MLB Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for May 16, 2024
May 15, 2024, 10:25PM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Thursday DFS contest kicks off at 9:10am AEST on May 16, 2024, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for MLB fantasy players. This DFS preview aims to help you in assembling your fantasy teams for Draftstars' MLB contestsas well as enhancing your season-long fantasy line-ups on May 16 and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate includes the following games:
- Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs
- Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees
- Texas Rangers vs Cleveland Guardians
- Los Angeles Angels vs St. Louis Cardinals
- San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers
- Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays
- Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to make some of the most reliable DFS projections available.
With the best MLB fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more MLB fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you find the best selections on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Pablo López (MIN, P) | $20,610 | 20 | 1 |
| Value | Aaron Brooks (OAK, P) | $5,000 | 9.8 | 2 |
| Fade | Willie Calhoun (LAA, OF) | $8,460 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Cheapie | Jose Siri (TB, OF) | $5,000 | 5 | 1 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
C (Catcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | William Smith (LAD) | $7,710 | 5.9 | 0.8 |
| Value | William Smith (LAD) | $7,710 | 5.9 | 0.8 |
| Fade | Ryan Jeffers (MIN) | $9,030 | 5.2 | 0.6 |
| Cheapie | Shea Langeliers (OAK) | $6,510 | 4.2 | 0.7 |
SS (Shortstop)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Markus Betts (LAD) | $10,020 | 8.7 | 0.9 |
| Value | Orlando Arcia (ATL) | $6,540 | 5.9 | 0.9 |
| Fade | José Caballero (TB) | $9,260 | 4.7 | 0.5 |
| Cheapie | Carlos Correa (MIN) | $7,710 | 6.1 | 0.8 |
OF (Outfielder)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | $10,630 | 9.4 | 0.9 |
| Value | Jose Siri (TB) | $5,000 | 5 | 1 |
| Fade | Willie Calhoun (LAA) | $8,460 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Cheapie | Michael Yastrzemski (SF) | $5,000 | 4.8 | 1 |
3B (Third Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | José Ramírez (CLE) | $10,520 | 8.5 | 0.8 |
| Value | Rafael Devers (BOS) | $9,450 | 8.2 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Matthew Carpenter (STL) | $9,040 | 1.3 | 0.1 |
| Cheapie | Gabriel Arias (CLE) | $5,000 | 3.9 | 0.8 |
2B (Second Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Markus Betts (LAD) | $10,020 | 8.7 | 0.9 |
| Value | Gleyber Torres (NYY) | $7,130 | 6.6 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Nolan Gorman (STL) | $9,190 | 5.2 | 0.6 |
| Cheapie | Zachary Gelof (OAK) | $6,760 | 5.9 | 0.9 |
1B (First Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Matthew Olson (ATL) | $9,840 | 8.1 | 0.8 |
| Value | Frederick Freeman (LAD) | $9,140 | 8 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Carlos Santana (MIN) | $8,250 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Cheapie | Anthony Rizzo (NYY) | $7,910 | 5.8 | 0.7 |
P (Pitcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Pablo López (MIN) | $20,610 | 20 | 1 |
| Value | Aaron Brooks (OAK) | $5,000 | 9.8 | 2 |
Conclusion
When building your MLB Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Aaron Brooks. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Pablo López is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Jose Siri.
On the other hand, according to our model, Willie Calhoun is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate closes at 9:10am AEST on Thursday. ENTER NOW!
As with all MLB DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven MLB fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the MLB Thursday slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your MLB DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised MLB Thursday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
