Sunday, May 16, brings a 10-game main slate on most sites with a three-game afternoon set. There are a host of favorable hitting matchups, which should make today’s tournaments a wild ride. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for hitters and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Sunday, May 16th
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Toronto Blue Jays vs. RHP Chase Anderson – 6.0 implied runs
Though there have only been 10 combined runs scored in the first two games of this series, it feels like the dam is about to burst. Keep in mind that the Blue Jays’ home park is actually their spring training facility, and while TD Ballpark is nice, it also serves as the Toronto Single-A location. It is going to be in the mid-80s today, and there are a couple of hittable pitchers on the mound.
Chase Anderson is a decent pitcher with an above-average strikeout rate, but he also has a nearly double-digit walk rate and a propensity for flyballs. In this park, those could easily turn into home runs. In his last 484 righty/righty matchups, Anderson is ceding 2.10 HR/9 and opposite-handed batsmen are getting to him with a 131 HR/9.
Today on Yahoo, the first two players to target are Teoscar Hernandez ($21) and Randal Grichuk ($16). Most gamers are not going to go in this direction for this salary when they can go after the more recognizable names of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($23), Cavan Biggio ($15) and Bo Bichette ($21). That trio is in play, as is leadoff man Marcus Semien, but the first duo will provide the differentiation needed for this stack.
Mid-Afternoon Slate
Chicago White Sox vs. RHP Brady Singer — 4.6 implied runs
Today will mark the 20th career start for Brady Singer, who has been a relatively solid pitcher despite making the jump from Double-A to The Show during last year’s pandemic-shortened season. Most projection systems equate Singer to a middle-of-the-rotation starter. While Chicago is not even in a top-five stack today against Singer, he does seem to be the best option to attack on the four-game afternoon slate. He does not allow a lot of power, but his last three starts have been rough, with him lasting just 11 innings, posting a 6.55 ERA and allowing 1.82 base runners per inning.
The White Sox are without outfielders Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Adam Engel, though they still have a formidable lineup. Rookie Yermin Mercedes has been a pleasant surprise, and his hot bat has offset the mega-slump of Yasmani Grandal. Jose Abreu is the primary target, and gamers can round out full stacks with Yoan Moncada, Adam Eaton and Tim Anderson.
Evening Slate
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. RHP Erick Fedde — 4.8 implied runs
The Nationals and Diamondbacks have traded haymakers in this weekend series, with Washington winning 17-2 on Friday and Arizona evening things up with an 11-4 victory in Saturday’s game. Both Luke Weaver and Erick Fedde can be targeted with bats, though Arizona is slightly preferred due to Fedde’s propensity to be pilloried by lefties.
Since the beginning of the 2019 season, Fedde has faced 324 opposite-handed hitters. In this stretch he has allowed 1.33 HR/9 with a low 12% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate. It is a similar story against same-handed batsmen, with a 1.56 HR/9, 16.6% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate across his last 373 batters faced. Generally he tries to survive with a 50%-plus groundball rate, but when he gives up runs they come in bunches.
This afternoon the Diamondbacks will likely roll out a fully left-handed lineup with the exception of shortstop Nick Ahmed. Priorities will be David Peralta and Eduardo Escobar. Though it does not drive this decision, they did combine for three round-trippers last night. Josh VanMeter and Daulton Varsho are far from household names, but they both have above-average pop with the platoon advantage and provide salary cap relief. Looking to the top of the order, rookie Pavin Smith and fellow youngster Josh Rojas are fine plays and should be all but assured of five plate appearances on Sunday.
Final Thoughts for the Sunday, May 16th MLB DFS Slate
Gamers will need to monitor the weather in Baltimore, Boston and Colorado, with all three carrying precipitation risks. As always, keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
