FanDuel & DraftKings Optimal MLB Lineup Picks for Friday, May 15, 2015. Free daily fantasy baseball lineup advice, picks and plays for building the best FanDuel & DraftKings MLB DFS lineups (5/15).
We have a full 15 game slate on Friday in Major League Baseball!
With one early start (PIT @ CHC) going at 2:20pm EST and the rest of the action resuming at 7pm EST, it’s going to be another great day of baseball.
With a few road favorites and some aces toeing the rubber for their teams, it is surely to be an exciting day.
Let’s jump right in to our FanDuel and DraftKings analysis for the day.
Let’s Start With The Pitching Landscape:
The top 3 pitchers on the slate today from a win probability perspective:
Clayton Kershaw (-295… no that is not a typo) vs Eddie Butler. The total is 6.5.
Dallas Keuchel (-148) vs R.A. Dickey. The total is 8.0.
Bartolo Colon (-140) vs Kyle Lohse. The total is 7.0.
Kershaw is on a completely other planet based on the Vegas line. The combination of a sputtering Rockies team (though they pulled out a comeback win last night) and a dominant lefty taking the hill against them makes him almost a must-start for cash games today.
Then you add in the fact the potent Dodgers lineup is facing youngster Eddie Butler who has had a hard time striking guys out and keeping runners off base (1.66 WHIP) and man oh man is it a tasty one for the ace lefty.
It will definitely be tempting to try to get “cute” with your SP by looking beyond Kershaw to find a cheaper option, but the reality is that it’s probably not going to be worth it at the end of the day.
The second highest win probability is in Houston with the Jays and Astros battling it out in game 2 of their series.
Drew Hutchison pitched well against the ‘Stros last night, keeping them at bay with 9 Ks until the Toronto bullpen came in and blew the lead once again.
Roberto Hernandez also pitched relatively well for Houston, especially once the first inning was done after Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion went back-to-back.
Keuchel is a quality arm and has been great to start the year. I talked about how some of his luck is surely to run out soon (just a few days ago) so despite being the 2nd highest favorite on the board, the 8.0 run total and impending reversal of fortune makes him too risky for me to trust in DFS today.
Not to mention the Jays power righties (Josh Donaldson, Bautista, Edwin) looming on the other end along with Devon Travis and Chris Colabello who are both swinging the bat with confidence at the moment.
Colon could be a sneaky play today. He’s been fantastic to start the year and is facing the Brewers at home in Citi Field tonight. With the over/under at 7 runs, we should be looking at a QS outing from the ageless righty with the upside for 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 Ks and 5-7 combined H/BB.
Carlos Rodon and Michael Pineda represent 2 other high-upside plays on the road today. I will personally have a tough time starting them (Pineda in particular because the Royals are such a tough opponent to handicap) but the upside is certainly there with the strikeout potential both of these pitchers exhibit.
Rodon is coming off an impressive start on May 9 against Cincinnati going 6 IP with 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB and 8 Ks (108 pitches) and getting the win.
I need to see a bit more out of him before I can confidently recommend him as a cash game option in DFS, but he certainly can be an intriguing GPP play tonight.
Join FantasyCruncher!
The perfect lineup construction tool that helps you make better lineup decisions. Sign up today for a FREE 1-week trial.
Join Today
Moving Over To The Hitting Side:
Wei-Yin Chen vs Jered Weaver with a o/u of 8.5 runs? Yes, please!
Start your high-end righty bats against Chen – Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in particular.
I’m not going to beat the “start Erick Aybar” drum too loud… I’m sure you’re getting sick and tired of my vocal support for him in cash games… but he’s just about a must-start once again while his price is super low ($2,400 on FD and $3,800 on DK) hitting in the middle of the order for LA.
Do you trust Chad Billingsley? Well, you probably shouldn’t.
Chase Anderson takes the hill for Arizona and has been throwing the ball very well so far this year. The offense has a handful of attractive DFS options as well, like Ender Inciarte who has been on a nice little streak of late (2.5, 7.5, 3.25 FDP over his last 3) and is reasonably priced (on DK in particular at $3,700).
Start him with confidence, as well as Paul Goldschmidt and David Peralta (if he’s starting).
With Bruce Chen on the mound for Cleveland, it feels like a great opportunity to roll out some of the more consistent righties in the Texas lineup.
Adrian Beltre is a reasonable $3,100 on FanDuel but a pretty hefty $5,300 on DraftKings. This makes him a very attractive play on FD considering the discrepancy and very tasty matchup ahead tonight. The same goes for Elvis Andrus who is only $2,600 on FD and a decent $4,200 on DK.
With his high-contact profile, he’s almost a guarantee to give you 1-2 points on FD and somewhere around 4-6 on DK most nights. I see him going 2 for 4 tonight with a run scored and maybe a steal, bringing 3-4 points to the table on FD and around 10 on DK.
Value Bats To Consider (Assuming They Start):
I already mentioned Elvis Andrus and Chris Colabello above who make for very nice value plays, not to mention Erick Aybar who is very attractive once again.
David Freese and Danny Valencia could be nice starts today. Valencia should get the nod against a lefty and we all know how good Freese is when he faces southpaws.
Cory Spangenberg was one of my must-starts yesterday and boy did he have a coming out party with a pair of homers. With his price at $2,600 on FD and $2,800 on DK, he’s a fantastic value play once again. I’m not scared off by Jordan Zimmerman being his opponent on the mound… the fact he’s at the top of the order and swinging a hot bat for very little DFS cash is worth the risk.
RELATED: Daily Fantasy Strategy: Helping You Win
Best of luck today!
More Fantasy Baseball Coverage:
The Scoop on Andrew Susac
Early Season Slumps: Buy & Sell Opportunities
NFL Draft 2015: Impact Fantasy Football Rookies
Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
2015 NFL Draft: Top 3 Winners
Need Help Winning MLB DFS?
We offer a premium MLB daily fantasy lineup service for FanDuel & DraftKings with daily in-depth expert analysis. Want more info? Click below.
More
Links! FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | FantasyCruncher | Victiv | Draftster
More from Moxyball
FanDuel & DraftKings MLB Optimal Lineup Picks Thursday, May 14 | Free DFS Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/14)
May 14, 2015
FanDuel & DraftKings MLB Optimal Lineup Picks Wednesday, May 13 | Free DFS Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/13)
May 13, 2015
FanDuel & DraftKings MLB Optimal Lineup Picks Tuesday, May 12 | Free DFS Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/12)
May 11, 2015
FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Optimal Lineup Picks Monday, May 11| DFS Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (5/11)
May 11, 2015
FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Optimal Lineup Picks Sunday, May 10| DFS Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (5/10)
May 10, 2015
FanDuel & DraftKings MLB Optimal Lineup Picks Sunday, May 10 | DFS Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/10)
May 10, 2015
The post FanDuel & DraftKings MLB Optimal Lineup Picks Friday, May 15 | Free DFS Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/15) appeared first on Moxyball.com.