MLB DFS Slate Preview: Thursday, June 1
Erik Wardenburg previews the Thursday, June 1st slate, breaking down his favorite MLB DFS picks, the top stacks, and some optimizer values at DraftKings & FanDuel. Sign up for MLB Premium to build DFS lineups like a pro!
Early four-game main slate today starting at 1:07PM EST. There’s actually a good amount of quality SPs for such a small slate, while COL/ARI is the clear top game to target for bats.
Let’s get to some news, notes, and MLB DFS picks for today!
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel & DraftKings
This daily article highlights some of RG’s most helpful MLB DFS tools, including our industry-leading MLB DFS projections and MLB DFS optimizer, with some picks and analysis along the way. I will focus on the main slate of the day, but you can still find plenty of other tools, content, and analysis on RG for other slates.
MLB DFS Weather Check
Before we look at the projected lineups and MLB DFS picks for the day, it’s crucial to understand how the weather will impact the slate. Then we can better understand if we want to target certain games with ideal hitting conditions, for example, and possibly avoid games at risk of delay or postponement. Two tools to use are the MLB Weather Report and MLB WeatherEdge, which are both managed by RG’s Chief Meteorologist, Kevin Roth. You should also be following Roth on Twitter for his important weather news and updates.
- PHI/NY is our only outdoor game, and will be in the low 80s with a slight breeze moving right to left.
- MIL/TOR, SDP/MIA, and COL/ARI are all dome games, although some may have the roof open.
MLB Projected Lineups – Analysis & Top Stacks
There are ways to get edges in MLB DFS, such as stacking a lineup or targeting guys higher in the order (since they are more likely to see an extra at-bat). We should always look for value bats that arise each slate. They allow us to fit those extra one or two players into our lineup who are likelier to hit home runs and get us those ceiling games we need to win tournaments.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at MLB Starting Lineups to see what the likely batting orders are for this slate, which teams I’m looking to stack, and any other interesting notes. Going forward, the projected lineups will usually be pretty consistent daily, with the main changes being based on the opposing pitcher being a righty or lefty. Also, certain players are more likely than others to get a day off if playing a day game after a night game.
- Contreras is back at catcher after DH-ing yesterday for MIL, and Monasterio will get another start today playing 2B.
- Jesus Sanchez returned from the IL a couple days ago, and with a righty on the mound for SD he will start at cleanup today. De La Cruz drops from the leadoff spot to third with Arraez moving to the top of the order, and Cooper will sit out again with Gurriel playing 1B.
- Nelson Cruz is out of the Padres lineup even against a lefty. Gary Sanchez will DH and Nola will catch.
- Brandon Belt remains out of the lineup for TOR, so Varsho will stay at cleanup and Biggio will play 1B and hit seventh. Kirk is off today so Heineman will catch.
- Alec Bohm is going on the IL with a hamstring injury, so we will see Clemens and Sosa handle the 1B/3B spots for Philly. Realmuto is getting a breather so Stubbs will catch today.
- Blackmon is back today for COL from the bereavement list, but Kris Bryant is going on the IL with a heel bruise. Grichuk will get a day off, so Jones will play RF and Moustakas will join the lineup at 1B.
- Arizona is my top stack of the slate, as they’re at home with a 5.3+ run total against the low strikeout righty Seabold. The Mets are my next favorite stack, also at home against a mediocre righty in Walker, who’s allowed 10 ER over his last three starts. TOR and COL are offenses I like taking shots on as stacks in GPPs.
Make sure to follow the RG MLB Twitter feed for confirmed lineups, as well as our DFS Alerts page for important news and analysis.
MLB DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Optimizer Picks
With a good feel for the projected lineups, weather, and strong stacks to consider, let’s check out the RotoGrinders MLB DFS optimizer, LineupHQ. With this tool, you can create up to 300 MLB DFS lineups in seconds, all of which will adhere to the custom settings you input. For insight into how one of the best MLB DFS players uses LineupHQ, read this article and watch the embedded videos from the GOAT himself, CheeseIsGood.
