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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/10/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Monday, RotoBallers! It's been a while since we've seen a six-game schedule for an evening slate, but here we are. DraftKings even included the 6:35 pm start of Cincinnati-Pittsburgh to give us one more matchup to pick from. There's not a ton of weather to look out for except for Coors Field. Rain is in the forecast for the entire night, and with the Reds-Pirates game starting almost two hours before the San Diego-Colorado showdown, it may be wise to move away from that contest until we get more weather updates.
I don't think I'm out of line when I say there are no aces on the slate tonight. However, someone has to soak up the salary cost, and it's falling to Alex Wood and Tyler Mahle. I don't think I can see myself playing anyone outside the five most expensive pitchers tonight, but I'm sure there will be a surprise like there always is when it comes to DFS. There are many exciting stacking options on the hitting side for Monday, and it could be a night to load up there and hope for the best at pitching. It depends on how much variety you like in your tournaments, but I think I'll be going safe at pitcher and trying to find some discounted bats to fit into my lineup.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/10/2021. 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
Alex Wood - P, SF vs. TEX ($9,800)
Wood comes in as the most expensive pitcher on the block, Monday, and he will need to come through for us if DraftKings wants us to drop $9,800. Fortunately, the southpaw is in fine form and has an excellent matchup against the Texas Rangers. In his age-30 season, Wood has a 1.96 ERA, with a 0.78 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 22 innings. He's sporting a career-high 25.6 percent strikeout rate, a career-low 5.8 percent walk rate, and a 2.82 xFIP, and a 2.85 expected ERA back up his 1.96 ERA. The Rangers are a perfect match for Wood tonight because of their weak slash line and high K rate to lefties. In 502 plate appearances, Texas rocks a .240/.296/.378 slash line and strikes out 24.3 percent of the time to southpaws. Wood has faced weak competition this season (two versus MIA, two versus COL), but that doesn't change against Texas, and it makes him an acceptable option to lead the pitching slate.
Tyler Mahle - P, CIN at PIT ($9,400)
While Wood is the top-dog on the six-game schedule, there's an argument to be made that Mahle has the most upside because of his strikeout upside and the lineup he is facing. On the year, Mahle has a 3.23 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. The right-hander's 32.8 percent strikeout rate leads the slate by a large margin, and he will look to rack the strikeouts up against a Pirates team that is a tad stingy in the department versus righties. However, if Mahle brings his A-game, he shouldn't have to worry about the Pirates doing damage. Pittsburgh has a .118 ISO against right-handers with a .616 OPS. He's only pitched six or more innings once this year, but if he can reach that benchmark tonight, Mahle should reward DFS managers with plenty of strikeouts and fantasy points.
Other options: Luke Weaver vs. MIA ($9,000), Kyle Gibson at SF ($8,600), Luis Garcia vs. LAA ($8,400)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Martin Maldonado - C, HOU vs. Jose Suarez ($3,100)
Houston is a dangerous matchup for lefties, and this game has a great chance to become a fireworks show. Therefore, grabbing a piece of their offense at $3,100 is something I'm highly interested in doing. Maldonado's price tag is cheap enough to offer flexibility at other spots in your lineup tonight, especially with the pitching being so top-heavy. The backstop is showing signs of life after a dreadful first month of the season. In his last four games, Maldonado is 5-for-15 (.333 batting average) with two runs, a double, a home run, two RBI, and averaging 8.5 fantasy points per game. He regularly sees four at-bats per game even at the bottom of Houston's lineup, and his recent performances give me hope to grab some cheap fantasy points against the Angels.
Bobby Dalbec - 1B, BOS vs. Jorge Lopez ($2,700)
Camden Yards kick-started Rafael Devers season in April, and it looks like it’s the cure for Dalbec in May. Over the first three games of this series, the first baseman is 4-for-12 (.333 BA) with two runs, a double, a home run, and five RBI. He's down at $2,700 for the series finale, but that number could be significantly higher when the next series rolls around. Dalbec and the Red Sox will see Jorge Lopez for the Orioles on the mound, and they will look to continue battering his 6.49 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. The righty has allowed seven home runs in six outings this year, and it's likely the Red Sox will add one or two more to his total.
