This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have a similar setup to Monday's card, as there is a 10-game main slate that kicks off at 7:07 pm ET. There's a strong group of starting pitching available, and there will be a choice between paying all the way up for the elite options at the position versus picking off some pretty clearly mispriced options.
As far as the hitters, there's likely to be a high roster rate concentrated between the Rockies and Cardinals, who continue their series at Coors Field. Figuring out how to handle that game will also likely be a key to roster builds Tuesday, particularly because there are several alternative lineups that are intriguing spots to put up fantasy points.
Pitchers
The top pitching options available from both a price and performance perspective are Jacob deGrom ($9,900) and Shohei Ohtani ($9,700). They're both elite and dominant pitchers, and respective matchups against the Royals and Nationals help them further. There's not much need for further analysis as their dominance is apparent at first glance.
Corbin Burnes ($8,500) has been priced strangely early this season. There's no denying he's had two poor showings (4.5 and -2.3 DK points), but he's into his third season as a dominant full-time starter. I'm willing to bank on the longer sample of dominance over his short-term struggles. It's too early to draw sweeping conclusions about lineups as a whole, but Arizona has been roughly average as a team, which is no reason to shy away from Burnes.
Both Alek Manoah ($7,700) and Pablo Lopez ($7,300) are also too cheap. Lopez has dominated with his new club by racking up 16 strikeouts across 12.1 innings while allowing only nine baserunners. The White Sox offense has been potent at points this season so there is some risk, but that's more than accounted for at his price point. Even with all the value available, Manoah stands out above the rest. He dominated the Royals his last time out and now faces a Tigers' lineup that is among the most punchless in the league.
Top Hitters
Trevor Larnach ($4,000) is in a price range where he doesn't fit neatly into the top hitter or value category, and he's slowed some at the dish since a scorching first few games of the season. Nevertheless, his matchup against Lance Lynn is worth highlighting. Lynn had a home run problem in 2022 that has persisted into this season (1.6 HR/9 since the start of 2022). Most of those struggles have come against lefties.
Luis Cessa is one of the more obvious pitchers to pick on Tuesday, as he checks all the boxes we want for our hitters with a high home run rate, low strikeout rate and high walk rate. Ronald Acuna ($6,100) is always a good option, but Matt Olson ($5,400) is priced a bit more reasonably and has also had a good start to the new campaign. Though not specifically listed below, Atlanta is a good stacking option.
Eduardo Escobar ($4,100) has had a dreadful first few weeks of the season, but he's in a good spot to deliver Tuesday. He hit lefties to the tune of a .347 wOBA and .259 ISO in 2022 and will face the vulnerable Ryan Weathers as the Mets take on the Padres.
Value Bats
Jordan Walker ($2,900) has at least one hit in every game this season and St. Louis continues its series in Coors Field. There's no reason for Walker's current price, so take advantage.
Robbie Grossman ($2,900) is in the midst of a slump, having collected only one hit in his last 21 at-bats. Still, he hits fifth or sixth following a fairly strong top half of the lineup for the Rangers. Against the contact-reliant Ryan Yarbrough, he should come to the plate with the opportunity to drive in runs Tuesday.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Angels vs. Nationals (Josiah Gray): Mike Trout ($6,400), Taylor Ward ($5,500), Hunter Renfroe ($5,000)
The Angels lose some appeal Tuesday because Ohtani isn't available as a hitter and there are still plenty of strong values between the Rockies and Cardinals bats that will have the benefit of Coors Field. However, Gray has been a launching pad of his own for opposing hitters, as he's allowed the third-highest walk rate (9.9 percent) and by far the highest home run rate (2.3 HR/9) to opposing batters of any pitcher scheduled to take the mound Tuesday. The stack is very expensive, but with a lot of value available it shouldn't be too difficult to pay up.
Chicago Cubs vs. Mariners (Chris Flexen): Nico Hoerner ($4,600), Ian Happ ($5,100), and Dansby Swanson ($5,500)
The Cubs are priced aggressively so they aren't likely to pop in models or appear in optimizers. However, they offer the chance to get a bit different from the chalk builds that are likely to center around the Coors Field game, as well as the Angels and Atlanta lineups. Flexen makes the Cubs particularly appealing, as he allows a lot of contact and also walks a fair amount of batters. That fits into the Cubs' approach at the plate well, which looks to get the bat on the ball and let hits drop in from there. They have shown a lack of pop as a team early on (.114 ISO) which does limit the upside if it continues, but both Happ and Swanson have the skills to change that stat in a hurry.
