This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
If you like high-end starting pitching, you won't find much of it Tuesday. Even the few top pitchers who are scheduled to take mound are tough to get excited about due to difficult matchups. With a slate that could be dominated by offense, here are some options that stand out as ones to consider.
Pitching Overview
Patrick Corbin ($47) is the biggest name who will start Tuesday, but facing the Rockies in Coors Field is certainly not ideal. The best way to attack the starting pitcher spot is going to be to target matchups. With that in mind, Luke Weaver ($30) is someone to consider against the Pirates. His 1.50 WHIP last year was a concern and something he was going to need to address this season if he was going to improve on his 4.45 xFIP. He's done just that through four starts with his 1.21 WHIP helping him generate a 3.11 xFIP. He also has a 27.3 percent strikeout rate, which is a huge improve over last year's 19.9 percent mark. The Pirates lineup has been depleted by injuries, which has contributed to them being tied for the fourth-fewest runs scored (72) in the league.
Frankie Montas ($30) is off to an excellent start with the A's, recording a 3.87 xFIP and a 0.94 WHIP. He's certainly been aided by a .200 BABIP allowed, although his strikeout rate has increased by over five percent from last season. While his matchup with the Rangers might seem imposing, they only have a .681 OPS on the road compared to a .835 OPS at home. They had similar splits last season, as well, with a .668 OPS on the road and a .778 OPS at home.
The Yankees massive amount of injuries has opened up opportunities for some of their young players, including Tuesday's starter, Domingo German ($31). German recorded a bloated 5.57 ERA across 85.2 innings last year and also had problems keeping hitters inside the ball park by allowing 1.6 HR/9. However, he showed tremendous strikeout upside with a 27.2 percent strikeout rate and his xFIP was much more encouraging at 3.94. He's carried over his ability to miss bats this season with a 31.3 percent strikeout rate to go along with an even better 3.47 xFIP. The Angels don't have any imposing hitters outside of Mike Trout, so German could provide some value here.
Key Values/Chalk
Although it's hard to get excited about the Yankees lineup considering all of their injuries, the few top hitters that they do have left should be highly owned for their matchup against Chris Stratton. Not the type of pitcher with an overwhelming repertoire, he's been downright awful by allowing 14 runs across his first 18 innings. He even has more walks (13) than strikeouts (11). Gleyber Torres ($18), Luke Voit ($21) and Clint Frazier ($19) should all be popular options.
It's usually not a bad idea to attack the Orioles pitching staff, so rolling with the White Sox against Andrew Cashner could provide significant production. Cashner has followed up his 1.58 WHIP from last year with a 1.54 WHIP this season while also allowing five home runs across 25.1 innings. That's a deadly combination. He also pitched equally as poorly to right-handed hitters last year (.370 wOBA allowed) as he did lefties (.361 wOBA allowed). Expect to see Tim Anderson ($22) and Yoan Moncada ($24) among the ownership leaderboard.
Staying in that same game, the Orioles should be a popular option against Ivan Nova. While Nova has impeccable control, he doesn't fool many hitters with his career 17.2 percent strikeout rate. He's only issued three walks across 21.2 innings this season, but that hasn't stopped him from allowing 15 runs. Trey Mancini ($23) and Jonathan Villar ($18) should be the two most highly owned players on the Orioles.
Stacks
If there is a bright side to all of the injuries on the Yankees it's that it has opened up plenty of value with their hitters. With a right-hander on the mound, Mike Ford ($8) and Mike Tauchman ($14) are cheaper options to consider. Austin Romine ($10) is also a great choice to fill the catcher's spot since he is 7-for-20 since Gary Sanchez (calf) went down. For those attacking the Cashner matchup for the White Sox, Yonder Alonso ($14) stands out as a viable cost-effective option at first base. Left-handed pitchers held him to a 64 wRC+ last year, but he recorded a 107 wRC+ against righties.
The two clear options that should be included in an Orioles stack against Nova are Mancini and Villar. Renato Nunez ($16) is also a great target with his .358 wOBA out of the gate. It should also be noted that Nova has allowed at least a .353 wOBA to left-handed hitters in each of the last four seasons. That could make Chris Davis ($7) an interesting play. After his dreadful start, he's rebounded to hit 7-for-21 over his last seven games.
The Giants don't exactly stand out as a team to stack since they have scored the third-fewest runs (67) in baseball. However, they could be a good contrarian option in tournament play for their matchup against Trent Thornton. His first two outings of the season were excellent, but they came against horrible lineups in the Tigers and Indians. His last two starts were against the Rays and Twins, which contributed to him allowing nine runs over 7.2 innings. He also had almost as many walks (five) during that stretch as he did strikeouts (six). Kevin Pillar ($13), Steven Duggar ($15) and Brandon Belt ($17) is a trio worth considering.
