This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
All 30 teams will be in action Tuesday, though one-third of the games will come before the main slate kicks off at 7:05 pm EDT. Nevertheless, we still have 10 games to work with. Some aces will be on the mound, but there will also be some appealing matchups to target. We also have some hitter havens to take advantage of, most notably Coors Field.
Pitching
Three aces will immediately catch the eye Tuesday, highlighted by Zack Wheeler ($10,500), Dylan Cease ($10,300) and Chris Sale ($9,300). There's a downside to each, as Sale and Wheeler will face each other and tough lineups. Dating back to the start of last season, Sale has the best skills of the group, but Cease should benefit from a matchup against the Athletics. The downside for Cease comes from the park in Sacramento, which has played quite well for offense early in the season.
The questions surrounding some of the pitchers priced like aces makes it enticing to drop down a tier to consider Freddy Peralta ($7,800) and Cole Ragans ($8,100). Both are curiously priced given their strikeout upside. Ragans has an unimposing matchup against the Twins, while Peralta does have to go to Coors but will still face a subpar Rockies' offense.
There aren't many intriguing pitchers toward the bottom of the price pool, but Landen Roupp ($7,300) is an exception. He had an excellent spring to win a rotation spot and carried that into the regular season when he struck out eight across four innings of work in his first start of 2025. Roupp struggled to work efficiently, which poses a risk of capping his scoring upside.
Top Hitters
The Brewers are a pretty obvious stacking option, so building through the top of the lineup is a clear starting point. Jackson Chourio ($6,000) is hitting second in the lineup and has topped 20 DK points in two of his last five games.
Gunnar Henderson ($5,500) has gotten off to a slow start since being activated from the injured list Friday, but he came alive Monday night against the Diamondbacks. That leads us into his matchup Tuesday against Merrill Kelly, who has some pretty significant splits against left-handed hitters in recent seasons.
Value Bats
Pavin Smith ($3,600) has struggled early on but is still hitting third in the Diamondbacks' order against right-handed pitching. Arizona gets a good matchup against Charlie Morton, who allowed a 9.7 percent barrel rate in 2024 and he's also coughed up nine earned runs across 8.1 innings.
The Reds are a good place to hunt for value. Gavin Lux ($3,500) has been the team's leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching while Santiago Espinal ($2,700) has hit second in the absence of Matt McLain (hamstring). Either presents a good value.
Stacks to Consider
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels (Kyle Hendricks): Yandy Diaz ($4,000), Brandon Lowe ($4,600), Junior Caminero ($4,100)
The Rays have been a mediocre offense to start the season, scraping together a lineup without Josh Lowe (oblique) and with Junior Caminero yet to hit his stride. They're in a good position to change that Tuesday, as Hendricks has allowed 1.45 HR/9 paired with only a 15.4 percent strikeout rate (the lowest of any pitcher on the slate) since the start of the 2024 season. The top of the Rays' lineup is also pretty cheap, allowing salary space for the ace pitchers.
Chicago Cubs vs. Texas Rangers (Patrick Corbin): Ian Happ ($4,700), Seiya Suzuki ($5,200), Kyle Tucker ($6,400)
In contrast to the Rays, the Cubs' offense has been scorching to begin the season. Tucker and Suzuki are a major reason for that, while Happ has occupied the leadoff spot consistently. A matchup against Corbin isn't likely to do much to slow them down, as he had only an 11.1 K-BB% and a 4.41 SIERA in 2024.