Jose Altuve - 2B, HOU vs. Jose Suarez ($5,100)
Whatever the New York Yankees awakened in Altuve last week continued over the weekend. The 2017 American League MVP has four-straight multi-hit efforts and tripled his home run output in 2021 during this stretch. Since the final game in New York last week, Altuve is 8-for-18 (.444 BA) with three runs, two home runs, and four RBI. He's also averaging 13.5 FPPG in these last four games, and he will be a large part of the equation in any Astros stack I put together.
Alex Bregman - 3B, HOU vs. Jose Suarez ($5,000)
Sunday ended a five-game hitting streak for Bregman, but he is so elite that it won't be surprising when he starts a similar stretch tonight. In his last 10 tilts, the two-time All-Star is slashing .350/.395/.575 with nine runs, three doubles, two home runs, and six RBI. Bregman is also one of the best in the game against southpaws. Among the 82 players with at least 35 plate appearances versus lefties this year, Bregman ranks fifth in weighted Runs Created plus (195), seventh in OPS (1.056), and ninth in weighted On Base Average (.444). Angel's left-hander Jose Suarez could be in for a tough night because four Astros (Bregman, Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel) sit inside the top-23 for wOBA against lefties. Bregman is another fantastic option to anchor an Astros stack.
Josh Rojas - SS/OF, ARI vs. Ross Detwiler ($4,400)
It's lining up to become a bullpen night for the Miami Marlins in Arizona, and it will create an exciting opportunity for the Diamondbacks hitters. Rojas is on fire recently and gives Arizona a perfect bat at or near the top of their order. Over his last 10 games, the utility man has a 1.214 OPS with four multi-hit efforts. He's also tallied nine runs, three doubles, four home runs, and six RBI. Pavin Smith ($4,000) is affordable enough to stack the top-two projected hitters in the D-Backs lineup, and it's a less popular stack with the chance to pay off in a big way.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Jesse Winker - OF, CIN at Mitch Keller ($4,600)
What the Astros do to left-handed pitching is on par with how much Winker crushes right-handed pitching. Among the 136 players with at least 80 plate appearances against righties, Winker is second in batting average (.405), OPS (1.227), and wOBA (.516). Mitch Keller is a pitcher to attack, and the Reds are another stacking option on Monday. If you go that route, it has to revolve around Winker. He's having a career year and has the potential to push any lineup over the finish line, whether he's a part of a stack or just a homer-hunting one-off.
Cedric Mullins - OF, BAL vs. Martin Perez ($4,400)
Mullins is having a breakout year in Baltimore. He ditched his switch-hitting ways over the offseason, and it's proving to be the best thing he ever did. However, it seems like his switch-hitting abilities are still carrying over to his lefty-only 2021. The outfielder has reverse splits versus southpaws compared to right-handers, which will come in handy against Martin Perez. On the year, Mullins has a 187 wRC+ against lefties with a .380/.436/.580 slash line. At $4,400 and leading off, Mullins has a great opportunity to help out some DFS lineups as he looks to extend his on-base streak from six to seven games.
Joey Gallo - OF, TEX at Alex Wood ($3,900)
This time last week, everyone was starting to freak out about Joey Gallo. The home-run hitter wasn't hitting home runs, and his slugging percentage sat at .311 while his on-base percentage was .410. Well, a week can make a big difference in fantasy baseball, whether it's season-long or DFS. Over his last seven games, the slugging outfielder is 7-for-28 (.250 BA) with six runs, a double, and four home runs. It took him a long time to bag that first home run of 2021, but now the flood gates are open. Gallo has good splits against lefties this year, and he could be an smart pivot and leverage play against a popular arm in Alex Wood.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates (Mitch Keller, RHP)
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Miami Marlins (Ross Detwiler, LHP)
- Game Stack: Los Angeles Angels (Jose Suarez, LHP) at Houston Astros (Luis Garcia, RHP)
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