DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/5/21): MLB DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/5/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.

Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers! It's hump day, it's Cinco de Mayo, and it's another beautiful day of MLB DFS. Wind could play a huge factor in some games today, so be on the lookout for any updates before locking in those lineups. Washington, Philadelphia, and Kansas City are all projected to have 10 miles per hour winds blowing around their ballparks tonight. Meanwhile, Boston is already looking at a 60 percent chance of rain. It would be a shame if the weather canceled the tilt because Martin Perez ($6,600) is in a nice strikeout spot against the Tigers.

Yu Darvish, Shane Bieber, and Walker Buehler headline the top-tier pitchers on the 11-game slate. While Freddy Peralta ($9,500) finds himself around their price range, I'm not ready to trust him at that salary, especially in Philadelphia. There are many lower-ranged SP2 arms tonight, but the play could be to double up on the aces and find the value bats. Check out our value plays article to see some of the best discount hitters available.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/5/2021. 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.

DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers

Yu Darvish - P, SD vs. PIT ($10,200)

Darvish has been fantastic over his last five starts with a 3-1 record while spinning a 1.35 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings. The 34-year old has gone at least six innings in all five starts, and, in his last three outings, he's struck out nine or more batters each time. Darvish and the Padres couldn't have imagined a better start to his tenure in San Diego. On Wednesday, he'll see the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second time this season. In the first go-around, the Japanese hurler threw seven innings of one-run baseball with six strikeouts, and he came away with 27.4 fantasy points. While the Pirates only strike out 23.19 percent of the time to righties, they also have a below-average 86 weighted Runs Created plus against them. Fire up Darvish as your SP1 to anchor your lineups in a fantastic matchup.

Martin Perez - P, BOS vs. DET ($6,600)

I'm recommending Perez, but I don't know if I have the willpower/strength to watch his start. Throwing him out against the Tigers is the ultimate test to see how bad this lineup is against left-handed pitchers. On the season, Detroit sports a .170/.229/.238 slash line against southpaws, with a 33 wRC+ and a whopping 37.67 percent strikeout rate. Perez has two games with six or more strikeouts this season and faces a perfect lineup to make it three. The lefty is coming off his best game of the season against the Texas Rangers, where he threw 5 2/3 innings with one earned run allowed and seven strikeouts. If Perez can keep the walks down, he will stay in the game long enough and accumulate a significant amount of strikeouts.

BONUS PITCHER: Brady Singer - P, KC vs. CLE ($5,500)

If the Tigers-Red Sox game is washed out, I don't mind pivoting lower to Singer against the Indians. His last start was cut short to a pitch cannoning off his heel, but he was throwing some great baseball before that. Singer racked up 14 strikeouts in 13 innings in the previous two starts and only allowed one earned run. He scored 22.5 and 32 points against the Blue Jays and Tigers, respectively, in those contests. The young arm has another good matchup versus the Indians and their .297 weighted On-Base Average versus right-handers. The chance at a win is low with Shane Bieber on the mound, but Singer can get some strikeouts and more than return value on his $5,500 salary.

Other options: Shane Bieber at KC ($10,400), Walker Buehler at CHC ($9,700), JT Brubaker vs. SD ($6,900)

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DraftKings DFS Infielders

Victor Caratini - C, SD vs. JT Brubaker ($3,500)

With Yu Darvish on the mound tonight, we can expect to see Caratini behind home plate. He's reached base in nine of his last 10 games and chipped in a double, three RBI, and a stolen base. At $3,500, he offers cheap exposure to a tasty Padres stack off JT Brubaker. Although early results are favorable for the Pirates pitcher, I still like the Padres to get to him on Tuesday. He will undoubtedly bat at or near the bottom of the lineup, but his .378 on-base percentage should give him a shot at a couple of runs.

