We have a small five-game main slate on our hands tonight; making finding value plays a bit more difficult. We have a good bit of high-priced bats, with Buehler being the only pitcher on the slate that most people would consider being upper-tier. However, there are still values out there, so let’s dive in and break down some of the best options to help you fit some studs in your lineups!
Both Sites
David Bote , 2B CHC ($2,400 FD / $3,000 DK) – Bote has produced very well over the past three games going 5-11 with a home run, two doubles, and EIGHT RBI, scoring 25, seven, and 18 points on DraftKings while scoring 35.2, nine, and 26.2 on FanDuel. Right-handed bats have done more damage against Lucchesi in his career with a .453 SLG, compared to lefties who have posted a .341 SLG against him. That comes off the fact that 41 of the 46 home runs that he has given up in his career, all seven triples he has given up, and 48 of 58 doubles have been to righties. Also, as of right now, it appears that the wind will be blowing out at Wrigley Field tonight.
Michael Conforto , OF NYM ($2,700 FD / $3,500 DK) – Conforto has been terrible this season, there’s no getting around that, as he is hitting .171 with zero home runs and three RBI through 12 games played. For that reason, it makes complete sense why his price tag has dropped down considerably. With that being said, he is too good to stay this bad. We have seen him produce really well for four straight years. He has a strong .268/.373/.507 slash line against righties in his career and lefties are 8-24 (.333) against Williams thus far this year and have a batting average of .278 against him for his career (compared to righties at .249). And as mentioned above in Bote’s section, the wind is blowing out in this game. The Mets offense has really been underperforming as a whole, but if the Pirates were able to light it up against Williams, there’s no reason to believe that the Mets can’t do the same.
DraftKings
Jazz Chisholm, 2B MIA ($3,900) – Chisholm continues to be vastly underpriced on DraftKings and we need to continue to take advantage of it. The rookie is off to a great start, hitting .326 with three home runs, four stolen bases, six RBI, and eight runs scored through 15 games played. He is averaging nearly 10 points per game on DraftKings and at a sub-4k price, that’s an absolute steal of a player, especially when they are facing someone like Sanchez. Lefties have had more success against Sanchez in his career, slashing .254/.352/.422 against him, compared to righties who have posted a .233/.305/.333 against him and so far this season lefties are 7-22 (.318) against him with the only home run that he has given up.
Joey Lucchesi , SP NYM ($6,500) – This may seem like a crazy pick, especially with the Cubs bats waking up last night and scoring 14 runs, but I think there is some appeal here, especially given the lack of good pitchers on this slate. The Cubs have the third highest strikeout rate in baseball at 27.7-percent (jumps to 30.6-percent against southpaws) and the lowest batting average in baseball at .201. He has six strikeouts in five innings of work so far this season with a strong 1.28 FIP and 1.00 WHIP, so his 5.40 ERA is not a big deal to me. It is all a very small sample though. He is one of the cheapest pitchers on the slate, but one that could pay off.
FanDuel
Wilmer Flores , 1B/2B ($2,100) – Flores is nearly the minimum price on FanDuel and $100 short of being HALF of what his price is on DraftKings. He has scored 25.7 and 12.2 fantasy points on FanDuel over his last two games and will have a chance to keep that momentum going tonight as the Giants face a low-lefty in Castano. For his career, Flores has a strong .273/.315/.501 slash line against left-handed pitchers while averaging a home run every 17.9 at-bats against them, compared to a .265/.308/.411 slash line against right-handed pitching while averaging a home run 33.0 at-bats against them. I would be surprised if he doesn’t see pretty heft ownership as a salary saver tonight.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.