Friday night’s MLB DFS main slate is a monster fourteen-game slate that might be the largest set of games on a main slate all season. We have high-end and value pitching galore. But with this many games on the slate, the differentiator in DFS tournaments will be finding the right offense to maximize stacking and run-scoring. The Braves, Angels, and Twins are sure to be chalky offenses, so do you eat that chalk or try and get different somewhere? I would recommend spreading out the exposure on hitting on a slate like this. With this many games, there are bound to be some wild run-scoring affairs so hitting on the right DFS picks is gonna be essential.
If you have any thoughts or recommendations for how we can better cover MLB DFS in 2023, reach out to us on Twitter or send me a message (@CableBoxScore). I’m always happy to talk a little DFS throughout the day, and let’s win some slates together! Let’s start by looking at Monday’s weather issues and the best hitting and pitching environments on the main slate.
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MLB DFS Picks and Plays for June 16
Today’s analysis covers the fourteen-game main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:05 PM ET.
Weather Concerns:
- There is rain in the forecast for the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the New York Mets. Check local forecasts before locking in these players.
Best Hitter’s Parks:
- Fenway Park
- Dodger Stadium
- American Family Field
Best Pitcher’s Parks:
- Petco Park
- Oakland Coliseum
- T-Mobile Park
DraftKings Top Plays
High-Dollar Pitcher
Kevin Gausman ($11,200) vs. Texas Rangers – In the tough decision between the top two pitchers on Friday, I will side with Gausman, who can go nuts on any given night with the strikeouts. He averaged almost 11 K’s in the three games before the blow-up against Minnesota last time out and Texas strikes out 23% of the time against right-handers. Shane McClanahan has seen a dip in his K’s, and while he might be “safer,” we win tournaments by not playing scared. Gausman has six games with 10+ strikeouts this season.
Value Pitcher
Taijuan Walker ($7,000) vs. Oakland Athletics – The overall numbers don’t stand out as anything great for Walker, but the matchup against Oakland (in their park) is sublime and Walker has been unhittable in his last two starts against Detroit and the LA Dodgers. Walker’s salary is $1,300 more than in his last start against the Dodgers, but I would probably still play him in this matchup if he were $500 more.
High-Dollar Infielder
Ozzie Albies ($4,800) vs. Dinelson Lamet – We will look a lot more at the Braves down in the FanDuel section (especially because of their salaries), but Albies seems a little too cheap on DK compared to the other big bats in the Atlanta lineup for this matchup. Lamet’s return to a starting rotation has predictably not gone well. He has allowed 10 earned runs in 11 innings including five walks to opponents. This may not be a Coors Field game, but the Braves are going to score like it is on Friday night.
Value Infielder
Bryson Stott ($3,800) vs. J.P. Sears – There might not be a hotter hitter on the planet than Bryson Stott right now. He hasn’t scored less than 10 DK fantasy points since June 9, and has 12 hits in his last six games, including two bombs. Up against J.P. Sears and the horrific Oakland bullpen, I’m counting on the success continuing. Sears’ batting average and on-base percentage allowed are both more than 100 points higher against left-handed batters like Stott than to righties.
High-Dollar Outfielder
Shohei Ohtani ($6,400) vs. Brady Singer – What more can we say at this point about the guy? He is one of the best hitters in baseball (22 home runs) and one of the best pitchers on a consistent basis. And now we are going to put him up against a pitcher who allows a .400 wOBA to lefties? Ohtani is likely to be worth every penny of the sky-high $6,400 salary on Friday.
Value Outfielder
Mickey Moniak ($3,200) vs. Brady Singer – On Friday night we get to parlay how bad Brady Singer is against left-handers with the fact that Kauffman Stadium actually has the ninth-highest offensive park factor for lefties over the last three seasons. Moniak, at just $3,200, is slugging .683 against right-handed pitchers this season.
Best DraftKings Stack
Los Angeles Angels vs. Brady Singer – Brady Singer is an equal-opportunity distributor of runs this year, but he REALLY gives them up to left-handed batters. Singer is allowing lefties to hit .301/.391/.548 against him. In addition to Ohtani and Moniak, players like Luis Rengifo, Matt Thaiss, and Jared Walsh also deserve a look. Throw in Mike Trout and you have a powerful Friday night stack. Trout and Ohtani are both over $6,000, but everyone else in the lineup will be under $4,000 against Singer.
FanDuel Top Plays
High-Dollar Pitcher
Shane McClanahan ($11,000) vs. San Diego Padres – We should at least consider the other side of the expensive pitcher coin on Friday night with McClanahan. He has been the much better real-life pitcher, with just two games with more than two earned runs all season. The strikeouts are down, but he isn’t walking anyone and you are almost guaranteed at least a quality start, and the Rays are favorites to win this game as well. Those points on FD can make up for what you might miss without Gausman’s gaudy strikeout numbers. The Padres do strike out 22.% of the time against lefties like McClanahan.
Value Pitcher
Jared Shuster ($7,200) vs. Colorado Rockies – I get that Jared Shuster hasn’t blown anyone’s doors off at the major league level yet. But he should not be priced below Brady Singer, Tylor Megill, or Tanner Houck in this enticing matchup. The Rockies have the third-highest strikeout rate against left-handers this season and have the league’s 28th-ranked slugging percentage against them.
High-Dollar Infielder
Matt Olson ($3,800) vs. Dinelson Lamet – There is about a $2,500 salary discrepancy between Olson’s price on DraftKings and FanDuel, and he is simply too cheap in this matchup. Olson has a .378 OBP and a .546 slugging percentage against right-handers this season including 16 of his 18 home runs. This is going to be a slaughter on Friday night, Olson will be one of the main reasons why.
Value Infielder
Orlando Arcia ($2,900) vs. Dinelson Lamet – Down the Braves lineup, there are going to be plenty of affordable left-handed bats such as Arcia, Michael Harris (more on him below), and Eddie Rosario. I am going to stack this lineup every which way I can, including all of the Braves in the bottom third of the order. Arcia’s .352 OBP against right-handers this year is borderline elite and he is working on a streak of at least nine fantasy points in four of his last five games.
High-Dollar Outfielder
Corbin Carroll ($4,400) vs. Triston McKenzie – If the player of the month is not Shohei Ohtani, then the award has to be given to Corbin Carroll. He has a .400/.481/.911 slash line so far in June and is absolutely murdering any ball thrown in the vicinity of the strike zone. Now he gets a matchup against a struggling right-hander at home. He has an OPS of 1.084 this season against righties and that number has been even higher in June.
Value Outfielder
Michael Harris II ($2,700) vs. Dinelson Lamet – Finally Michael Harris is getting back on track after an awful May when he was recalled from the minors. In the month of May, Harris slashed .167/.260/.274 before exploding to .333/.362/.600 in June. Fifteen of his 34 hits on the season have come in the last 12 games and this is just another potent left-handed bat Atlanta can send up against a struggling righty in Dinelson Lamet.
Best FanDuel Stack
Atlanta Braves vs. Dinelson Lamet – Lamet’s numbers almost don’t look real when you see them in comparison to other major league pitchers. In 21 innings this season, Lamet has a 10.38 ERA and walks more than seven batters per nine innings. He gives up 1.25 home runs per game and his road ERA (12.45) is somehow worse than his dreadful ERA at Coors Field (9.00). The Braves will be right there waiting for Lamet at Truist Park which is the eighth-best park of left-handed home runs over the last three seasons.