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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/6/21. Brian Entrekin's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have an 8-game main slate on tap today. Today, I say it is early as it's a day slate starting at 1:05 pmEST. There is one elite pitching option in Cole with some other pitchers you can pivot to off Cole. There are five main pitchers that I am targeting today (all listed below). After the arms, there are bats for days; if you want the full rundown of players to target, make sure to listen to MLB DFS Quick Hits.
The slate starts with paying up for Cole or pivoting off Cole. Cole is a strikeout machine and faces an Astros team with a sub 20% strikeout rate versus RHP. Cole is still elite and in play, but a minor thing to think about is wanting an angle against Cole. The other main arm is Duffy, who will be extremely chalky. Most cash lineups will likely be Cole and Duffy, but tournaments allow for some nice pivots. For the bats, there are some major bats to attack with today. My favorite stack is the Nats versus the lefty Smyly. I am always looking to attack Smyly, so batter up!!! After the Nats, there are some other great stacks listed below. Lastly, this article will not have all the plays, especially in the outfield, as it is loaded. I did not put any of the high-priced outfield options as they are much easier, so I wanted to mention a few of the many punt options on the slate.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/6/2021. 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 @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Danny Duffy - P, KC vs. CLE ($8,800)
Chalky Danny Duffy. Yeah, that does not sound great, but here we are. I am in on Duffy today, especially in cash, where we do not worry about ownership. Duffy has been elite this season, yes, elite. He has allowed only two earned runs all season in his 30 innings he has pitched (five starts). Duffy has displayed some serious strikeout stuff and strikes out 28.8% of the batters he has faced with a strong 21.2 K-BB%. Duffy has shown an increase in velocity this season and a slight increase in his fastball/slider usage on his way to success. Will there be some regression? Sure. A .247 BABIP, 95.4% LOB, and 3.69 xFIP does show some regression coming. For today though, we ride with Duffy against this Cleveland offense. They are only hitting .198 with an 88 wRC+ versus LHP but are only striking out 19.7% of the time. It's a great matchup for Duffy, one that he threw six shutout innings with six strikeouts against on Opening Day. Once again, Duffy will be chalk, and he is the likely SP2 with Cole in cash games. No worries. Rock and roll and get contrarian with the bats once again today.
Nathan Eovaldi - P, BOS vs. DET ($8,400)
Are the Tigers on the slate? Yes, you say? Alright, add the opposing pitcher to the list. It truly is impressive just how "three true outcomes" based this Tigers' offense is this season. They are worse versus LHP, but not great at all versus RHP. On the season, the Tigers are hitting .209 with an 85 wRC+ versus RHP, but the kicker for fantasy purposes is the fact the Tigers are striking out 29.4% of the time versus RHP. Enter Eovaldi. Eovaldi has thrown at least five innings every start this season while allowing two runs or less in four of six starts. He has a 3.63 ERA, 2.12 FIP, and 3.51 xFIP that helps showcase how good Eovaldi has been this season. Eovaldi is also striking out 22.4% of the batters he faces, and that should be a little higher today against the Tigers. Lastly, Eovaldi is limiting the quality of content he is facing. He only allows a barrel rate of 4% this season with a hard-hit rate of 34.7%. Eovaldi has been darn good and gets a great matchup today.
Other Options: Gerrit Cole (NYY vs HOU) $10,500, Brandon Woodruff (MIL at PHI) $9,300, Michael Pineda (MIN vs TEX) $7,500
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Yan Gomes - C, WAS vs. Drew Smyly ($3,400)
I rarely pay up for catching unless it is a part of a stack like Mitch Garver or Salvador Perez, so we go cheaper with Gomes or William Contreras (rostering him daily). Today we target Gomes, who has a great matchup versus Smyly. Gomes hit 5th last night as he continues to swing a hot bat. He has hit safely in four straight games with three multi-hit games and two home runs. Some may say he is feeling it at the plate right now. It has not just been a four-game stretch for Gomes. He is hitting .273 on the season with a .200 ISO while only striking out 13.8% of the time. What the last few games have been about is the power. He will bring his 10.6% barrel rate into action tonight versus the batting practice pitcher known as Drew Smyly. Over the last four seasons, RHH has hit .260-.280 versus Smyly. This season RHH is hitting .283 with a .633 SLG and nearly four HR/9. The Nats are one of my top stacks of the day, and Gomes is affordable and should be hitting in the middle of the order for that stacking goodness.
Nate Lowe - 1B, TEX at Michael Pineda ($3,600)
Lowe has just continued to be fantasy productive game in and game out. He has been a cash game staple hitting in the middle of the Rangers' lineup, while his price does not change much at all. Lowe is hitting .283 on the season, but he has hit safely in 12 of 13 games over the last two weeks, good for a .348 average. Lowe has four XBH, two stolen bases, and a 154 wRC+ over the two-week stretch. A major reason for Lowe's success is an 11.8% barrel rate and 55.9% hard-hit rate the past two weeks. He puts the bat on the ball often, and when he does, he absolutely smacks it. Lowe will face off with Pineda today, who has not gone more than five innings in his last two starts. He is allowing LHH to SLG .468 this season while allowing over two HR/9. Lowe is too cheap again today and is a great value for cash or Rangers' stacks.
