This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It was a quiet Monday on the MLB calendar, but all 30 teams are in action Tuesday. As is often the case, a few of the games kick off before 7:05 pm EDT, leaving 10 games to work with on the main slate. Let's jump in.
Pitchers
There's a group of four pitchers priced in the elite tier. Freddy Peralta ($10,300) immediately jumps out thanks to a matchup against the White Sox. He's also had a steady start to the season, racking up at least 20 DK points in four of his six starts. For anyone who has played in traditional season-long leagues, the salary on Nick Pivetta ($9,500) may be a bit jarring, but he continues to post an excellent K-BB% (20.7%) mark, and he draws a matchup against a Giants lineup that has struck out at a 22.8 percent clip early on.
There are a few options through the middle tiers of pricing. Jacob deGrom ($8,800) is on the upper end of that conversation, but he's started to deliver results in his last couple of outings. After covering only 14.1 innings with 13 strikeouts in his first three starts, deGrom has 13 strikeouts across 12.1 innings in his last two appearances. The Athletics have been a tough matchup and struck out at a relatively low rate this season, but there should be some value in rostering deGrom.
Taj Bradley ($8,000) and Reese Olson ($7,700) are true mid-tier options. Bradley has had an underwhelming start to the season, headlined by a pedestrian 12.5 K-BB%. However, he has a chance to get on track in a favorable matchup against a Royals offense that has a league-worst .275 wOBA. Olson's skills haven't been much better overall, but he has racked up 21.1 and 32.7 DK points in his last two starts. A matchup against the Astros isn't as intimidating as it has been in past seasons.
There aren't many good options in the lower tiers of pricing, but Ryan Gusto ($7,200) is an option against the Tigers (for those not rostering Olson). He's begun pitching deeper into games and Detroit has the fifth-highest strikeout rate as a team entering Tuesday's games.
Top Hitters
Bowden Francis has allowed at least one home run in four of his five starts, including multiple homers twice. Boston isn't necessarily a stacking target because he has decent skills otherwise, but consider hitters toward the top of the Red Sox's order such as Rafael Devers ($4,700), Jarren Duran ($5,200) and Alex Bregman ($4,800).
Atlanta is starting to come around at the plate and a series at Coors Field should only help their cause, especially against a struggling German Marquez. Atlanta is a stacking option, but it's worth highlighting Michael Harris ($4,800), who checks in at a reasonable price and has double-digit DK points in four of his last five games.
Value Bats
The Dodgers' starting pitcher was still unannounced on the morning of April 29, but Noah Davis is the best guess at this point. Regardless of exactly who it is, they likely aren't going to be the highest-quality big-league pitcher. The Marlins are a cheap stack option as a result, but Jesus Sanchez ($3,100) is undervalued and is plenty capable of providing extra-base hits while hitting second in Miami's order.
Randal Grichuk ($2,900) plays almost exclusively against lefties, but he fills the role well. He should slot into the third or fourth spot in Arizona's order against David Peterson and checks in as a cap-saving option.
Stacks to Consider
Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels (Jack Kochanowicz): Julio Rodriguez ($5,100), Jorge Polanco ($4,300), Randy Arozarena ($4,800)
The Mariners aren't typically a team to target as a stack, especially at their own home park which is quite pitcher-friendly. However, Tuesday is an exception in a matchup against Kochanowicz, who has only an 11.4 percent strikeout rate this season, paired with a 7.0 percent walk rate and a 1.7 HR/9. It's still early, but the Mariners also have a .334 wOBA to begin the campaign and haven't lived down to their light-hitting reputation.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago White Sox (Bryse Wilson): Jackson Chourio ($5,200), Christian Yelich ($4,800), William Contreras ($4,400)
The Brewers are likely to be a pretty popular stacking option thanks to their opponent. Wilson will work as the primary pitcher after beginning the season in the bullpen, but he's allowed 27 baserunners across only 14.2 frames to go along with a 2.45 HR/9. That makes Milwaukee's top bats pretty straightforward targets.
