This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Happy Memorial Day! The holiday DFS action kicks off at 1:05 p.m. EDT with Early-Only and All-Day options before giving way to the Main slate, which starts at 7:05 p.m. EDT.
The Early-Only slate is actually better with seven games from which to choose players, while the Main slate has only four contests. As always, this will focus on the Main slate.
Pitching
There'll be a great pitching matchup in Los Angeles as the Mets and Jacob deGrom ($10,300) face Clayton Kershaw ($10,000) and the Dodgers. Both hurlers are in play, and between the two, they'll be the most used pitchers for cash games on the slate. The lean here, though, is Kershaw, who'll be home and faces a Mets lineup that whiffs a lot against left-handed pitching: The team's 27.3 percent strikeout rate is the fourth-highest in the league, while the Dodgers strike out only 19.7 percent of the time against right-handers. That's the fourth-lowest mark in the league. However, deGrom is always in play and has 40 or more fantasy points in six of his 10 starts this season.
Out of all of the bargain pitchers, Tommy Milone ($6,300) is not only the cheapest but probably has the highest upside of the group. He'll be home in Seattle's pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park and has a good fantasy matchup against the Rangers. Texas strikes out 28.2 percent of the time against left-handed pitching, which is the second-highest rate in the league. Their .302 wOBA against that handedness is in the bottom half of the league (19th), so they're not a great team even when making contact.
Key Values/Chalk
Looking at the bats, DFS players seemingly would be wise to avoid using the hitters in the Mets-Dodgers game in cash. Starting with the outfield, the Mariners' Jay Bruce ($3,100) seems like a good player who won't kill a salary cap. Bruce has a career .345 wOBA against right-handed pitching. Lynn has also allowed a .344 wOBA to opposing left-handed hitters over his career. For Batter vs. Pitcher truthers, Bruce has gone 1.103 OPS against Lance Lynn in 44 plate appearances.
Logan Forsythe ($2,800) is a steady under-the-radar consideration for GPPs. He's always hit lefties well (career .341 wOBA) and will face southpaw Milone. Forsythe is averaging a lofty 10.8 fantasy points per game this season, but just double-check that he's in the lineup with Elvis Andrus back in the fold.
The BvP crowd will likely be all over Mike Moustakas tonight ($3,900), given his history against Michael Pineda. Moustakas has gone 7-for-18 against Pineda with two home runs and three doubles (1.365 OPS). Pineda has struggled this season with a 5.43 ERA, and Moustakas is swinging a hot bat with a .963 OPS over the last two weeks.
Mitch Keller will be making his first Major League start, and Derek Dietrich ($2,700) will be one of the batters he'll face. Dietrich has been a nice surprise for the Reds, hitting 13 home runs leading to a .418 wOBA against right-handed pitching. Keller did have a good strikeout rate, but his 1.43 WHIP at Triple-A this season doesn't point to immediate big-league success.
A good player around whom to build a lineup is the Twins' C.J. Cron ($4,100), who has a career .342 wOBA against left-handed pitching and is crushing it this season with a .523 mark. He should be in a good RBI spot, hitting fifth, and Milwaukee's Gio Gonzalez is due for some negative regression as the numbers don't support his 2.39 ERA.
Stacks
Mariners vs. Lance Lynn (Rangers)
Bruce, Omar Narvaez (C/1B - $2,900), Daniel Vogelbach (C/1B - $4,100), Mitch Haniger (OF - $4,000)
Lynn has been solid this season, especially on the road. However, Seattle's offense has posted a .331 wOBA against right-handed pitching. The Mariners' .281 BABIP is the seventh-lowest mark in baseball, suggesting they've been a bit unlucky to this point.
Twins vs. Gio Gonzalez (Brewers)
Cron, Jorge Polanco (SS - $4,200), Miguel Sano (3B - $3,900), Jonathan Schoop (2B - $3,300), Eddie Rosario (OF - $4,400)
As already mentioned, it seems like some correction should be coming Gonzalez's way. The Twins lead all of baseball with a .371 wOBA against left-handed pitching and strike out at the fourth-lowest rate (19.5 percent) in that split. There's a reason the Yankees cut bait on Gonzalez. The FanDuel format will only allow four hitters from a team, but don't be afraid to mix and match multiple lineups using the five players listed above.
