MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Lineup Strategy for Thursday, June 1

MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Lineup Strategy for Thursday, June 1

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

Pitching

Kevin Gausman, TOR vs. MIL ($11,100): It's a small, early slate of games and I don't see a reason to shy away from Gausman in cash games. Milwaukee isn't a tough offensive team, they're on the road and Gausman hasn't given up more than two earned runs in any of his last four starts. He's also averaging over a strikeout per inning this season and the Brewers are in the bottom-half of the league in wOBA (.313) and strikeout rate (23.8 percent).

Joe Musgrove, SD at MIA ($7,500): This might be the lowest hit Musgrove will have on your salary cap all season and it's a good time to take advantage of him playing in Miami. He has at least five strikeouts in four straight starts and the Marlins strike out as a team 23.7 percent of the time (ninth-worst in the league against right-handed pitching). Musgrove's numbers (5.64 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) are much worse than his numbers in past seasons suggesting there's some "progression" to the mean likely ahead of him.

Top Targets

Pete Alonso, NYM vs. PHI ($4,200): It's a small slate of games and I don't see any reason to shy away from the guy who has the best home run odds today. After hitting 40 home runs last season, Alonso already has 20 this season and has a good matchup against Taijuan Walker today. Walker has allowed nine home runs in only 53.1 innings this season and he's struggled on the road this season with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.

Fernando Tatis, SD at MIA ($3,700): Tatis is an option every fantasy day given his ability to his for power as well as his speed on the basepaths. He also has the attraction of qualifying at shortstop filling a positional scarcity need. In a small sample this year he has a .999 OPS against left-handed pitching (he gets Jesus Luzardo today) and had a .958 OPS against that handedness when he last played a full season in 2021.

Bargain Bats

Elias Diaz, COL at ARI ($2,800): Diaz is a bit under-the-radar considering he's a catcher and typically fantasy owners shy away from those positions. He should be hitting cleanup tonight and has a nice .321 batting average with six home runs this season. Zach Davies has a 5.68 ERA this season so this is a good matchup for Diaz, who should see some good RBI opportunities today.

Gary Sanchez, SD at MIA ($2,000): Sanchez has been something of a streaky hitter during his career so it's a good sign that he homered yesterday. He had a .835 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2021 and like Tatis will face southpaw Luzardo today and will take only the minimal hit for a batter to your salary cap.

Stacks To Consider

Padres at Marlins (Luzardo): Juan Soto ($3,800), Tatis, Xander Bogaerts ($3,100), Ha-Seong Kim ($2,700)

Kim could have easily made the Bargain Bats section and Bogaerts is a great economical option today as well. Xander had a 1.038 OPS against left-handed pitching last season and Kim has a stolen base in three straight games. While Soto hasn't been great against lefties, there's a decent chance the Padres get to face second-tier pitching and the lefty matchup may make him an unpopular play.

Diamondbacks vs. Rockies (Chase Anderson): Corbin Carroll ($3,700), Ketel Marte ($3,400), Christian Walker ($3,300), Pavin Smith ($2,700)

Carroll is a dual-threat option who can run as well as hit for power. Marte is on pace for 20 home runs this season and Walker is one of the more underrated hitters in the game. Smith should set the table for the power hitters and has a .835 OPS over the last week. Arizona is a -174 favorite in a game with an over/under of 10 runs suggesting six-plus runs should be in their future for today's game.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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