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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/1/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We are split with seven early games and and six late games. The two outcasts are the stuff of short slate material on DraftKings. This article will focus on the six late games. In case something else isn't up on the site, my early approach is to attack Patrick Corbin with Marlins righties and I'll run Matt Harvey at the A's. He's the perfect streamer bait.
There will be rain in the Dallas area so I'm guessing the roof will be closed in Globe Life Field. There is going to be a very stiff wind blowing out to left in Milwaukee that should aid righty power. It's going to be hot in Phoenix with temperatures still near 100 degrees at first pitch. There will also be a nice breeze blowing out to right that could help the offense here too.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/1/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Eduardo Rodriguez - BOS at TEX ($8,700)
I don't like the idea of paying up for pitching with the wind gusting out to left in Milwaukee and the two highest-priced pitchers playing in that game. I'm heading south to the pitcher's haven of Globe Life Park. Well, it is a pitcher's haven when the roof is closed, as it should be tonight. Rodriguez is going deeper into games over his last couple starts and he's still racking up the strikeouts. Texas is only hitting .200 at home on the season and is 18 points lower against left-handed pitchers. Rodriguez has been very consistent this year and has won all four starts. Lots of ground balls and strikeouts are a recipe for success. That's what Rodriguez is doing this year.
Anthony DeSclafani - SF at SD ($8,400)
DeScalfani, fresh off of a complete game shutout of Colorado, heads from one pitcher's park to another. Actually, he has better career numbers at Petco Park than Oracle Park. DeSclafani has a 1.59 ERA in three career starts at Petco Park. I don't like the price all that much because the strikeouts are a bit skewed since he has started against the Rockies twice this year already. However, the peripheral numbers suggest that this is not a fluke. DeSclafani is limiting runners and keeping the ball in the yard. I expect a solid start here.
Other Options: Brandon Woodruff ($10,100), Griffin Canning ($7,200), Ljay Newsome ($5,100)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Carson Kelly - C, ARI vs. COL ($4,500)
Kelly is on a massive heater to start the season, hitting .340 with six homers and 14 RBI. In fact, Kelly has not been shut out in the points department since April 6. Austin Gomber got lit up last weekend - in a pitcher's park, no less - and is looking extremely hittable right now. That's not how you want to head into Arizona. It's hot in Phoenix with the wind blowing out. That ball is going to fly. Kelly leads Arizona is homers, so that's a good place to start.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B, TOR vs. ATL ($5,600)
Vlad is mashing at Dunedin. Hey, who isn't? It's a Class-A ballpark, after all. Still, Guerrero is hitting a robust .452 with four homers and 15 RBI in just 31 at-bats in Toronto's "home" park. Charlie Morton has allowed a homer in each of his last three starts. I'm guessing the streak goes to four, and the smart money says that Vlad is the reason he'll get there.
Ozzie Albies - 2B, ATL at Dunedin ($5,100)
Albies is a much better hitter from the right side of the plate. Albies is a career .340 hitter against lefties. Toronto has lefties Travis Bergen and Tom Milone set up to be the pitching machines in Dunedin tonight. Morton has ground ball tendencies and should keep most balls in the park. I'm not sure Bergen and Milone will be able to do the same. I'll take the guy that crushes lefties in the small ballpark in which he homered in last night.
Austin Riley - 3B, ATL at Dunedin ($4,200)
Riley is 9-19 with a homer and three RBI during his five-game hit streak. He's starting to heat up and today he gets a couple of soft-tossing lefties in a Spring Training ballpark. This isn't designed to hold big league hitters within these walls. I like the Braves' side of this a lot more. Riley is a good way to get a piece of this offense, who is riding a heater, at a very reasonable price.
Corey Seager - SS, LAD at MIL ($4,900)
Seager is a career .304 hitter against righties. He has played one game against Woodruff in his career. He came away from it with a pair of doubles and a RBI. Woodruff has been filthy this year, so this is a calculated risk. However, I'll side with the guy that mashes righties in a decent hitter's park with the wind blowing out. Don't get too crazy with this game though. These pitchers are both solid.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Ronald Acuna Jr. - OF, ATL at Dunedin ($6,000)
See also: Albies, Ozzie and Riley, Austin. You have a lineup full of right-handed power hitters that destroy lefties in a minor league ballpark. Pay up. It should be worth it.
Josh Rojas - OF/SS, ARI vs. COL ($4,200)
Most of the attention, and rightfully so, is going to be on the two powerful offenses playing in a minor league ballpark. Don't forget about a hot game with the wind blowing out in Phoenix. I'm not really going after Zac Gallen since the Rockies don't hit all that well on the road and Gallen is a solid pitcher. I wont say the same about Gomber. He looks ripe to be torched (again) by a righty-heavy lineup. Rojas has homered in the first two games of this series. He' s a strong candidate to make it three in a row.
Austin Slater - OF, SF at SD ($3,300)
Slater's average leaves a lot to be desired, but he's still getting on base. He offers some power and speed against a lefty in Blake Snell that is allowing a career-worst 12% barrels and 12.8% walk rate. Sure, Slater might draw the collar and strike out a couple of times, but there's enough upside to chase here. Slater hasn't been shut out of points since April 21. He's trending upward.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Atlanta Braves vs. Tom Milone
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Austin Gomber
- Sneaky Stack: Boston Red Sox vs. Jordan Lyles
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