Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Ideal Lineup Picks for May 11 – Bleacher Report
No matter what your strategy is in daily fantasy baseball, you can find value all over the board for May 11.
Whether you want to spend a high percentage of your budget on pitchers and save money on batters or vice versa, every position represents quality options beyond just the top names. Here is a look at some of the better choices for Monday’s contests.
Pitchers
Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates ($8,900)
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Zack Greinke ($10,200) has had a strong year, but you can feel almost as confident with Gerrit Cole while still saving a lot of money in your budget.
Cole hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a game this year and will have a chance to pitch against the struggling Philadelphia Phillies offense. Although the 24-year-old pitcher hasn’t been going deep into games this year, this will be a good chance to truly put together a great start.
Jacob deGrom, New York Mets ($8,100)
After two bad starts where he allowed 11 runs (nine earned) in 10.1 innings, Jacob deGrom got back on track with seven innings of one-run ball against the Baltimore Orioles on May 6. It seems the poor games were little more than a speed bump in an otherwise solid beginning to the season.
“People have seen him now,” Mets manager Terry Collins said after the game, via David Lennon of Newsday. “So he continues to make adjustments, which we know he’s very capable of doing. Tonight we needed him, he stepped up and got big outs for us.”
The reigning NL Rookie of the Year costs as little as he has all season on DraftKings and could give owners some serious value.
Josh Collmenter, Arizona Diamondbacks ($6,300)
Although Josh Collmenter clearly isn’t an ace, he has put together some impressive starts so far this year, including a complete-game shutout last month. Even though he allowed five earned runs at the hitter-friendly Coors Field in his last start, he still pitched seven innings and earned the win, which is what he has done consistently over the past few weeks.
The key for Collmenter has been his impeccable control, walking just three batters in 39.2 innings. As long as he keeps this up, he can provide fantasy owners with good value for extremely cheap.
Hitters
Neil Walker, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates ($4,400)
The switch-hitting second baseman got a day off Sunday, but he has been crushing right-handers this season to the tune of a .315 batting average with two home runs and eight doubles. This should continue against Monday’s starter Jerome Williams and his 5.18 ERA.
In a lineup that has a bunch of players who can bring him home, Walker could be a good play at a premium position.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Boston Red Sox ($4,100)
Elsa/Getty Images
Oakland Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir was off to a great start to the season, but he came back to earth with six earned runs allowed his last time out. Considering his current 3.85 FIP, his 2.75 ERA should continue to go up.
This represents a big opportunity for Pablo Sandoval, who is up to .306 on the year and is coming off a great performance Sunday where he had a double and a two-run home run. There is no reason to expect him to slow down Monday.
Andre Ethier, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,600)
Although young Joc Pederson has stolen a lot of headlines in the Los Angeles Dodgers outfield, Andre Ethier continues to do his job with a great approach at the plate to get plenty of hits and walks. He will have the opportunity to do even more against a Miami Marlins starter who has been getting crushed by lefties this season.
It’s a small sample size, but Monday’s starter Tom Koehler has allowed a 1.022 OPS to left-handed hitters this season compared to just .543 to righties. Pederson and Adrian Gonzalez represent good picks for your lineup, although Ethier should give you the most value.
Team to Stack
Baltimore Orioles
GAIL BURTON/Associated Press
Don’t be fooled by Marco Estrada’s seemingly solid 2.93 ERA. The Toronto Blue Jays pitcher is a quality reliever but struggled in his only start this season, allowing four earned runs in just 4.2 innings. His career 4.24 ERA as a starter is more indicative of what to expect at best from the right-hander.
This is good news for the Baltimore Orioles, who have a number of batters who can take advantage, such as Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Adam Jones and the red-hot Jimmy Paredes (you can play him as an outfielder).
If you are someone who likes to stack a lineup with a lot of players from one team, this is a good opportunity to do it.
Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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