This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
All teams are back in action Tuesday after a light calendar Monday. Four games kick off at 6:40 p.m. EDT or earlier and aren't included on the main slate. The player pool for 11 remaining games is dominated by a lot of high-end pitchers, so it may be a night to look for value stacks to fill out the rest of lineups.
Pitchers
There are plenty of elite options to choose from on this slate, but Brandon Woodruff ($8.900) is among the cheapest. He hasn't started the season in top form, but he still boasts a 3.12 SIERA– an indication that he is still effective from a skills perspective. He takes on a Cincinnati offense that enters Tuesday dead last in wOBA and with the fourth-highest strikeout rate. This is a good spot for him to return to his expected production beginning with this outing. Julio Urias ($8,400) is in a similar position given his proven command and ability to suppress home runs, but his matchup against the Giants is not as favorable as Woodruff's.
It's difficult to justify paying more for pitcher than Woodruff's price point, but Joe Ryan ($9,500) makes the most compelling case to do so. He's combined both volume and skills to average 24.4 DK points per start this season. From a volume perspective, Ryan has worked at least six innings in each of his last three starts. From a skills perspective, he's posted an elite 30.1 K% and allowed only 0.8 BB/9. His 1.17 ERA will regress, but that won't necessarily come against a weak and strikeout-prone Baltimore offense.
Tyler Mahle ($6,900) has struggled with his command but has still whiffed plenty of opposing hitters. Given his price, it's worth the risk of playing him against Milwaukee in large-field tournaments. Michael Pineda ($5,800) against the Pirates is the ultimate punt play. He has failed to rack up strikeouts and was hit hard by the Twins his last time through the rotation, but he should pitch deep enough into the game to be eligible for a win with the hope that he also falls into some strikeouts.
Top Hitters
The Tigers' lineup hasn't often been a place to look for offensive production early in the season, but now is a nice time to buy low on Javier Baez ($4,500). Though it's not necessarily reflected by home runs or counting stats, Baez has had a strong start to the season (.368 wOBA), which means DK points are piling up – regardless of how flashy they are. He and the Tigers square off against Bryse Wilson who allows contact, free passes and home runs all at desirable rates for opposing hitters.
C.J. Cron ($5,300) will be back in Colorado for a series with the Nationals beginning Tuesday. Erick Fedde will take the hill for the Nationals, which isn't the easiest matchup on the slate but also not the most difficult. His proneness to home runs (1.6 HR/9 last two seasons), plus the venue being Coors Field makes Cron a nice target.
Both Luis Robert ($4,600) and Tim Anderson ($4,900) are players I'd be willing to build around. Drew Smyly's overall numbers look fine, but he's surrendered a pair of home runs in each of his last two starts, and he's allowed 1.9 HR/9 across his last 146 frames.
Value Hitters
Jose Miranda ($2,000) was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Monday and slotted sixth into the lineup. Though he was 0-for-4 in his debut, the Twins will likely try to continue to get him regular at-bats. It's unclear how his skillset will translate to the majors, but at the minimum price it's worth taking the chance.
Bryan Reynolds ($3,300) has not had an ideal start to the season, and his price recently tumbled from its peak at $5,200 to its current position. Reynolds has also shown signs of breaking out of his slump, earning five walks and scoring four runs across his last three games.
Cesar Hernandez ($3,500) isn't particularly interesting to roster on a typical night, but he is almost certain to be leading off at Coors Field. Hitting in front of Nelson Cruz and Juan Soto should play very well in Colorado.
Stacks to Consider
Colorado Rockies vs. Erick Fedde: Connor Joe ($5,600), Charlie Blackmon ($4,900), Randal Grichuk ($4,800), C.J. Cron ($5,300)
This stack is extremely expensive, but the Rockies are in a good position to produce against a homer-prone pitcher. The other positive thing about rostering Colorado hitters is that the top of its lineup has produced early this season even without Kris Bryant, so rostering them isn't entirely betting on just the home field helping the bats play up. The stack is expensive, but between paying down at pitcher and finding other value bats it's plenty doable.
Detroit Tigers vs. Bryse Wilson: Robbie Grossman ($3,200), Javier Baez ($4,500), Austin Meadows ($3,900), Miguel Cabrera ($3,400)
Wilson owns the lowest strikeout rate and second-highest home run rate of all pitchers taking the hill Tuesday night. That makes the Tigers a fairly obvious team to target, and their price points are much more palatable than the Rockies. That likely means they'll see an elevated roster rate, but it's hard to imagine this stack being overly popular.
Chicago White Sox vs. Drew Smyly: Tim Anderson ($4,900), Luis Robert ($4,600), AJ Pollock ($3,900), Jose Abreu ($4,000)
Smyly is the most homer-prone pitcher on the slate as measured by HR/9, and he has the sixth-highest SIERA (combined between the 2021 and 2022 seasons). The White Sox stack offers a nice mix of value and star power, with all four of the players suggested checking in at reasonable prices. Smyly has pitched well to begin the season so he may not jump out as a top pitcher to target, which will drive down the roster rate of an otherwise valuable stack.
