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Casey Wilson's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Friday, 5/1/26. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
We have a massive Friday night slate on tap tonight with some favorable hitting conditions. Tonight, we get Coors Field and Sutter Health Park, along with some great spots to attack pitchers. There are not many favorable pitchers going tonight, so figuring out our arms will be essential to finishing in the green tonight.
If you have not had a chance to check out my model, I will refer to it throughout this article. To get a better sense of where I am at not only on today's slate but every slate, please give it a look. My plays are solely based on numbers, and this model is the brain behind the operation.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/1/2026, with the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is always essential.
Top MLB DFS Pitcher for DraftKings, FanDuel
Zack Wheeler, SP - PHI ($9.5K DK/$9.0K FD)
It is so good to have Zack Wheeler back in our lives. Wheeler will make his second start of the season on the road tonight against the Marlins in the friendly pitching confines of loanDepot Park in Miami.
Wheeler was tremendous in his first start back, as expected. He pitched to a 3.67 xFIP, 30.0% K%, 16.7% SwStr%, 1.20 WHIP, 36.5% FB%, and a 45.5% Hard Hit%. He did allow some hard contact, but he did pitch on the road in Atlanta in his first start of 2026. He also went 84 pitches, so the leash should be there for Wheeler.
Zack Wheeler's first pitch of the night: 95 mph. He strikes out Ronald Acuna Jr. on a 96.5 mph fastball. pic.twitter.com/WH44PdI8u5
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 26, 2026
The Marlins were hot to start the season, but are cooling off a bit now. They have a 21.5% K% and a .693 OPS against RHP over their L14. Wheeler is projected to have a 28.9% K% with 5.78 strikeouts in my model tonight. On a slate with no sure thing, I like leaning on the talented Wheeler as my SP1.
Top MLB DFS Stack for DraftKings, FanDuel
Atlanta Braves (Model-Projected IRT of 7.9 runs) vs. Jose Quintana
I stacked the Braves yesterday against a much better southpaw in Framber Valdez, so this match-up is one I am, of course, going to be over-exposed to. Jose Quintana will pitch against the Braves in Coors Field tonight.
The Braves have been tremendous against LHP in 2026, posting a .773 OPS and a 114 wRC+. They're full of RHH who do damage, and the two LHH in this lineup, in Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin, have hit LHP very well this season.
Quintana has a 6.45 xFIP, 1.53 WHIP, 1.96 HR/9, 52.5 FB%, and a 33.9% Hard Hit in 2026. His 5.14 ERA suggests more negative regression is coming, and now he will face one of the best offenses against LHPs in elevation. Sign me up.
Favorite Stack: Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mauricio Dubon, Michael Harris.
Top MLB DFS Hitter for DraftKings, FanDuel
Shohei Ohtani, 1B (DK Only)/OF - LAD ($6.3K DK/$4.0K FD)
Shohei Ohtani will get a matchup with southpaw Matthew Liberatore, who has shown severe reverse splits this season. He has allowed a .839 SLG, 17.4% Brl%, and a 47.8% Hard Hit% this season to LHH. Ohtani is actually hitting LHP better than RHP in 2026. He is slashing .375/.489/.719 with a 1.206 OPS against the split. This should keep his roster shares down and put Ohtani in an elite spot at a fraction of the cost.
