This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
All player prices are as of Friday, May 29
Pitchers
Rubby De La Rosa, ARI (Fri. at MIL), $6400 – De La Rosa's a guy I often looked to stack against early in the season, following a 2014 campaign that saw him post a 4.43 ERA and 6.6 K/9 with the Red Sox. While his ERA hasn't improved much from last year, all of his ERA estimators have dropped significantly, thanks in large part to a surprisingly impressive 55:14 K:BB ratio through 59 innings. With the improvement backed by a huge jump in swinging-strike rate (12.3 percent) and similarly large decrease in contact rate (75.1 percent), I'm shocked to say that De La Rosa may be a legitimate No. 2 starter. If you need more convincing, he recently got the FanGraphs treatment, and it also doesn't hurt that the Brewers have MLB's third-highest strikeout rate (22.7 percent) and second-worst wRC+ (79) against right-handed pitchers this season.
Jose Quintana, CWS (Sat. afternoon at HOU) – As excited as I am to use the Houston batters this weekend, it's no secret that the Astros' strikeout-heavy ways give opposing pitchers ample upside for use in GPPs. The Astros may deserve 2015's award for the most entertaining DFS team, as the onslaught of home runs and strikeouts makes it wise to get in on the action, be it on the side of Houston's batters or the opposing pitcher. Quintana could easily get shelled Saturday afternoon, but he should come very cheap for an above-average strikeout pitcher who's facing a lineup that's one of the most whiff-prone in the league. While the matchup may not inspire confidence, it's the perfect time to take a chance on the talented lefty, especially with his season off to a disappointing start.
Tyson Ross, SD (Sat. night vs. PIT) – I recommend rolling the dice with Quintana earlier in the day, but Saturday's slate is otherwise short on attractive pitching options, and with Ross finally pulling things together, I'll be more than happy to pay up. Following a poor start that was littered with walks, the 2014 breakout star has a 27:9 K:BB ratio in his last four outings, with at least 16.9 DK points in each of those games. Ross has yet to put together a huge performance this season, but he's back to being the fantastic pitcher we saw last year.
Jake Odorizzi, TB (Sun. at BAL) – While his strikeout numbers – 53 through 66.1 innings – have been disappointing this season, Odorizzi has otherwise been fantastic for the Rays, allowing just 12 walks and two home runs on his way to posting a 2.31 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. Last season's peripheral stats suggested that a dip in strikeout rate was likely coming, but Odorizzi still figures to improve, if only a little bit, on his current mark of 20.2 percent. And with improved control and a much more reasonable fly-ball rate (36.6 percent), the 25-year-old no longer needs an onslaught of strikeouts to put together a strong outing. A matchup with the Orioles at Camden Yards obviously isn't ideal, but the Baltimore lineup hasn't been particularly good this season, and Odorizzi always comes at a very reasonable price.
Other options:Matt Harvey, NYM (Fri. vs. MIA), $10,600; Stephen Strasburg, WAS (Fri. at CIN), $8900; Anibal Sanchez, DET (Fri. at LAA), $8400; Jesse Hahn, OAK (Sat. night vs. NYY) Matt Shoemaker, LAA (Sun. vs. DET); Danny Salazar, CLE (Sun. at SEA); Madison Bumgarner, SF (Sun. vs. ATL)
Batters
C/OF Evan Gattis, HOU (vs. CWS), $4400 – The price is more than what you'd ideally pay for a player of Gattis' caliber, but with everything else working in the big slugger's favor, this is actually quite a bargain. The Astros face three straight left-handed pitchers this weekend, with the aforementioned Jose Quintana sandwiched by Carlos Rodon (Friday) and John Danks (Sunday). Gattis doesn't actually have particularly noteworthy handedness splits to this point in his late-starting career, but he does have slightly better numbers against lefties, with a significantly better strikeout rate. Also, the pitchers he'll face are all hittable, and he enters the series with a red-hot bat, averaging 19.3 DK points over the last four games.
1B Adam Lind, MIL (vs. ARI), $4000 – I've already expressed my affection for Arizona's Friday starter, Rubby De La Rosa, but Lind is still a solid option in any matchup with a non-elite right-hander. The veteran slugger is averaging a modest 6.8 DK points per game because of his pinch-hit appearances and some poor RBI/run luck, but in games he starts against righties, Lind is probably closer to a 8-9 PPG player in the long run. A Saturday matchup with Jeremy Hellickson looks ideal, and I'm also not shying away from Chase Anderson on Sunday.
