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We have a 12-game main slate on tap tonight, and it's a doozie. We get the ace of aces in Jacob deGrom. There is no Coors in play, but a lot of game totals at nine runs or higher. Lots of nice stacking options with a few contrarian angels as well. If you are looking for the full slate breakdown, make sure to listen to MLB DFS Quick Hits.
The slate starts with to deGrom or not to deGrom? That is the question. For me, it is all about deGrom and build the rest of your lineups from there, but make sure the weather is ok as it is supposed to be pouring rain all day in St. Louis. After deGrom, the other chalk pitcher to decide on is Shane McClanahan, which I will avoid if too chalky. After checking the weather and locking in pitchers, it is time to stack them up. I already mentioned all the high totals, which means there are many ways to go tonight. I will be focusing on the A's, Red Sox, and a Royals/Indians game stack with some sprinkles of others. (With so many options on this slate, I try and not give all the high-priced, obvious plays in the article. Listen to QH and feel free to reach out to me with more questions.)
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/4/2021. 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
Nick Pivetta - P, BOS vs DET ($7,900)
Pivetta has been quite the consistent starter for the Red Sox so far this season. Pivetta has thrown at least five innings in four of five starts while also allowing two earned runs or less in four of five starts, zero runs in two starts. Strikeouts have not been as consistent as we'd like, as Pivetta has struck out four in four of five games and seven in two games. On the bright side, Pivetta faces the Tigers tonight, who strike out 29% of the time versus RHP. The Tigers are also hitting .203 with a .164 ISO and 77 wRC+. The Tigers strike out a ton while showing a little power but not a lot else versus RHP. Pivetta has limited the damage this season by allowing only one home run this season and a barrel rate below 5%. Pivetta should be popular tonight, making for a nice cash game SP2 with deGrom of a potential tournament play if feeling frisky.
Johan Oviedo - P, STL vs. NYM ($6,500)
The young prospect Oviedo has made two spot starts this season and now takes the bump for the third time, trying to lock in a spot in the rotation. He has been excellent in his first two outings, striking out four in his first start and, more impressively, seven strikeouts in five innings for his second start. Most importantly, from start one to start two, Oviedo improved his pitch count from 65 pitches in game 1 to 86 pitches in game 2. If all goes well, he should be in line for close to, if not over, 100 pitches tonight. Oviedo will take on a second-worst Mets team in baseball offensively, averaging 3.3 runs per game. The Mets have been striking out 23.4% of the time versus RHP this season with a 92 wRC+. The bats have been heating up lately, but Oviedo's price is too good to pass up. He should be in line for 5+ innings with strikeouts galore. He is not the ideal cash game play, can be used in cash if necessary, but is preferably a great tournament value.
Other Options: Jacob deGrom (NYM at STL) $11,100, Huascar Ynoa (ATL at WAS) $8,200, Aaron Nola (PHI vs MIL) $10,400
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Sean Murphy - C, OAK vs. Anthony Kay ($4,500)
There are some solid high-priced catching options tonight with J.T. Realmuto and Salvador Perez, but I'll take some savings to the power bat of Murphy. I love the A's tonight as they take on Kay, and Murphy should be a strong piece of that stack. Over the last week, Murphy has caught fire, hitting three of his four home runs on the season while hitting safely in four of six games. He has hit .316 over that stretch with a .474 ISO and 237 wRC+. Those are some elite numbers from Murphy. The A's coaches have even noticed the offensive production as Murphy has been hitting third or fourth over the last couple of games, just upping his fantasy value. He has a great matchup versus the lefty Kay tonight. Last season Murphy had a .441 SLG and .206 ISO versus LHP. If paying up at catcher, I definitely like the savings to Murphy as a one-off, cash game play, or stack piece. Lastly, if punting, keep an eye on William Contreras, Tom Murphy, and Danny Jansen.
Alex Kirilloff - 1B/OF, MIN vs. Kyle Gibson ($3,200)
Yep, another article from yours truly and another blurb on Kirilloff. It's not my fault DK keeps pricing him too cheap while he continues to rake. On Monday, Kirilloff went 2-4 and put up another 18 DK points. Kirilloff has now hit safely in seven straight games, has extra-base hits in four straight games, and has scored double-digit DK points in four straight games. He'll take on Kyle Gibson, who has been outstanding since Opening Day. Gibson has not allowed more than one run in any of his last four starts and has not allowed a home run all season. This is a matchup of the immovable force versus the immovable object. Almost everyone believes the Gibson blow-up is coming; why not tonight? The bottom line is Kirilloff is too cheap and allows for a lot of lineup flexibility with an elite bat for cash and tournaments.