If we click on the “P/$” column header in the LineupHQ grid, it will rank all of the available players from highest to lowest based on their expected fantasy points per dollar of salary on the specific DFS site you have selected — this is one of the best starting points for finding value on every slate. Let’s do that now and see what stands out on FanDuel and DraftKings.
- Three SPs are standing out as cash game options today, and each are at different price points. Kevin Gausman ($11,100) is the clear ace of the slate facing a Milwaukee team who has scored the third lowest runs on the road this season. I will do my best to fit him first in cash games. Max Scherzer ($9,200) is another solid option for almost $2k cheaper, as he gets a Phillies offense who is struggling to score with just one game over 2 runs in their last four. If you really want to load up on expensive bats, then Joe Musgrove ($7,500) is an excellent cash game SP coming off a 44 FP performance against the Yankees. Musgrove gets a solid matchup with Miami, and if he goes for anything close to 35+ FP, he should be the top p/$ SP of the slate and could be the key to the highest upside lineup if the expensive bats produce. Peralta ($9,300) and Luzardo ($10,000) have some upside, but are just GPP options for me today.
- Pavin Smith ($2,700) is my top p/$ bat of the slate, as his price should be at least over $3k after back-to-back games of almost 30 FP. Ketel Marte ($3,400) and Corbin Carroll ($3,600) are the next bats I’m locking in for a super high-upside AZ stack, hitting 1-2-3 in the order. If you want to a full stack in cash games, then I’d go with either Walker ($3,300) or McCarthy ($2,600). I like taking higher than 1.5 total bases for Carroll on Underdog today, and if you’re a new user, make sure to use RG’s Underdog Fantasy bonus code.
(See RotoGrinders projections directly on the Fantasy Pick’em sites with our browser extensions, available to premium users.)
- I’m going to the Mets next hitting in great weather, and if you can fit Pete Alonso ($4,200), I would absolutely do it today. Nimmo ($3,200), Lindor ($3,500), McNeil ($2,700), and Baty ($2,700) are all very affordable with the platoon advantage, and I will likely use at least 2-3 of them depending on my positional needs.
- COL is an offense that should put up some runs on Davies, and their entire projected lineup is $3,300 or cheaper. Ryan McMahon ($3,300) has four HR’s over his last six games and has a great chance for another one today, while Blackmon ($3,200), Diaz ($2,800), and Moustakas ($2,300) have the next highest HR upside at great prices.
- Toronto has a projected run total around 5 runs even against Freddy Peralta, so I don’t mind using Guerrero ($3,400), Springer ($3,100), or Varsho ($2,900) as one-offs or as a stack in GPPs.
- It’s the same situation at SP on DK with Gausman ($10,600), Scherzer ($8,700), and Musgrove ($7,300) at different price points but all in play for cash games. Right now I’m going with the former two, but I can’t blame anyone for going with Musgrove at that low of a price to help fit in better bats.
- Pavin Smith ($3,300) remains way too cheap for the leadoff hitter on my favorite offense today, and I will do my best to fit in Marte ($5,200) and Carroll ($5,000) with him. Jake McCarthy ($2,800) is also one of my top value options of the slate, as he’s 6 for his last 10 with 5 stolen bases in that span. If he gets on base in any capacity, he pretty much has a floor of close to 10 FP at a great price.
- McNeil ($3,500), Baty ($3,200), and Marte ($3,700) are my top p/$ plays from the Mets, while McMahon ($4,600) is easily my top target from COL. Castro ($2,400) and Jones ($3,000) are decent value options if you need more savings.
MLB Premium subscribers will have access to all of this data in LineupHQ, so be sure to keep checking there as we start getting the confirmed lineups and projections update. The very best P/$ plays tend to be pretty consistent throughout the day for MLB. That being said, projections can always change if someone is hitting higher in the order than initially projected or if a player with a low salary gets a spot start for an injured/resting player.
MLB DFS – RotoGrinders Premium Tools Pre-Lock
If you have any tough last-minute decisions or need some quick MLB DFS picks, our MLB Premium package also contains Consensus Value Rankings, an Expert Survey, and daily LineupHQ Premium tags from our MLB DFS experts.
And for up-to-the-minute news and analysis leading right up to lock, make sure to watch MLB Crunch Time later in the day.
Good luck today!