Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 5/13/15 There are so many baseball players that it's impossible to give you all of the reasonable plays on a given day, so I'll do my best in highlighting whom I believe to be the elite plays. If you want the rest? Go ahead and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks. Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster.   An awkward edit: FanDuel didn't post their early slate until late, and I wrote the whole picks without even realizing there were early games. I don't have it in me to do a full write-up for each of the positions, but I'll highlight a good play at each position on the slate below the main section.   Pitchers Cole Hamels - FD 9400 DK 10100 Hamels' control has become sort of a problem this season, but there is a LOT to love in this match-up. First, Hamels. He's still a K per inning guy, even if he's been wild. But the real kicker? I'm not sure I've seen a better match-up for a left handed pitcher since I started writing about daily fantasy baseball. They've struck out in a staggering 29% of their at bats against left handed pitching this season. 29%! Couple that with the 3rd lowest wOBA against left handed pitching, and you have an ideal spot for any pitcher. Now, there's modest risk here, because Francisco Liriano could just as easily cut the Phillies to bits, and at a maximum, only one of them can get a win here. But frankly, I'll take either of them, with the nod going to Hamels just because of how bad the Pirates have been. James Shields - FD 8700 DK 9500 Shields has had some tough BABIP luck this year, but the 55 Ks to 12 BBs are enough to make me think that the ERA will come around shortly. The Mariners, for all of their left handed bats, have managed the 10th worst wOBA vs. right handed pitching this season, and have posted a K rate north of 20%. And unlike the above guys, Shields has a pretty nice match-up against the clearly "not there yet" Taijuan Walker. Should be a great spot to get a win, and Safeco's pitcher's park reputation is well deserved. I suspect he'll be quite a large play tomorrow, even if I'll be grabbing Hamels. Matt Harvey - FD 10300 DK 10400 There's a nice case to be made for Harvey tonight if you want to spend up for safety. The Cubs have posted the league's...

Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 5/10/15 Full disclaimer - this is a massive slate, and there's no way I could ever possibly list every decent play today. So, I'll do my best in highlighting whom I believe to be the elite plays. If you want the rest? Go ahead and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks. Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster.     Pitchers Danny Salazar - FD 7800 DK 8600 DFSTR 3100 I feel like Salazar needs a good nickname, so I'm going to call him Sa-lazer. Nailed it. Feel free to use it wherever. This is a great spot for the Indian's diminutive right hander. First of all, his already great K rate has gone up to a staggering 12.81/9 this season, and he's also improved upon his control. I still feel like he's running bad with BABIP, also. The Twins have the 5th worst K% against righties (22.4%), and Trevor May isn't going to strike fear into the hearts of the hitters trying help Sa-lazer get the W. I love him for both safety and upside today. Garrett Richards - FD 8700 DK 10200 DFSTR 3100 It's been sort of a weird start to the season for Richards. The peripherals (19 Ks to 12 BBs in 24 IP) are looking pretty bad, and he's been able to get by largely on luck so far. But this early in the season, I don't know that we can say anything has necessarily changed. That makes this a solid buying opportunity. The Astros, while they've managed to hit the ball hard against right handed pitching this season, still have the 2nd worst K % in the majors (23.7%) against right handed pitching. And Richards' strong suit is really depressing SLG - he allowed the lowest slugging percentage in the league last season. He's also up against Scott Feldman, which makes a win more likely than usual. If you trust the year to dates... Michael Pineda looks interesting against the O's. Third worst K rate in the league, and they're trotting out the shell of Bud Norris. Obviously some bruisers on that team that could make Pineda pay, but it wouldn't shock me if he put up another monster as well. I won't be playing Felix Hernandez at all. Potentially unpopular opinion, since it's a nice park - but the As have struck out just 16% of the time against righties this year, and they're 7th in the majors in wOBA vs. RHP.   Catchers Brian McCann - FD 3200 DK 4000 DFSTR 6300 Bud...

Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 5/9/15 Full disclaimer - this is a massive slate, and there's no way I could ever possibly list every decent play today. So, I'll do my best in highlighting whom I believe to be the elite plays. If you want the rest? Go ahead and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks. Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster.     Pitchers Early Slate Julio Teheran - FD 8300 DK 9000 DFSTR Teheran went back to his fastball a lot more in his last start against the Reds, to fantastic results. And while it's always so tempting to look at early season results and condemn a guy, I think the worst of this season is far behind him. In this game, he'll draw a Nationals' team that's had a hell of a time doing much of anything against right handers this season. All of their non-Bryce Harper Bats (Desmond, Werth, Ramos, etc) prefer left handers, and the Nats have managed the 6th worst wOBA against right handers so far this season. Throw in a Doug Fister/hardlyknewher match-up, and I think this should be a solid spot to grab him in an early slate that features very little elite pitching. Consider Phil Hughes. The peripherals are there, the performance isn't. Our projection system thinks he's due for a bounceback. Late Slate Madison Bumgarner - FD 10100 DK 11000 DFSTR 3100 Back to back fantastic fantasy starts for the Giants ace, and he'll have a chance to extend this streak on Saturday against the Fish in his home park. Bumgarner is back to business as usual this year - flashing ultra-elite peripherals (32 Ks to 6 BBs), and there's no reason to think he won't turn in another terrific year. In this one, he's got a lot going for him. His xFIP has been .2 runs better at home over the course of his career, for starters. And then there's his opponent - David Phelps' 16 Ks and 10 BBs in 24 IP this year tell a far more accurate tale of his abilities than his 3.24 ERA, and the Giants should be healthy favorites here. The one fly in the ointment? The Marlins have the league's 4th best wOBA against left handers this year. They're still striking out plenty, though, and I'll happily deploy Bumgarner in any format. Johnny Cueto - FD 10500 DK 9800 DFSTR 3100 Incredibly intriguing match-up with Carlos Rodon and the White Sox here. If you're unfamiliar with Rodon's work, he's an incredible stuff guy that could be the...

Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 5/8/15 Full disclaimer - this is a massive slate, and there's no way I could ever possibly list every decent play today. So, I'll do my best in highlighting whom I believe to be the elite plays. If you want the rest? Go ahead and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks. Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster.     Pitchers Matt Harvey - FD 10600 DK 11000 DFSTR It's really too bad that the Phillies' good player (Cole Hamels) is squaring off against Harvey today, because if he weren't, this would be the lockiest of all locks when it comes to picking a starter. Still, this looks to be the safest play on the board by a healthy margin. Harvey has some of the best peripherals in the game (34 Ks against 4 BBs in 32 IP), and Philly is dead last by a country mile when it comes to wOBA against right handed pitching this year. Their pathetic .255 mark is the worst in the majors by .19 points. Need I say more? Francisco Liriano - FD 8600 DK 9100 DFSTR 3100 If you want to grab arguably as much upside for a discounted price while sacrificing any semblance of safety, consider Francisco Liriano! Now, his last start against the Cardinals was pretty good from a results perspective, but it was actually not in accordance with the rest of his season's performance. No, Liriano's major value this season has come from his huge K rate. Before his last start, he had racked up 30 Ks in 24 IP, making him one of the highest upside plays in daily fantasy sports. The Cardinals have the 11th highest K rate against left handed pitching, and the 5th lowest wOBA against them. And Liriano's opponent, Michael Wacha, has been running ridiculously hot - his 18 Ks against 8 BBs in 32 innings won't lead to a 2 ERA for much longer. James Shields - FD 8700 DK 8800 DFSTR 3100 For all of the big bats and great home park the D-backs have, it really hasn't translated to that much this season. They're just 13th in the majors in terms of wOBA against right handed pitching, and just 20th in terms of wOBA at home. Shields, on the other hand, has been positively sparkling. His 11.89 K/9 is downright elite, and it's not like he's faced only cupcakes (COL twice, the Dodgers once). He'll have the opportunity of facing a pedestrian opposing pitcher in Hellickson, who should have a great deal of...

Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 5/3/15 Ready to make the leap and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks? Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster.   Pitcher James Shields - FD 8600 DK 9900 DFSTR 8500 I gave you all Morrow against the Rockies in Petco last night, and as of this writing, I have no idea how that turned out. Regardless, Shields is a pitcher in a totally different league from Morrow, and he's been utterly lights out this season. The 12 Ks/9 are insane, and he's actually running bad in terms of homers allowed per fly ball, so his overall line could look even better. I made this case yesterday - but the Rox are 15th in the league in terms of road wOBA against righties, and Petco will obviously make them even worse than their standard outing. I think Matzek could also have a hell of a time against the new-look Padres' righty-stack, and I think this game actually could get out of hand in the Dads' favor. Johnny Cueto - FD 10600 DK 11000 DFSTR 9600 I think Shields has considerably more upside, but it's hard to ignore what Cueto can offer from a safety perspective. He's averaging more than 7 innings a start this season, and has posted a modest 7.6:1 K:BB rate in that time. Teheran is a fine starter on the other side in his own right, but he's struggled a bit this season, and he may have a tough time against the Reds' hard hitting left handers. But the opposing pitcher isn't usually a huge consideration with Cueto. If you can get a pitcher who's going like this, and find ways to fit the money in good elsewhere, it's usually a good buy. Everyone will play one of the above guys, but if you feel like going contrarian, Jason Hammel makes for an interesting play. His 23 Ks against 1 BB are fantastic, and throwing with that kind of control carries a lot of upside. Julio Teheran is also a system favorite, but the upside is limited by the fact that Cueto is just so good, and getting the win would be tough. Still, no one will play him, and he could make for an interesting GPP play.   Catcher Evan Gattis - FD 3200 DK 4000 DFSTR If you're a subscriber to our projection system, you hopefully kept a steady hand with Gattis as he struggled earlier this season. He's still a lefty killer like you read about (and just bombed a homer as I'm writing this),...