Ryan Zimmerman - 1B, WAS vs. Max Fried ($3,900)

When Zimmerman signed a one-year extension to return to the Nationals this offseason, people thought it would be a ceremonial ride off into the sunset. However, the veteran first baseman is showing that an old dog can still learn new tricks. Over his last 10 games, two-time All-Star is sporting a 1.093 OPS with four runs, four home runs, and 10 RBI. I'm not a Max Fried believer, and a lefty with an 11.45 ERA, 6.29 FIP, and 2.545 WHIP is not someone I'll be fading against the Nationals and Zimmerman.

Aledmys Diaz - 2B/3B, HOU at Jordan Montgomery ($3,400)

Dusty Baker told reporters that Diaz is going to get more reps in right field. Although it’s not a damning report against Kyle Tucker, there’s no denying the former top prospect is struggling this season. With the left-handed Montgomery on the mound, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Diaz get some competitive reps as soon as Tuesday. Last time out, Diaz went 2-for-5 with a double and four RBI. If he gets the chance to shine in the Big Apple, the utility man will have a fantastic opportunity to earn more playing time.

Rafael Devers - 3B, BOS vs. Casey Mize ($5,300)

Devers should return to the lineup tonight after resting a sore shoulder on Tuesday. Before that minor injury popped up, Devers was playing some fantastic baseball. Over his last 10 games, the Red Sox third baseman was slashing .306/.390/.1.001 with six runs, five doubles, two home runs, five RBI, two stolen bases, and five walks to eight strikeouts. Devers baseball savant page is painted red because of his terrific sabermetric numbers. Currently, he sits inside the top three percent in barrel rate (22.7 percent), expected batting average (.351), expected slugging percentage (.751), and expected wOBA (.483). As long as his shoulder is okay, Devers will have a tremendous opportunity to blast some hits against the right-hander, Casey Mize.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa - SS, TEX at Lewis Thorpe ($4,300)

IKF has been pretty good all season long. The catcher-turned-infielder is averaging 8.6 fantasy points per game through 30 contests this season. However, he's turned it up a notch recently, and DFS players love the returns. Over Kiner-Falefa's last 10 games, he's slashing .359/.405/.667 with seven runs, five extra-base hits (three home runs), four RBI, and three stolen bases. He will see southpaw Lewis Thorpe on the mound for the Twins, and the Ranger's right-handers will look to deal some damage against the 25-year old and his 5.88 career ERA.

DraftKings DFS Outfielders

Ronald Acuna Jr. - OF, ATL at Erick Fedde ($5,800)

It's never a bad idea to slap Acuna into your DFS squad. The early-MVP candidate is slashing .337/.430/.723 this season with 27 runs, 18 extra-base hits (1o home runs), 21 RBI, and three stolen bases. An early-season injury had people worrying that Acuna wasn't fully healthy, but he's smoked two home runs in his last three games to show us he's going to be alright.

Trent Grisham - OF, SD vs. JT Brubaker ($4,800)

Grisham is the table-setter for the San Diego Padres and thrives in the role for a second consecutive season. Through 22 games, the outfielder has a .873 OPS with 12 runs, four doubles, four home runs, seven RBI, and six stolen bases. He’s on a bit of a heater at the moment, too, with three multi-hit games in his last four appearances.

Adolis Garcia - OF, TEX at Lewis Thorpe ($3,000)

Sometimes, it only takes one big hit to make an entire evening of DFS. If you need evidence, take a gander at Adolis Garcia’s last two games. The Rangers slugger is 4-for-9 with two runs, two home runs, and five RBI, and the two bombs propelled him to 18 and 24 points, respectively. Garcia will be going for the hat-trick tonight against Lewis Thorpe at Target Field, and, in general, the Ranger's right-handed sluggers could be a lower-rostered stack.

DraftKings DFS Stacks

• Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs (Adbert Alzolay, RHP)
• Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers (Casey Mize, RHP)
• Game Stack: Houston Astros (Luis Garcia, RHP) at New York Yankees (Jordan Montgomery, LHP)

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