MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Tuesday, May 7

MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Tuesday, May 7

This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.

We have a surprisingly limited number of matchups to work with on the main slate Tuesday. Despite all 30 teams being in action, only 16 have first pitches at 7:05 pm ET or later. We could see some crooked numbers put up by offenses, as there aren't many aces on the mound and there are plenty of positive hitting environments to work with, including Yankee Stadium, Truist Field and Coors Field. Let's dive in.

Pitchers

Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($10,100) offers the combination of skills and matchup we want to target, as he's one of three pitchers with a strikeout rate of at least 30 percent and he draws a matchup against the Marlins. The one word of caution in an otherwise very positive matchup is that Miami strikes out very little, cutting out some of the ceiling for Yamamoto.

I'm prepared to avoid the rest of the elite tier Tuesday, whether due to matchup or limited strikeout upside and will instead turn my focus to Kutter Crawford ($8,500). He has comparable skills (24 K%, 16.4 K-BB%) to pitchers at least a tier above him in price. A matchup against Atlanta is scary and is a reason to dip into even cheaper options.

Bailey Ober ($7,600) may offer the best intersection of skills, matchup and price of the day. Since a disastrous performance in his first start of the season, he has reached 20 DraftKings points in three of his five outings and registered 17.7 in another. He also draws a matchup against the Mariners, who have struck out at a league-leading 27.9 percent clip.

It's only a matter of time before Seth Lugo ($7,200) returns to earth, but he has to be mentioned. He's topped 30 DraftKings points in each of his last two starts and is way too cheap given his track record this season. Milwaukee is a tough matchup, but he should still be considered at his price.

There are a couple of intriguing punt options, but I'll settle on Kyle Harrison ($6,400), despite the fact he has to pitch at Coors Field. He's pitched effectively this season and has seen his price climb as high as $8,600. I'll take the discount and hope he can find some putaway pitches in the tough pitching environment.

Top Hitters

Christopher Morel ($4,400) is a streaky hitter. Right now he's hot. He's tallied double-digit DraftKings points in five straight games and will face an unimposing matchup against Randy Vasquez on Tuesday.

Francisco Lindor ($4,800) got off to a slow start, but he has put that behind him and has five extra-base hits across his last 10 games – good for 9.4 DraftKings points. The real intrigue comes from the matchup against Miles Mikolas, who has allowed an 8.7 percent barrel rate and has a 5.31 xERA on the season.  

Value Bats

Michael Massey ($3,300) began the season on the injured list but has quietly had a strong run since being activated April 19. He's hit fifth in the order since April 29, averaging 11.9 DraftKings points. Colin Rea will be on the mound against Kansas City. He doesn't serve as a deterrent.

Harrison is a good value option, but some exposure to the Colorado lineup is still reasonable. Elehuris Montero ($3,600) is capable of doing damage against lefties and checks in at a reasonable price.

Stacks to Consider

San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies (Dakota Hudson): Thairo Estrada ($4,200), Michael Conforto ($5,100), Matt Chapman ($5,200)

On the surface, the Giants look like the most obvious stack of the day. Hudson has a 0.7 K-BB% and 5.25 SIERA and will have to pitch at Coors Field on Tuesday. However, San Francisco's lineup is in disarray due to injury and poor performance, making them a more unappealing stack. This trio has been among the more productive on the team. Both Chapman and Conforto are capable of providing pop. These will be some of the cheapest prices for hitters in Colorado all season, so it's a good night to take advantage.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins (Edward Cabrera): Mookie Betts ($6,400), Freddie Freeman ($5,600), Will Smith ($5,000)

Cabrera has a ton of strikeout upside, but he's also given up 12 earned runs combined across his last three starts (in 13.1 innings) against the Cubs, Nationals and Rockies. Now he draws a matchup against the Dodgers in what has a chance to be an explosive offensive performance. The cost is extensive, but with cheap pitching options, it should be possible.

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. Dan Marcus plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: marcusd91 DraftKings: dmarcus87.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Marcus
Dan started covering fantasy sports in 2015, joining Rotowire in 2018. In addition to Rotowire, Dan has written for Baseball HQ and Rotoballer.
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