MLB DFS Picks for FanDuel 5/27/22

What a comeback week of baseball this has been! On the days of the two articles this week, Tuesday and Thursday, my MLB FanDuel lineups scored 222 and 234.8 points respectively, which were both near takedowns in small GPPs and cashed for 4-8x profit. For today, we have a 13 game slate with few severe weather concerns. Let's dive into my breakdown of the MLB main slate on FanDuel!

REMINDER: RTs on the article post on twitter at @SportsVerseHQ are appreciated, as well as following my personal Twitter, @cobioconnell. If you would like to see my lineup package for the NBA/NFL/MLB seasons, message me there. Thank you!

Weather Concerns:

COL @ WSN - This spot is at a moderate to major risk of delay or postponement, especially given how the Nationals have handled weather in the past. There will be a series of storms around the ballpark throughout the time period of the game. Check status closer to lock.

CLE @ DET, PHI @ NYM - There are storms or moderate rain in these areas, but they should clear out before first pitch. Delays are very possible, but postponement is extremely unlikely.

Top Pitchers:

1) Shane Bieber ($8600) -

Erik Drost, Shane Bieber February 1, 2020 (49488948046), CC BY 2.0

Shane Bieber is the obvious choice for the top DFS pitcher of the slate today provided his questionably cheap salary of $8600, and his enticing matchup against a Tigers team that is more than struggling at this point. Bieber started out the season with a little bit of a struggle compared to what we are used to seeing from him, but he has picked it up lately which is largely due to his strikeout numbers getting back up. Forgetting the Toronto game where he got eaten up, Bieber has eclipsed 40+ FD points in five of his last six, which includes going 100+ pitches on multiple occasions. On the season, Bieber has a 24.1% strike out rate, but his swinging strike rate of 13.2% indicates that the number should rise. Although he did just face the Tigers which is a minor negative for familiarity, they have been abysmal against righties this season with a 72 wRC+ and 24.7% strikeout rate. Bieber might be too good of a play in the sense that he will draw massive ownership, so a pivot might not be a terrible idea for GPPs.

2) Sean Manaea ($9700) -

If you want to get away from the chalk tonight, Sean Manaea should be your guy, although he will draw decent ownership as well, just not to the level of Bieber. Manaea is facing the Pirates who have just an 88 wRC+ against lefties, and they are striking out at a modest 22.2% clip. Manaea has a 3.38 SIERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, and 13.8% swinging strike rate, and he has done that while facing some strong offenses such as the Dodgers, Braves, and Giants twice.

3) Justin Verlander ($10800) -

Although Verlander is the best pitcher on the slate, he is my third ranked option due to his high salary and slightly tougher matchup. I wouldn't consider the Mariners to be too much of a threat to Verlander, but they do pose a 110 wRC+ against righties. Verlander has a league leading 1.22 ERA, but his skill interactive ERA indicates that he has been getting lucky, as that sits at a 3.17. Nonetheless, he is striking out batters at an effective 26.3% rate, and isn't allowing runs, which is a strong formula for DFS consistency.

Value Pitcher:

Ian Anderson ($7900) -

If I am being real, Shane Bieber is the value pitcher of the day, but since he is also my top overall pitcher and will draw the highest ownership, I decided to talk about another player here. That player is Ian Anderson of the Braves, who draws the start against the Marlins. Anderson hasn't been spectacular to start the year as seen by his 4.85 skill interactive ERA and low strikeout totals, but he has shown upside in the past which makes him my favorite candidate for an unpopular and cheap play. Also, the Marlins have hit righties well with a 113 wRC+, but I still wouldn't be too fearful of their lineup, especially if Chisholm doesn't play.

Other strong pitching options: Alek Manoah ($10200), Brandon Woodruff ($9500)

Top Stacks:

1) Red Sox -

The theme of the last couple slates has been stacking the Red Sox and Dodgers, and that isn't changing tonight. The Sox were my secondary stack last night, which helped lead to my near takedown lineup as they produced a whopping 16 runs. I will be going right back to them tonight with their matchup against Bradish, who is allowing 2.03 HR/9 on a hard hit rate of 43.8%, although his SIERA of 3.57 is modest. Their 5.32 run total is the highest on the slate. Devers, Martinez, Bogaerts, and the blazing Story round out their best options, but Verdugo and Cordero are solid plays at a cheaper salary.

2) Dodgers -

As mentioned above with the Red Sox, the Dodgers 14 run total last night helped lead to my stellar lineup with them as my primary stack. I do slightly prefer the Red Sox today, but the Dodgers easily slide in as my second favorite stack with their 5.16 projected run total, which is quite higher than the third team. They face Bumgarner who hasn't allowed too many runs this season, but his SIERA is 4.81, and he is allowing 1.28 HR/9. As per usual, their entire lineup can be played in DFS, but Betts, Freeman, Trea Turner, and Chris Taylor are my favorite bets against a lefty.

3) Braves -

There is quite a drop off between my second and third favorite stacks today, but the third spot goes to the Braves, who also carry the third highest projected run total at 4.84. They will start the game against lefty Trevor Rogers who has been a good pitcher in the past, but has struggled to start the season with his 4.25 SIERA and 1.49 HR/9 allowed. The Braves carry a ton of hitters who smash lefties, including Riley, Olson, Albies, Swanson, and Contreras. I do believe that Trevor Rogers will return to somewhat of his former glory as the season progresses, but we have to take advantage of him until that point.

Secondary Stacks/One-offs: Astros, Twins, Diamondbacks