Ozzie Albies - 2B, ATL at Jon Lester ($4,700)
I have preached about my Nats love today, but a game stack could play with the Braves and their success versus Lester. Enter Albies. The second base position is not great overall today, so paying up for Albies is in play. Albies brings a nine-game hitting streak into today's game. He is hitting .361 over the nine-game streak with seven XBH, one stolen base, a .306 ISO, and a 186 wRC+. Albies is flat out crushing it during his hitting streak. Albies has a 16.7% barrel rate and 46.7% hard-hit rate to hammer home his dominance over the past nine games. He will face Lester today, who has smacked around the yard in a small sample (eight at-bats). Albies is 6-7 versus Lester with a .429 ISO and 2.161 OPS. It will be Lester's second start since returning from the COVID IL, and Albies could help send him to a short outing.
Trea Turner - SS, WAS vs. Drew Smyly ($5,300)
I preach paying up for SS on almost all slates, and that is no different today. Today's debate is Turner versus Xander Bogaerts. Both are great plays, and I cannot argue either play, but I am more interested in Turner today. Turner is hitting .314 on the season, but he has really got going over the last seven games, hitting .414. Turner has three home runs, two stolen bases, a .345 ISO, and 226 wRC+. Turner is absolutely crushing the ball right now. The change in overall production has appeared to go hand in hand with returning to the leadoff spot. In six of the last seven games, Turner has led off and will look to keep setting the table with Soto out. Look for another BIG game for Turner today versus our buddy Smyly.
Hunter Dozier - 3B/OF, KC vs. Triston McKenzie ($3,500)
Whoops, he did it again. Dozier went deep off Shane Bieber and how now homered in three of his last four games. Over the four games, he is hitting .438 with six XBH, an insane .875 ISO, and 384 wRC+. Dozier is hitting everything hard with a 63.6% hard-hit rate and 27.3% barrel rate. Dozier's price went up a bit, but not enough when stacking the Royals versus McKenzie. McKenzie has made four starts this season and has made it past four innings only once. He may collect his fair share of strikeouts, but he has also walked four in three straight games, has allowed at least three runs in three of four starts, and has allowed at least one home run in each start. When McKenzie is not striking batters out, he allows a 21.1% barrel rate and 55.3% hard-hit rate. Once he is through his four innings, it means a lot of Cleveland bullpen, which also bodes well for the Royals. Get Dozier back in your lineups, and do not forget about the Royals when stacking again today.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Max Kepler - OF, MIN vs. Jordan Lyles ($3,400)
It has been a slow start to the season for Kepler, including a stretch on the COVID IL. He returned on 4/30 and has hit safely in two of five games with a stolen base. He is not crushing it just yet, but what better way to get going than facing Lyles? Kepler is mentioned in this article for a couple of reasons. First, he is too cheap as the likely lead-off hitter in a strong Twins stack today. Kepler usually leads off versus RHP. Second, anyone facing Lyles. Lyles has allowed 12 runs in his last two starts (6.2 innings). He has allowed at least three runs in five straight starts, at least one home run in every start, and a 50% hard-hit rate this season. The Twins are in an absolute smash spot versus Lyles and a lot of Rangers bullpen. It should be the perfect game for Kepler to get things going.
Tyler O'Neill - OF, STL vs. Taijuan Walker ($3,000)
I mentioned in the intro that I highlighted some value outfield bats today, and O'Neill checks the box. O'Neill has started in all but a couple of games since he returned to the Cardinals on 4/23. Over that stretch, he is hitting .318 while showcasing his power and speed. He has four home runs and three stolen bases to go with a .318 ISO and 170 wRC+. He will bring a 14.7% barrel rate over this stretch into today's game versus Walker. Walker has been effective this season but has displayed an issue with walks, and he gave up his first home run of the season in his last outing. O'Neill is a tournament play only bringing a huge ceiling into today's game.
Avisail Garcia - OF, MIL at Zack Wheeler ($2,700)
Garcia is on a bit of a heater of late, hitting safely in six straight games. He is hitting .524 over that stretch, but the power has been limited with a .048 ISO. He somehow has zero barrels over this six-game stretch but does have a 50% hard-hit rate. He has scored at least five DK points in each game, even without the power, including a 17 and 20 point output. He should be in the heart of the order once again today as the Brewers take on Wheeler. Wheeler has allowed three or more runs in four of his last five starts, and in his last two home starts has allowed four runs in each. He has also allowed RHH to SLG over .360 and allows over one HR/9 to RHH this season. Garcia is way too cheap. It should at least be in the mid $3K range. If looking for a major punt, then Avi should be near the top of your list today.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Boston Red Sox (Spencer Turnbull, RHP)
- Washington Nationals (Drew Smyly, LHP)
- Minnesota Twins (Jordan Lyles, RHP)
- Sneaky Stack- Kansas City Royals (Triston McKenzie, RHP)
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