This article is part of our DFS MLB series.
Tuesday is one of the busiest days from a DFS perspective as there are virtually never any teams off. That's true once again this week, as we have 12 games to work with on the main slate. The pitching market is flush with options but is very condensed from a skills perspective. A quarter of the available arms have a strikeout rate between 25.5 percent and 26.7 percent, so picking off positive matchups and taking advantage of values will be the name of the game. As for the hitting environments, Great American Ball Park, Kauffman Stadium and Angel Stadium all stand out as a place to consider.
Pitchers
The Mets are hot, but not hot enough to make Gerrit Cole ($9,200) only the fourth-most expensive pitcher. It's only his second start of the season, but he effectively navigated the Orioles his first time on the mound. His pitch count should be on the rise, giving him a good chance for a win as well. On a slate that lacks a ton of upside, Cole is the exception.
We can move to another good value for our next pick in Bobby Miller ($8,500). He wasn't impressive in his return from a lengthy absence caused by a shoulder injury, but we can excuse that both due to the lengthy layoff and a matchup at Coors Field. The latter will be very different Tuesday, as he draws the hapless White Sox's lineup.
Hunter Brown ($8,000) took some time to get going this
Tuesday is one of the busiest days from a DFS perspective as there are virtually never any teams off. That's true once again this week, as we have 12 games to work with on the main slate. The pitching market is flush with options but is very condensed from a skills perspective. A quarter of the available arms have a strikeout rate between 25.5 percent and 26.7 percent, so picking off positive matchups and taking advantage of values will be the name of the game. As for the hitting environments, Great American Ball Park, Kauffman Stadium and Angel Stadium all stand out as a place to consider.
Pitchers
The Mets are hot, but not hot enough to make Gerrit Cole ($9,200) only the fourth-most expensive pitcher. It's only his second start of the season, but he effectively navigated the Orioles his first time on the mound. His pitch count should be on the rise, giving him a good chance for a win as well. On a slate that lacks a ton of upside, Cole is the exception.
We can move to another good value for our next pick in Bobby Miller ($8,500). He wasn't impressive in his return from a lengthy absence caused by a shoulder injury, but we can excuse that both due to the lengthy layoff and a matchup at Coors Field. The latter will be very different Tuesday, as he draws the hapless White Sox's lineup.
Hunter Brown ($8,000) took some time to get going this season, but he has at least 17.9 DraftKings points in five consecutive starts and has topped 23 points in four out of five outings in that span. He draws a matchup against the Rockies away from Coors Field. Colorado has a .288 wOBA and a 25.4 percent strikeout rate in that scenario as a team.
It's a good day to live in the middle range of pitcher pricing, but for those willing to take on a bit more risk, Andrew Heaney ($6,800) is worth considering. He's been a streaky pitcher throughout his career. We've seen that from him of late, but he does have a pair of starts with 29.1 and 21.9 DraftKings points in his last five outings. He draws the Brewers, who haven't been very good against lefties this season (22.6 percent strikeout rate, .294 wOBA).
Top Hitters
Though they aren't highlighted below, the Giants are a viable stacking option Tuesday night against Kyle Hendricks, who has allowed 2.00 HR/9 and has only a 17.2 percent strikeout rate. Any of the Giants' big bats are good choices, including Jorge Soler ($4,500), Matt Chapman ($4,800) or Heliot Ramos ($4,900).
The Astros are another potential stacking option but aren't a particularly strong lineup against lefties, and Austin Gomber will be on the mound for Colorado. Yordan Alvarez ($5,500) is an exception and a decent expensive bat to build around.
Value Bats
DraftKings hasn't switched J.D. Davis ($3,100) to a Yankee yet, but assuming they do so before the first pitch Tuesday, he'll be a solid value. He's expected to start against all lefties and will be in the middle of a potent lineup, while David Peterson has struggled to generate whiffs (12.2 percent strikeout rate) so far this season.
The Dodgers have several injuries to their lineup, which has opened up some cheap options who hit in the middle of the order. Jason Heyward ($3,500) and Gavin Lux ($3,400) are two such examples. Chris Flexen has some decent results, but cheap exposure to this lineup is a good idea.
Stacks to Consider
Washington Nationals vs. San Diego Padres (Adam Mazur): CJ Abrams ($5,900), Lane Thomas ($4,700), Jesse Winker ($4,000)
Mazur was supposed to be bumped out of the San Diego rotation, but Yu Darvish (groin/elbow) is dealing with an arm issue. In four big-league starts, Mazur has 11 strikeouts and 16 walks across 17.1 innings and has completed five innings only once. Washington isn't a potent lineup, but they have a low strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers (20.5 percent), so should be able to work some quality at-bats and score some runs Tuesday. This is also a cheap stack, which is a plus given the state of pitching.
Texas Rangers vs. Milwaukee Brewers (Bryse Wilson): Marcus Semien ($4,800), Corey Seager ($5,100), Josh Smith ($4,000)
Wilson managed to hold things together as an effective bulk reliever/starter, but his skills never indicated the results were legitimate. We've seen that play out across his last three starts, allowing 12 earned runs across his last 14.1 innings. The Rangers' bats have been cold across the last 30 days, but this is a good chance for them to get on track. Even better is that the lineup comes at a cheap price relative to its potential.
