Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Mets vs. Padres Showdown on June 4

It’s been nearly impossible to tell who’s in the New York Mets’ lineup these days with so many injuries, yet this team just keeps on winning. Tonight, New York has another date with the San Diego Padres, who picked up a big win on Thursday, even if it was by just one run.

With plenty of fun sure to ensue, let’s get right into how to construct your DraftKings lineups for Friday night’s Showdown contest.

New York Mets vs. San Diego Padres

Captain’s Picks

Fernando Tatis, Jr. ($16,500 CP) - It’s going to be hard for me not to roster the best player in baseball at the moment against a weak lefty in Joey Lucchesi ($9,800). The tall hurler isn’t even pitching well enough this season to make the rotation, but is just in here due to injuries and inefficiencies for New York. I expect him to get shelled, so there’s a lot of reason to take the guy right in the middle of the San Diego lineup who’s been lighting the baseball world on fire.

James McCann ($13,800 CP) - I can’t believe I’m typing this, but McCann is a strong play at Captain on Friday night. For starters, I have been fading Blake Snell ($10,400) all season long, and considering how bad he’s been and how much respect he gets with these prices, I’ll continue to do so. The catcher has averaged over 10 DKFP in the last 10 games and he’s raked against lefties with a 181 wRC+. I want to find a Mets asset to unload the available balance on, and I think McCann has to be the guy.

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UTIL Plays

Editor’s Note: 1B/OF Dominic Smith is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Padres.

Dominic Smith ($8,800) - Smith has arguably been the Mets’ best hitter over the past week — posting a 212 wRC+ — and has been a huge reverse splits guy this year, hitting .316 against lefties. On top of that, he’s struck out a respectable 11 times in 44 plate appearances and I think he profiles well against Snell, who should keep things low in the zone. At any rate, this is a very reasonable price to pay on Smith, who is cheaper than James McCann!

Billy McKinney ($6,000) - The former exciting prospect for the Cubs, who was included in the Aroldis Chapman deal to the Yankees, has been trying to latch on with a team for a couple of years now, and he’s playing well enough in New York that fans are clamoring for him to stay even as some star outfielders return. McKinney actually has a .572 wOBA against lefties in seven plate-appearances in New York, and could be starting out of necessity here, as he did a few games back. If he’s in the lineup, fire away.

Fades

Kevin Pillar ($7,600) - It’s hard to fade anyone in this Showdown with all the offense I expect, but I think this is where I draw the line. Since coming off the injured list, the all-glove center fielder has three hits in 12 at-bats and I don’t think there’s any world in which he deserves to be priced near $8K. Pillar is not a good hitter, and while Snell has struggled in 2021, he should be minced meat.

The Outcome

With both pitchers coming in with their fair share of doubts, I think an offensive battle will ensue, and with that I’m going to go with the better of the two lineups. That should be San Diego, who has some real boppers against lefties like Tatis and Eric Hosmer ($8,000). The Mets have had a magical run with their Triple-A roster, but this opponent is going to be too much to handle.

Final Score: Padres 8, Mets 5

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Hidden Ball Trick [$2K to 1st] (NYM vs. SD)

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