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

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

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

FanDuel's main slate is a slightly smaller than usual eight-gamer Tuesday evening, with start times between 7:05 and 10:10 p.m. EDT. There's a Coors Field contest, which gives us our highest expected total of the day at 10.5 runs, but two additional games come at 9.0 runs and none sit below 8.0. Three arms are priced in five figures while three more come in at $9,000 or greater.

We're going to need to track rain in Chicago and Minnesota, but for now, postponements seem unlikely. Wind could play a minor factor in numerous parks, but it looks like a major player in Colorado, further suggesting we'll need shares of Rockies and Giants bats.

Pitching

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD vs. MIA ($10,200): This is far too obvious, but Yamamoto appears to be a cash game must-use. He hasn't allowed a run in either of his last two starts and has earned 40-plus fantasy points in three straight, striking out 21 across 18.0 innings. The Marlins rank 24th against righties with a .293 wOBA and 88 wRC+. Perhaps the GPP upside isn't fully there given Miami's 20.6 percent K rate, but it's best to not overthink this. Yamamoto is as safe as they come with a 4x ceiling.

Jose Butto, NYM at STL ($8,900): Somewhat quietly, Butto has produced three quality starts in five chances, and allowed two runs or less four times. The matchup presents well, as the Cardinals rank 27th against righties with a .289 wOBA while striking out at a targetable 24.7 percent clip. We know this is an aging offense that doesn't scare us to target for DFS, but the concern here is Butto did face the Cardinals two starts prior and allowed four runs across 5.2 frames. Walks are an issue for him, which can limit his ability to work deep, but the stats support his viability here.

Emerson Hancock, SEA at MIN ($7,100): Hancock is settling in to his spot in the Mariners' rotation, earning three quality starts in his last four outings, the outlier being one in which he walked four against Atlanta and his defense let him down. The Twins are statistically above average against righties, ranking 13th with a .310 wOBA and 101 wRC+, but they do swing and miss, striking out 24.5 percent of the time. Hancock is similar to Butto in that he has control issues and will allow runners to reach on free passes, but at this salary, he offers 5x potential if he can limit damage, making for a solid GPP option to combat the higher-priced arms.

Top Targets

The only reason to fade Shohei Ohtani ($4,700) on Tuesday is the rising salary. We've seen him extend these power binges before, so chasing his four homers over the last three days isn't outlandish. He's also got nine hits over his last three games and is riding a six-game hitting streak.

Bobby Witt ($4,200) is getting permanent residency in this space of the column. He managed 12 fantasy points yesterday while going 0-for-2. Witt has earned double-digit fantasy points in seven straight and 11 of his last 13 and Brewers' starter Colin Rea is due some regression, coming into Tuesday with a 2.67 ERA but 5.80 xERA and 4.78 FIP. Stacking Kansas City doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

Bargain Bats

Not surprisingly, Dakota Hudson has labored at home, allowing a .467 wOBA and 1.065 OPS to lefties, and a .421/.964 to righties, seemingly putting all of the Giants' bats in play. San Francisco isn't overly trustworthy however, so it's a matchup and ballpark play only. LaMonte Wade ($3,000) has nearly no upside with just a .099 ISO, but he sports a team-leading .416 wOBA and 175 wRC+ off righties and isn't priced up, making for a safe entry into this game.

Fairly priced options from the Rockies' lineup appear to be Ezequiel Tovar ($3,300) and/or Elias Diaz ($3,200). Both likely hit towards the top of the order and have favorable stats off lefties, with Tovar carrying a .392 wOBA, 140 wRC+ and .267 ISO into Tuesday, and Diaz sitting at .387/136/.143.

We shouldn't put a lot of stock into Randy Vasquez's body of work, as he's thrown just 7.2 innings with 2.2 of those coming in Colorado, but six of the nine lefties he's faced have reach base. The Cubs have plenty of lefties to choose from that should hit in the heart of the order that are priced favorably. Mike Tauchman ($3,000) has a team-best .384 wOBA off righties, Michael Busch ($3,000) offers more power upside, and Ian Happ ($2,900) could be a contrarian/overlooked play. This is certainly stackable.

Stack to Consider

Mets vs. Miles Mikolas (Cardinals): Francisco Lindor ($3,500), Pete Alonso ($3,400), J.D. Martinez ($2,800)

Mikolas doesn't strike guys out at just 6.8 per nine, and his 5.68 ERA comes with a 5.33 xERA and 4.72 FIP. He allowed a .306 BABIP last year, and its slightly higher to date, which feels real given that he allows so much contact. He's also allowing a .395 wOBA to rightes. Lindor can be the outlier, as he's 5-for-14 (.357) off Mikolas. Alonso hasn't faired as well, but we know the power potential and the price is down. Martinez gives us a third piece for cheap in the heart of this lineup. He's yet to get his power going, but he's 3-for-6 with a homer off Mikolas.

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. Chris Bennett plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: k30kittles, DraftKings: k30kittles.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
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