This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There's a nice variety on Tuesday's slate, and while the game at Coors Field could dominate lineups, there are plenty of other places to look. The same goes for pitching, though Jacob deGrom could be the most popular arm even at the highest price.
PITCHING
If you don't want to overthink pitching, Jacob deGrom ($11,600) is as easy as it gets and that's seen in his price. He's picking up where he left 2018 and getting wins in the process, still without an earned run in two starts to go with 24 strikeouts. It'll be hard to spend on others like Gerrit Cole ($10,500), Freddy Peralta ($9,900) or Stephen Strasburg ($9,700) as they all have tougher matchups.
If you don't want to blow your cash on an ace, it's a toss up between Aaron Nola ($9,400) and Joey Lucchesi ($9,200). Nola was shelled against the Nationals last start, so not many will be on him, though he's home and Washington still has one of the higher K rates (28.1%) against righties. Lucchesi isn't the easiest arm to trust since he hasn't gone more than 5.1 innings in his first two starts, though one was against the Giants and he only gave up three hits in that first meeting. The Giants are also struggling against all pitchers, sporting a .269 wOBA against southpaws.
The GPP route would be to ride German Marquez ($8,800) and hope he matches his first two performances. The problem is that the Braves have hit well and while Marquez had a solid 2.97 xFIP at home last year, almost every other number was worse.
I rarely suggest Derek Holland ($6,800), but he could be a viable cash play combined with deGrom. He hasn't pitched overly well in his first two starts, but still has 12 Ks and that's only through nine innings. I'm more intrigued by his numbers at home last year, sporting a much better .294 wOBA allowed and 3.57 xFIP. While Holland is a home underdog, I'm not completely sold on the Padres lighting him up in this spot.
The other value route would be Marco Gonzales ($7,600), but his issue is a lack of strikeouts. He has just 11 in his first three starts and had only 23.8 fantasy points despite allowing one run in 8.1 innings last start.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
The hottest bat on the market is Mike Trout ($5,600) with five homers in the last five games and he'll get plenty of love, even against Peralta. That said, both Nolan Arenado ($5,300) and Christian Yelich ($5,300) are in better situations and can produce just as much. Yelich has somewhat cooled off since a hot start, but he gets Matt Harvey after roasting righties for a .281 ISO last season.
Joey Gallo ($4,700) could be a popular play in GPP circles since he's also hitting homers more often than not with one in each of his last three. He's worth a look mainly because Zack Greinke has started slow and allowed six homers in his first two starts. If those struggles continue, Gallo will be the first guy to capitalize.
Going back to Harvey, I'd consider anyone on the Brewers after he had a brutal 1.94 HR/9 allowed to lefty bats last season. That starts with Yelich, but Mike Moustakas ($4,200) and Travis Shaw ($4,200) are both desirable, albeit somewhat pricey. If you only wanted a pinch of the Brewers, Orlando Arcia ($3,500) is the guy, as usual.
The cheaper route would be to ride the Mets against Kyle Gibson, who gave up eight hits and five runs in his first start against the Royals. Even in a solid 2018, his numbers against lefty batters were still subpar highlighted by a 4.39 xFIP. Michael Conforto ($4,300) costs too much to be considered value, but both Robinson Cano ($3,900) and Brandon Nimmo ($3,900) come at discounts due to slow starts. Nimmo is an intriguing play after racking up a .246 ISO and .407 wOBA against righty arms last year.
If you want home run or bust in GPP, former Mets player Jay Bruce ($4,000) has already gone yard five times and Jakob Junis still isn't a reliable arm for the Royals. The other matchup I'd consider is the Dodgers against Dakota Hudson. The righty hurler has been fine in relief, but couldn't make it five innings in his first career start a little more than a week ago. Cody Bellinger ($5,200) is the clear choice since he's roping everyone, but Kike Hernandez ($4,000) and Austin Barnes are worth consideration for cheaper ($3,800).
A lot of lineups will focus on the Atlanta-Colorado game since it's at Coors. I'm still not entirely comfortable going against Marquez, especially at juiced prices, whereas Max Fried is a little more unknown so the Colorado guys are more desirable.
STACKS
If you want to join the masses, the Rockies are the way to go against the lefty Fried. Of course, it won't be easy to get the top of the order in your lineup with Charlie Blackmon ($5,000), Trevor Story ($5,100) and Nolan Arenado ($5,300) all a pretty penny. The cheaper route is Ian Desmond ($4,300), Mark Reynolds ($4,200) and Chris Iannetta ($4,000), but all of those guys are still overpriced.
You could save a few bucks if you go against John Means, another southpaw. The rookie is getting his first start so nerves will be high against the A's. Khris Davis ($5,400) brings the power, but Stephen Piscotty ($4,600), Matt Chapman ($4,600) and Marcus Semien ($4,400) all had a wOBA at .327 or better against lefties last year. Further down the order and slightly cheaper, Mark Canha ($4,400) and Chad Pinder ($4,200) led the A's in wOBA against lefty arms last year. Rounding out that stack, you can throw in Kendrys Morales ($4,300) or Ramon Laureano ($4,600).
A game that may receive less attention even with an over/under of nine runs is Seattle at Kansas City. The Royals are the more cost friendly route with a stack of Jorge Soler ($3,900), Frank Schwindel ($3,800), Chris Owings ($3,800) and Hunter Dozier ($3,600) being one of the cheapest available. Soler had a stout .382 BABIP in 65 plate appearances against southpaws last season and should be used in any Royals stack. His downfall is striking out, something Gonzales doesn't pitch for, so that's another advantage.
The Brewers get another mention because they may have the best matchup against Harvey. In a lineup filled with lefties, Yelich can be used with Ryan Braun ($4,300) and Travis Shaw ($4,200) or you could look near the bottom of the lineup and stack around Moustakas.
