Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/6/15 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr. Pitchers Warning: Going cheap today at pitcher. I don't want to pay up for Clayton Kershaw in his first start back against the team with the highest OPS in the league against lefties. (Though it's very possible this is the lowest salary you see for him all year.) And a bunch of other guys are combinations of question marks or they have bad match ups (or both). Jesse Chavez FanDuel 7700 DraftKings 10900 DraftStreet 19058 Outside of one poor game against Houston (where I of course played him across the board) Chavez has been great. I'm not letting DFS bias get me here. His numbers are simply too good to ignore. He's striking out more than a a batter an inning with limited walks. And though his ERA is a little Babip fueled, his xFIP is only 2.70. Chavez faces the Mariners, one of the worst teams in the league against righty pitching. They strike out almost a quarter of the time and have a team OPS of .657. This is a great chance to pick up an upside pitcher at a lower cost simply because he isn't a household name yet.  <strong>Note: Our system actually doesn't love him because projection systems haven't caught up to his new found skill.</strong> Tim Hudson FanDuel 7300 DraftKings 11000 DraftStreet 17929 Feels weird. I'm not a huge fan of picking guys that don't have strikeouts as part of their repertoire. This is for a couple of reasons. One: the margins seem incredibly thin when it comes to picking a pitcher that can't elevate his fantasy points through K's. Two: And it has to do with the first, but when a pitcher gets his outs other ways, it brings too much luck into the fold. I want my outcomes true. Hudson has been quality this year, but it's on the back of a minuscule Babip. I'm more looking at the opponent in the Pirates who are in the bottom third of the league against righties. I'm not over the moon about this pick, but pitching options are limited today. Drew Hutchison FanDuel 5800 DraftKings 7400 DraftStreet 14139 I've played him a few times at real discounts on DraftStreet, where snagging a third, upside pitcher at cheap prices is a fine strategy to employ. The price is climbing now because the returns have been so strong. He's striking a ton of guys out, keeping the walks relatively in check and his...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/5/14 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Max Scherzer FanDuel 10400 DraftKings 12700 DraftStreet 27186 Not quite at the Jose Fernandez level of "must start in every cash game almost no matter the opponent or price" territory, but close. And while that label is a bit of hyperbole to begin with, there is some truth to the matter that getting a stud pitcher against a weak offense means it's awfully tough to fade him. Scherzer against the Astros is one such occasion. Houston is near the bottom of the league in every meaningful category against righty pitchers. They strike out more than 25% of the time and have a team wRC+ of 85. Scherzer on the other hand has been dominant early season, extending from his terrific 2013 campaign. He's striking out nearly 12 batters per 9, limiting his walks and has an xFIP of 2.40. On one-pitcher sites like FanDuel it's pretty much Scherzer or bust in cash games. On DraftStreet his $27K tag (the highest I can ever remember seeing) is a bit too much to swallow. Yordano Ventura FanDuel 8400 DraftKings 9400 DraftStreet 17330 A little too wild for my cash game plays, but man does he have some upside today. Ventura has pitched really well this season (remember when he was like 5K?) and even with the price jump still has a quality expectation today. The Padres are awful, awful, awful on offense, ranking dead last in wRC+, OPS, wOBA and really anything else you can think of. They are a pathetically weak hitting bunch and Ventura pitching in San Diego only buoys his cause. He's been striking out more than a batter an inning and while not as good as his 1.50 ERA would suggest, I still think there is upside at these prices. Nathan Eovaldi FanDuel 6500 DraftKings 9200 DraftStreet 16501 I'm always a little wary when a pitcher's K numbers jump from his career averages, especially a guy like Eovaldi who's been around a little while. That being said, whatever he's doing this season is working. He's got a crazy 7:1 K:BB rate going, is pitching in a great park for limiting runs and faces a Mets team that has left Coors Field and is once again irrelevant. The Mets suck on offense and if weren't for the Padres would be dead last in every major offensive category. Eovaldi is coming at some advantageous prices today and I think you can take advantage. Jose...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/4/14 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Jose Fernandez FanDuel 10500 DraftKings 12800 DraftStreet 25772 At this point it's hard to pick against him regardless of opponent. He is simply that good. And, at least so far, there isn't much to suggest it is an aberration. Even the ridiculous nature of the numbers. He has an obscene 7:1 K/BB ratio and an xFIP of 1.99. Even against a Dodger team near the top of the league against righties, it's hard to make a case against Fernandez if you are looking for just raw pitching points. The price is probably starting to reach critical mass, and it will dip the second he has a so-so start, but for now picking against him seems a bit folly. Lance Lynn FanDuel 8000 DraftKings 9900 DraftStreet 19250 He struggled some in his last start against the Braves, but I'm still looking at Lynn as a safer play today. His peripherals are strong with a 10.3 K/9 rate and an xFIP of 3.24 not too off from his 3.60 ERA. The Cubs are near the bottom of the league against righties with one of the higher K% in the league as well as a team OPS of .639 which is pretty garbage. Lynn isn't a sexy pick