DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 5/23/22

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Pitchers

Gerrit Cole FD - P 11000 DK - SP 10500
Opponent - BAL (Jordan Lyles) Park - NYY
FD - 49.53 DK - 28.1

We didn't see the big upside game from Cole in his last start(5 K's) as we had projected but he was efficient in holding the Orioles to just two runs en route to his fourth win in his last five starts. Cole has been elite during that stretch posting a 1.67 ERA backed up by a 2.22 xFIP and 30% K rate. Tonight he gets another crack at this Orioles lineup that has dropped eight of their last 10 games while scoring under three runs per game. Cole is our top projected pitcher and an elite play in all formats.

Tyler Anderson FD 9000 DK 9400
Opponent - WSH (Joan Adon) Park - WSH
FD - 33.39 DK - 17.27

There is not a whole lot of value on the mound tonight so a large portion of my salary cap will be going towards pitching. Anderson has seen his price reach a season-high but it is justified as he has started the season 4-0 and outside of one start, has been very consistent holding opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his seven appearances. The upside is somewhat limited as he strikes out just 23% of batters while facing a Nats team that K's under 20% as a team but he and the Dodgers are huge -225 favourites against an offence who is struggling to score runs. Fire up Anderson in all formats tonight.

Catcher/First Base

Anthony Rizzo FD - 1B 3800 DK - 1B 5100
Opponent - BAL (Jordan Lyles) Park - NYY
FD - 13.24 DK - 9.95

The Yankees' offence once again gets the best matchup on the board Monday as they face Jordan Lyles for the fourth time already this season tagging him for eight earned runs over the last two meetings. Lyles has also really struggled against lefties giving up a .376 wOBA and four of his five home runs on the season. While Rizzo went into Sunday hitting just .230 on the season, he has been very productive for fantasy with a 147 wRC+, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, and 25 runs scored. He is my top play at first base in all formats tonight.

Ty France FD 3400 DK 3700
Opponent - OAK (Zach Logue) Park - OAK
FD - 12.12 DK - 9.24

This is starting to seem like a routine write-up, at least on DraftKings where the pricing is nearly criminal. France comes in red hot with hits in five straight and 10 of his last 12 games including seven multi-hit efforts pushing his season average up to .325 which is Top 10 in the MLB. Tonight, he gets a matchup against young lefty Zach Logue and in the split he has posted an elite .372 wOBA/145 wRC+ since the start of last season. If paying up for pitching for DraftKings tonight, France is the easy go-to play at first base at his current price.

Second Base

Max Muncy FD - 1B 3000 DK - 2B/3B 5000
Opponent - WSH (Joan Adon) Park - WSH
FD - 14.4 DK - 10.64

The Dodgers are the highest projected offence on this slate but getting a lot of exposure can be tough if paying up for pitching as their prices are all so high. Muncy is a player we can target on FanDuel and not worry as much about his slow start(.161 avg) as the price has remained in the mid-tier. There is also some underlying metrics that can point us to him turning it around as he is sitting with a .193 BABIP which is over 60 points lower than his career average(.259) and his flyball rate is up about 6% but the HR/FB rate is about 14% below his career averages. All things considered, Muncy is more GPP for me on DraftKings but will be in my player pool in all formats on FanDuel.

Luis Arraez FD - 3B 2800 DK - 1B 3600
Opponent - DET (Elvin Rodriguez) Park - MIN
FD - 9.11 DK - 7.13

On FanDuel, I am most likely just paying the $200 more for Muncy but on DraftKings, the Twins present some much-needed value if we are planning on paying all the way up for pitching. Arraez is off to a hot start as he enters Monday with a .336 average and he while he has struggled against lefties, he has more than made up for it against righties with a .406 wOBA and 174 wRC+. He and the Twins also get a plus matchup against struggling youngster Beau Brieske who enters with a 5.13 ERA/5.52 xFIP and has given up 42% hard contact and a 8% barrel rate. Arraez is not only my top value at second but one of my top PTS/$ values on DraftKings on the entire slate.

Shortstop

Luis Urías FD 3100 DK 4800
Opponent - SD (Nick Martinez) Park - SD
FD - 8.8 DK - 6.67

Shortstop is a very tough position to fill if we are paying up on the mound as there is a lack of value hitting anywhere near the top of the lineup while the top guys are in tough matchups or priced right out of our budget. Urias and the Brewers may not get the best matchup tonight but Urias is a favourite one-off play here as he comes with multi-position eligibility, hits near the top of the lineup, and comes at a value on both sites. He didn't get his season started until May but has been terrific with hits in 13 of 16 games(.293 avg) and has posted an elite .389 wOBA/151 wRC+. He is in play in all formats.

Also Consider: Jorge Polanco on FanDuel or Carlos Correa if you are loading up on Twins or Trea Turner(LAD) if you are fading top pitching and want lots of Dodgers' exposure

Third Base

Manny Machado FD - 3B 4000 DK - 3B 4900
Opponent - MIL (Adrian Houser) Park - SD
FD - 13.13 DK - 9.96

Is there a more underrated superstar in today's game than Manny Machado? I like to think I read and watch a lot of baseball content with my job and just don't hear a lot about Manny who comes in leading the entire league in WAR(by a wide margin), average(.374), is second in wOBA(.455) and third in wRC+(200). Those are terrifying numbers if you are an opposing pitcher and for us as DFS players, he comes at a discount on DraftKings tonight as there is no way he should be sub $5K in this matchup. You know what to do!

Eugenio Suárez FD 3100 DK 4200
Opponent - OAK (Zach Logue) Park - OAK
FD - 10.07 DK - 7.49

Back to some Mariners' value here with Suarez who may have gotten off to a slow start this season but is heating up heading into this series with the A's. He extended his hit streak to eight games yesterday and during that streak, he has five extra-base hits(three doubles, two home runs) while averaging 12.8 FD/9.9 DK points per game. The numbers aren't great on paper vs lefties so far in 2022 but the BABIP(.200) is over a 100 points lower than to righties and he has showed better splits against southpaws for his career so I am not too worried here and will have exposure in all formats.

Outfield

Mookie Betts FD - OF 4300 DK - OF 5700
Opponent - WSH (Joan Adon) Park - WSH
FD - 15.52 DK - 11.68

The Dodgers are in a great spot tonight but with their prices, you may only be able to fit one in cash if wanting to pay up for Cole on the mound. Betts is the one I am targeting as he comes in red-hot with hits in nine of his last 10 games including six doubles, five home runs,11 RBI, and 14 runs scored. He now gets a plus matchup against rookie Joan Adon who has posted a 6.38 ERA/5.09 xFIP over eight starts. Betts checks all the boxes and is our top projected bat on this slate. Lock and load!

Max Kepler FD 3000 DK 3400
Opponent - DET (Beau Brieske) Park - DET
FD - 9.27 DK - 6.96

Like I mentioned earlier, the Twins are fairly priced on FanDuel but some of them come at a huge discount on DraftKings which is much-needed value if paying up for pitching and Betts. Kepler is slated to hit cleanup and checks all the boxes starting with patience at the plate as he is walking 13% of the time which is Top 20 in the league and he also comes into tonight with hits in five of his last six games with four RBI and five runs scored. Pairing Arraez and Kepler together is one of my top two-player stacks for cash games on DraftKings tonight.

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