We have another great day of baseball here on Tuesday with DraftKings and FanDuel giving us an 8-game main slate for our MLB DFS action.

Before building your DFS lineups here today make sure you check out the MLB DFS Preview Show with myself and Howard Bender as we give you a first look at today's DraftKings main slate and break down our top plays, values and fades before building an example lineup at the end of the show.

There are Lots of great players to talk about, so let’s just dive right into today’s playbook and some of my favorite MLB DFS picks for the day!

MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, May 21

MLB Weather Today, 5/21

Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs

  • Warm and 20mph wind blowing out at Wrigley Field here tonight. Great hitting weather.

Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals

  • Rain storms during the game could cause delay or outright PPD. Check back in closer to roster lock.

MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

The weather in St. Louis is a bit disappointing as we were certainly ready to stack the Orioles against Lance Lynn but with this game looking less likely to play we have to change our focus when it comes to lineup construction. For me, that means two things. First, I'm looking at the Houston Astros against Griffin Canning. The Astros offense is starting to click and Canning has struggled this season. Second, it's hard to ignore the offensive upside that could come from the hitting conditions in Chicago here tonight. Both the Braves and Cubs could do some real damage if the windy conditions remain throughout the game.

Pitching is a bit interesting, we don't have the $11,000 pitcher on DraftKings to worry about spending up on and the top priced pitchers are facing eachother with Garrett Crochet and Yusei Kikuchi taking the mound for the White Sox and Blue Jays.

There isn't a ton of obvious value today but Cal Quantril was highlighted during the preview show as a cheap pitcher that is pitching well right now that will allow you to get some of the expensive bats in your lineup this evening.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options For Strikeouts

Best Odds For A Win

 

 

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays

Kikuchi has some of the best “win” odds today at +155 and has the highest strikeout prop at 6.5 here today in his matchup against the White Sox.

Backing those numbers are the White Sox hitters as Chicago ranks dead last in wOBA, dead last in batting average and dead last in ISO against southpaws with a 24.2% strikeout rate.

Cristian Javier, Houston Astros

Javier recovered nicely from his disastrous return start from the IL to shutout the Athletics over six innings while racking up eight strikeouts.

Today he faces an Angels offense that boasts a 24% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching while ranking towards the middle of the pack in wOBA and batting average.

Javier currently has +135 odds to get the win here today which really helps his fantasy appeal.

Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers

Another pitcher with some nice win equity but far more risky due to his lack of strikeout upside. 

Stone has pitched really well this season, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.46 ERA and having the Dodgers offense behind him is helpful.

His opponent today has already struggled against right-handed pitching this season with the Diamondbacks ranking 26th in wOBA, 25th in average and 26th in ISO on the year.

If Stone can go 6+ innings while limiting the runs and getting 4+ strikeouts we are golden.

Cal Quantrill, Colorado Rockies

Sometimes you gotta ride the hot hand and right now that hot hand is attached to the right arm of Rockies starter Cal Quantrill who has allowed just two earned runs over his last 19.2 innings while striking out 19. 

Going back even further, Quantrill has allowed no more than one earned run in five of his last six starts, with him lone blemish being a home start against the Houston Astros.

Today he faces the Oakland Athletics in a pitcher friendly venue and if he can continue to limit the damage while racking up a handful of strikeouts then he will be the key to unlocking the slate.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Core MLB DFS Hitters

*Note: Will Be Updated As Official Starting Lineups Are Released

Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros

A mainstay of the MLB DFS playbook this season, Tucker continues to have a monster season, hitting .288 with 15 homers and an OPS of 1.039. 

Today he faces off against Griffin Canning who has struggled against left-handed hitters this season, allowing a .367 wOBA and .505 slugging percentage and surrendering 1.6 HR/9.  

I like all of the Astros offense here today but you can't make a stack without including Tucker this evening.

Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs

If you read the weather section above then you saw that this Cubs/Braves matchup is primed for offense with the warm air and wind blowing out in Wrigley Field here today.

Bellinger isn't cheap but if you wanted to stack Cubbies here today, like Tucker, you can't do so without one of the team's hottest hitters with Bellinger hitting .317 with an OPS of .914 over the last 10 games.

Baltimore Orioles

It's rare that a team makes the Core Hitters section but I wanted to mention them here because this game might not happen. 

HOWEVER, if this game plays, the O's are one of my favorite stacks of the day as they run up against Lance Lynn who has done a better job of keeping the ball in the park but is still giving up a lot of hits and runs.

Pay attention to the weather here before roster lock.

Jake Meyers, Houston Astros

Yes, another Astros outfielder here but we shouldn't be ignoring the value given the run that Meyers is on right now as the righty is hitting .361 with an OPS of 1.036 over the last 10 games. Meyers hits for a ton of power against lefties but it has actually been the right-handed matchups where he has had a ton of success this season at the dish, hitting .333 with a .400 wOBA and a .217 ISO on the year.

Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs

Very cheap punt play here as Swanson was just activated off of the IL. Now, yes, Swanson had struggled to begin the season but again, given what could be the offensive potential in this matchup today due to the weather it would make sense to plug Swanson in your lineups so you can spend up at the other position and fit someone like Cody Bellinger in your lineups here today.

 

Tune in for the 4pm ET Livestream and Get Your Questions Answered

 

PLAYER POOL WILL BE UPDATED PRIOR TO 4PM LIVESTREAM

Player Pool

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