as compared to some of the other names running out there today, but his numbers along with the matchup deserve consideration. Madison Bumgarner FanDuel 8700 DraftKings 9500 DraftStreet 17391 Bumgarner is strictly an upside play today. The Braves can mash, but they also strike out in bunches. I wouldn't put Madison in cash games for this reason. There exists a strong possibility he gets roughed up. But there is also an opportunity to really inflate his strikeout numbers. And with a little luck, he could make a fantastic start. But beware of the pile on. Wade Miley FanDuel 5600 DraftKings 7100 DraftStreet 13828 Do you like your starters facing bottom-feeding offenses? Then do I have some great news for you. The Padres play in the major leagues and Wade Miley gets to face them today. The Dads strike out nearly 23% of the time against lefties, have a team wRC+ of 82 and just generally stink. Just glance at their lineups some time. It's bad. Miley is pretty *meh* but the price is so low I think you can take a stab at him.   Catchers Jason Castro FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 6501 Castro has shown flashes of...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/3/14 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Michael Wacha FanDuel 8400 DraftKings 10700 DraftStreet 20884 A little overpriced on DK and DS, but safe for a cash game play. Wacha has had a fantastic start to the year, K-ing nearly 11 per 9 and limiting the walks to less than 3 per 9. His xFIP is under 3.00 and all signs point to him being one of the better young pitchers in the game. He faces a Cubs team that's near the bottom of the league in about every relevant hitting category against righties. They've got a team OPS of .612 and a wRC+ of 69. If you aren't fluent in these stats, they suck. Wacha makes a safer play on a day that is a bit of a pitching minefield. Ian Kennedy FanDuel 6900 DraftKings 8900 DraftStreet 16566 We've been on Kennedy almost all season and he hasn't disappointed. His 4.5  K/BB rate is fantastic, he's striking out a batter an inning and keeping balls in the ballpark. The homeruns and the OPS against are due for a bit of a regression based on a lower Babip, but his xFIP is in line with his ERA so I'm not feeling like he's luckboxing his way to success. The price is climbing a bit from the insane deals you were getting on him before, but I think there is still some buy-low to Kennedy. On a weak day for pitching he makes a solid start. Drew Smyly FanDuel 6500 DraftKings 6300 DraftStreet 15683 Yup, this is the kind of pitching day we are having. Smyly makes a solid/ unspectacular option. His upside is that he comes so cheap against a Royals team that is second to last in the league in OPS against lefties. This mostly because they have so little power through the lineup. That being said, the Royals don't strikeout that much, choosing to just make weak contact. Smyly can strike guys out and limits his walks. For the dollars, I'd put him in there in some spots. Dallas Keuchel FanDuel 6300 DraftKings 8700 DraftStreet 12003 Couple things to like about Keuchel today. He's started off the year striking out just about a batter an inning and his xFIP is 2.84. These are a solid base when facing a squad like the Mariners who are in the bottom third of the league against lefties. The M's have a team strikeout rate of 22% and a team OPS of .669...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings for 5/2/14 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Felix Hernandez FanDuel 10300 DraftKings 12500 DraftStreet 25150 The price is insane, but Felix has been utterly dominant this year, and the Astros have scored the fewest runs in the AL. If you can make it work hitting wise, Felix seems to be the safest investment of a large sum you can get when it comes to pitchers. Josh Beckett FanDuel 6000 DraftKings 9100 DraftStreet 17689 What year is this, you ask? Well, give me a second to explain. Beckett has been terrific recently - and against 2 teams that can hit (Colorado and Arizona). Now he faces the destitute Marlins, who have some fear factor for lefties, but for righties, not so much. Koehler going for the fish certainly doesn't help matters for them, either. Tim Lincecum FanDuel 6200 DraftKings 7600 DraftStreet 15362 The drop off from Beckett to Lincecum is somewhat steep, in my mind, but Lincecum's peripherals are far better than his ERA would suggest. While Atlanta is off to a hot start, their hitting has been pretty atrocious - they've only outscored the Padres in the NL. You can't call it a "safe play," but I love Lincecum as an against the grain play today. Also considered: Danny Salazar, Dan Straily, Clay Buchholz   Catchers Yasmani Grandal FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 2700 DraftStreet 3754 Grandal is simply a terrific hitter, and his biggest weakness (strikeouts) is mitigated by the fact that he is facing what's left of Bronson Arroyo. Petco or not, I'm loving Grandal in any format today. Buster Posey FanDuel 4000 DraftKings 4500 DraftStreet 6972 Posey is a lefty killer, and draws Mike Minor in his first game back from a shoulder injury. I can't say how Minor will fare in this one, but one guy who isn't going to be fooled is Posey. Evan Gattis FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 6413 The system loves Gattis at home against Lincecum. While Gattis is better against lefties for his short career, he has bombed right handed pitching at home to the tune of a 150 wRC+. Also considered: Jason Castro, Jonathan Lucroy.   First Basemen Mark Reynolds FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 4414 Reynolds can absolutely still get a hold of one, which is unfortunately for Mike Leake, because Mike Leake is more than happy to let just about anyone get a hold of one this season. Reynolds will even forgive Leake's handedness, considering Leake's inability to strike anyone...