DraftKings MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 5/15/15
With the NHL taking the night off tonight, why not throw a baseball lineup together and try to win some money?
DraftKings has contests going on each night where you can win real cash prizes. And with a nice slate tonight in baseball, it's the perfect chance to join and play. After all, new users at DraftKings get a free entry into a league with up to $100,000 in prizes.
Not sure who to select? Don't worry, we've got you covered with tonight's optimal lineup.
Be sure to check out our optimal lineups prior to games starting to ensure each player is in his team's lineup.
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton Kershaw | SP | 1000 | 11900.00 | 1.93 |
| Bartolo Colon | SP | 1000 | 7600.00 | 2.08 |
| Carlos Santana | 1B/C | 1000 | 5000.00 | 1.94 |
| Jose Bautista | OF | 1000 | 4500.00 | 2.32 |
| Lucas Duda | 1B | 1000 | 3900.00 | 1.86 |
| David Murphy | OF | 1000 | 3500.00 | 2.39 |
| Jimmy Rollins | SS | 1000 | 3500.00 | 2.11 |
| Ryan Raburn | OF | 1000 | 3400.00 | 2.25 |
| Luis Valbuena | 2B/3B | 1000 | 3400.00 | 2.55 |
| Cory Spangenberg | 2B/3B | 1000 | 2800.00 | 2.88 |
For tonight's slate, every lineup you put together should start with the reigning National League Cy Young award winner. Although he has not been quite as dominant early in the season as he was a season ago, Clayton Kershaw has still been outstanding through his first seven starts of the season, posting a 2.89 FIP and 2.21 xFIP while striking out 11.37 batters per nine innings so far this season. The Dodgers' ace draws an excellent matchup tonight at home in the pitcher-friendly confines of Dodger Stadium against a Rockies' lineup that struggles away from Coors in a game where Los Angeles is a monstrous -320 favorite. Kershaw is the best pitcher on the planet and is our number one overall projected pitcher on the board tonight by a wide margin.
Since you're going to spend a pretty penny to roster Kershaw, Bartolo Colon provides excellent value as your number-two pitcher at just $7,600. The Mets' veteran has been scorching hot to start the season, earning a 6-1 record with a 3.30 ERA and 3.16 FIP with a solid 21.7% strikeout percentage. Tonight, Colon gets a matchup with a Brewers squad who strikes out at the third highest rate in the league (23.3%) and ranks 27th in the league with a minuscule .290 wOBA. Given his matchup and price, do not hesitate to plug Colon into your lineups in all formats tonight.
When it comes to hitters tonight, our algorithm loves Indians' right-handed hitters against Wandy Rodriguez. As Jim Sannes pointed out in his daily stack column, Rodriguez' regression indicators scream that he's due for a dud outing and an Indians' lineup who has posted a .322 wOBA against lefties this season has a great chance to be the team to provide him that dud. Although the Cleveland lineup is not loaded with right-handed bats, our algorithm has identified three Indians' righties who you should target against Wandy -- Carlos Santana, David Murphy and Ryan Raburn.
The switch-hitting Santana has been much better from the right side of the plate than the left this season, amassing a .373 wOBA and .200 ISO as a righty this season. He's posted four hits, four walks and three RBI in his last four games and should have little trouble knocking around the aging Rodriguez tonight. Murphy and Raburn have had similar success against left-handed pitching this season. Murphy has racked up a .354 wOBA and .188 ISO against lefties, while Raburn has absolutely mashed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .429 batting average, .490 wOBA, .286 ISO and a massive 1.171 OPS. Both make great value plays at just $3,500 and $3,400 respectively.
Another value option that our algorithm loves due to his spectacular platoon splits is Luis Valbuena. The Astros' infielder has destroyed right-handed pitching this season, boasting a .354 wOBA and .275 ISO against righties so far this season. With a matchup against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey who has allowed a .352 wOBA to lefties this season, Valbuena is in play in all formats tonight, especially at a very reasonable price of just $3,400.