Jake Cronenworth - 2B, SD vs Mitch Keller ($3,900)
After a scorching start to the season, Cronenworth has slowed down a bit; it is even hard to call him Rake at the moment. He has hit safely in five of his last seven games with a home run and a steal. Over that stretch, he has a .167 ISO and 101 wRC+, so he has been good, just not the Rake we love. That could all change tonight as Cronenworth, and the Padres have a juicy matchup versus Keller. Keller has not gone more than five innings in any start this season and has not gone more than 3.1 innings in three of those starts. He brings an 8.20 ERA (5.06 xFIP) into tonight's action while also walking a 14.1% BB rate. He allows LHH to SLG .548 this season after allowing them to SLG .436 and .554 in the last two seasons. This is a great night for Cronenworth and the Padres to get right. Rake is a nice value across all game types this evening.
Xander Bogaerts - SS, BOS vs Michael Fulmer ($5,300)
The shortstop is a position I like to pay up for, especially in stacks. Tonight, Xander checks the boxes in stacks, GPP one-offs, and cash game plays. Bogaerts is crushing it this season, hitting .349 with a .236 ISO and 169 wRC+. He has an 11.5% barrel rate and comes into tonight's game with three straight games of 14 DK points or better. Hitting in the middle of the order has done well for Bogaerts as the Red Sox offense is one of the best in baseball, so he has had plenty of chances to be productive and has taken advantage of those chances. Tonight he faces Fulmer, who has gone four innings or less in four of five starts this season, meaning many Tigers bullpen. I like X to have another big night and the Red Sox stack to be a major stack as well.
Hunter Dozier - 3B/OF, KC vs. Sam Hentges ($3,300)
Those that listen to Quick Hits know that I bang the Dozier drum pretty hard. It's a combination of value and knowing the actual talent Dozier has and the funk he should break out of at any minute. It has been a rough season as he is hitting .163, but a .225 ISO shows things are a bit better. The xStats scream a similar team as Dozier has a .248 xBA and .446 xwOBAcon. Dozier's quality of contact has been great as well, with a 12.7% barrel rate and 49.1% hard-hit rate. The bottom line is Dozier is swinging it very well; the production just is not showing it, though. These are the players we should be targeting for value, especially in GPP's and stacks. Dozier has homered in two straight games, and he gets great matchups versus Hentges and a lot of Cleveland bullpen tonight to add on some more. Look for a game stack that Dozier's value will help tremendously tonight.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Cedric Mullins - OF, BAL at Justin Dunn ($4,100)
All Mullins does is hit this season. He is hitting .333 while leading off for the Orioles and producing fantasy goodness. He has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games, good for a .340 average. He has seven XBH, including four home runs over the 11 game stretch with a .319 ISO and 190 wRC+. Mullins is flat out raking. A 10% barrel rate and 42.5% hard-hit rate is not too shabby for the leadoff hitter, either. Tonight the O's get a good matchup versus Dunn. Dunn has been good from time to time and shows wild control on the mound, leading to many walks and short outings. He has allowed at least two walks in each outing, has not gone past 5.1 innings in any start and has a 3.98 ERA but a 6.35 xFIP. The Orioles are definitely in play tonight, and Mullins should be a factor. Mullins makes for a great cash game play as well as a piece of the O's stack.
Yadiel Hernandez - OF, WAS vs Huascar Ynoa ($3,200)
Similar to Kirilloff, Hernandez keeps producing, yet the price stays low. Hernandez is hitting .336 on the season, but over the last six games, he has hit safely in five of six and hitting .500 over that stretch. He has a .150 ISO, 200 wRC+, but the most impressive part of his recent run is a 16% walk rate for the youngster. Hernandez's plate discipline is outstanding and makes his at-bats that much more fantasy relevant. He has shown power and speed on the season, including a home run and two stolen bases over the last six games. Hernandez and the Nats do have a tough matchup versus Ynoa tonight, but that does not mean he isn't a solid GPP one-off or even cash game value tonight. Keep enjoying his discount as long as these sites continue giving them to us.
Stephen Piscotty - OF, OAK vs. Anthony Kay ($3,000)
I've preached it on QH this week, it is Stephen Piscotty week, and DK is asleep at the wheel. The A's face six lefties this week which plays great for Piscotty value. He went deep on Monday night, and I would not be shocked if the production continues tonight and throughout the week. Over his career, Piscotty is hitting .278 with a .204 ISO and 129 wRC+ versus LHP. He faces Kay tonight who allowed five runs in 3.1 innings in his season debut, and that should not get much better tonight. The A's are a nice late-night hammer, and Piscotty should be a major piece of that stack. He provides great stacking value as well as GPP one-off values.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Boston Red Sox (Michael Fulmer, RHP)
- Oakland Athletics (Anthony Kay, LHP)
- Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals Game Stack (Sam Hentges, LHP at Mike Minor, LHP)
- Sneaky Stack- Houston Astros (Domingo German, RHP)
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