hit right handers. Muncy is a funny power-hitting first baseman, because while he's just a terrific hitter overall he's slightly better versus his fellow southpaws. I'm not sweating that here, though. Muncy is plenty effective against righties as well, and should be able to abuse the 22 year old Lambert.
Opponent - ATL (Mike Foltynewicz) Park - WSH
FD - 11.11 DK - 8.63
While I think Folty is a reasonable pitcher two on DraftKings, I'm also totally fine running Nationals' hitters here if you aren't playing him. Kendrick will likely be batting clean-up again today, and he's quietly been kind of awesome in his two year tenure as a National. He's pushing a 1k OPS this season thanks to him pairing characteristically high BABIP with a minuscule 13.6% K rate this year. He's certainly better against lefties, but he's still posted a .944 OPS against righties as well. I think he's a great play on FanDuel.
Opponent - HOU (Wade Miley) Park - NYY
FD - 12.12 DK - 9.24
An obvious addition to the Yankees stack, but a modestly expensive on. The 22 year old phenom has built upon last year's excellent rookie campaign with an .882 OPS so far this season, and while he's been platoon neutral over his young career his minor league numbers suggest that he should be better against lefties going forward. He's a very good hitter at a tough position at a reasonable price, and is a great play in any format today.
Opponent - CHW (Odrisamer Despaigne) Park - TEX
FD - 11.72 DK - 8.96
Gleyber is my hombre for cash games today, but if you're shooting the moon for upside you can consider Odor. He's a 25 year old second baseman with two 30 home run seasons under his belt, and he's $2,800 on FanDuel. What more do you need to know, right? Well, he's that cheap because his OBP is a perennial disaster, and he can absolutely disappear on you thanks to that and his rather low spot in the order. You do have to love him against Odrisamer Despaigne, though. Despaigne is a 32 year old never-has-been who has a sub 6 K/9 for his career and has given up 10 runs through 10 and a third innings this year. We'll certainly been nodding to more Rangers in short order.
Opponent - HOU (Wade Miley) Park - NYY
FD - 10.98 DK - 8.41
There isn't a whole lot to see here. Chances are good you'll be piling Yankees on top of each other and Didi might wind up very reasonably being the odd man out, but he is still playable here for sure. The case for Didi is different than the case for a lot of guys here, though. He's a power threat out of the SS spot for sure, but the bigger thing is the current price tag. Gregorius has been truly bad so far this season, but he's easily 20% cheaper than he will be when he hits a reasonable sample size for the season. He'll be in the heart of the order, and the combination of opportunity and price are excellent here.
Opponent - ATL (Mike Foltynewicz) Park - WSH
FD - 14.71 DK - 11.45
Washington's star shortstop has returned from injury to nearly exactly the same production we've come to know from him - a near 20/40 guy with an .800 OPS. He's expensive to be sure, but you'll get savings at pitcher on either major site today and Turner possesses a power/speed upside combo that's tough to match at this position.
Opponent - CHW (Odrisamer Despaigne) Park - TEX
FD - 12.94 DK - 9.9
Another solid part of the Texas stack, Cabrera is bringing a balance of high ceiling games and total no-shows. He's striking out a little bit more this season, but walking more as well, and his strictly platoon neutral profile gives him something of a high floor in this one. He'll likely be batting sixth here, but on the off chance he moves up in the order he could be an every lineup guy. The biggest thing you like here, as with a lot of these middling types, is the excellent price that lets you pay up for bigger names elsewhere.
Opponent - WSH (Anibal Sanchez) Park - WSH
FD - 11.76 DK - 8.79
Another guy who is simply too cheap, paying $3,000 for a guy with Donaldson's upside against Sanchez just seems like a great deal. Donaldson is obviously better against lefties, but the 35 year old Sanchez has an xFIP north of 5 this year thanks to a tiny 33.8% ground ball rate. Donaldson isn't the MVP candidate he used to be, but a true talent .850 OPS guy in a good lineup at $3k is nothing to sneeze at in any format.
Also considered: Justin Turner.
Opponent - CHW (Odrisamer Despaigne) Park - TEX
FD - 13.09 DK - 9.97
Opponent - CHW (Odrisamer Despaigne) Park - TEX
FD - 14.16 DK - 10.73
Opponent - CHW (Odrisamer Despaigne) Park - TEX
FD - 12.6 DK - 9.65
We get it, DFSR, you like the Rangers today. Still, all of these guys are looking like excellent deals today, and if they're all at the top of the order you can make a strong case to just stuff your outfield slots with Rangers today. Choo and Mazara are big time platoon split guys, and there's a chance Santana is too cheap if this season's power breakout is legit. I'd rather prioritize Choo and Mazara if I am going after a high floor, though.
Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - LAD
FD - 13.32 DK - 9.98
We already gave you the deal on Lambert, so let's talk about Pederson for a quick second. In my 5 years of playing DFS for a living I have quite simply not seen a guy with platoon splits this dramatic this late in the season. It's still something of a small sample size, but Pederson's OPS against righties is a full .629 OPS points better against them this season. For that reason he's a risk to get pulled if the Rockies bring in a LOOGY against him, but I'll take the free cuts against Lambert early on and take my chances at these prices.
Opponent - HOU (Wade Miley) Park - NYY
FD - 15.81 DK - 11.78
Stanton was put on earth to hit home runs and strike out, and given Miley's lack of strikeout stuff, here's to hoping we see some of the former. I'm not sure if you need to force it for cash games today, but in big tournaments he could wind up being the highest owned outfielder.
Also considered: Wil Myers.
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