2B Jose Altuve, HOU (vs. CWS), $4400 – Unlike his bearded teammate, Altuve hasn't exactly been lighting it up recently, with nary a double-digit DK performance over his last 10 games. Fortunately, he seems to be pulling things back together at just the right time, piling up five hits and a stolen base over his last three games as the Astros prepare to face three straight lefties. Altuve, unlike Gattis, has very noteworthy splits, sporting a .881 career OPS against southpaws, compared to a .695 mark versus right-handers. Given the matchups, as well as the reduced price that's caused by a seemingly extinct slump, Altuve is my favorite player at any position for this weekend. Even better, he can happily be used in a stack, preferably with Gattis, George Springer and Chris Carter.
1B/3B Chris Davis, BAL (vs. TB), $4400 – With upcoming home matchups against right-handers Nate Karns (Friday) and Erasmo Ramirez (Saturday), this is the perfect time to get in on a red-hot Crush Davis, just before his price creeps up toward $5000. The Orioles' massive slugger has three home runs and a double over his last three games, with two walks and no strikeouts. I'm expecting a home run or three from Davis this weekend, though I'm sure he'll also get back on the strikeout train.
SS Jose Reyes, TOR (at MIN), $4200 – Reyes has looked fine in his three games since returning from the disabled list, going 4-for-14 with a double in each game. Given the favorable upcoming matchups and the reality of the alternatives at shortstop, $4200 is a bargain for Reyes this weekend. He typically sits in the mid-4000s and will likely return to that range soon enough. Really, it should be a good weekend for most of the key Toronto bats, but I'd rather look for less popular stacking options.
OF Bryce Harper, WAS (at CIN), $5200 – There's nothing original or interesting about recommending Harper, but with the Nationals set to face three straight right-handers at Great American Ballpark, $5200 is an absolute bargain. The runaway favorite for NL MVP honors, Harper has yet to cool down, with his hot streak including home runs in both of his last two games. I may look elsewhere on Sunday if Johnny Cueto (elbow) pitches, but Harper is a fantastic option for Friday (Anthony DeSclafani) and Saturday (Raisel Iglesias).
Other options:C Buster Posey, SF (vs. ATL), $4200; 1B/OF Chris Carter, HOU (vs. CWS), $4200; 2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS (at TEX), $4200; 2B Neil Walker, PIT (at SD), $3200; 3B Adrian Beltre, TEX (vs. BOS), $4600; 3B/OF Alex Guerrero, LAD (at STL), $3900; SS/OF Hanley Ramirez, BOS (at TEX), $4700; SS Jung Ho Kang, PIT (at SD), $3300; OF George Springer, HOU (at CIN), $4900 OF Mookie Betts, BOS (at TEX), $4400; OF Ender Inciarte, ARI (at MIL), $3500
Lineup Stacks
Friday
Rangers vs. BOS's Steven Wright
Astros vs. CWS's Carlos Rodon
Mariners vs. CLE's Trevor Bauer
Cubs vs. KC's Edinson Volquez
Blue Jays at MIN's Trevor May
Indians at SEA's Taijuan Walker
Orioles vs. TB's Nate Karns
Red Sox at TEX's Yovani Gallardo
Twins vs. TOR's Mark Buehrle
Saturday afternoon
Brewers vs. ARI's Jeremy Hellickson
Nationals at CIN's Raisel Iglesias
Blue Jays at MIN's Kyle Gibson
Orioles vs. TB's Erasmo Ramirez
Saturday night
Mariners vs. CLE's Shaun Marcum
Angels vs. DET's Shane Greene
Cubs vs. KC's Yordano Ventura
Dodgers vs. STL's Michael Wacha
Red Sox vs. TEX's Alex (Chi-Chi) Gonzalez
Sunday
Giants vs. ATL's Julio Teheran
Rays at BAL's Chris Tillman
Rangers vs. BOS's Joe Kelly
Astros vs. CWS's John Danks
White Sox at HOU's Roberto Hernandez
Cubs vs. KC's Jeremy Guthrie
Diamondbacks at MIL's Tyler Wagner
Padres vs. PIT's Jeff Locke
Red Sox at TEX's Wandy Rodriguez
