DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 5/5/21 Welcome back baseball fans. We have a few afternoon games today but we will be focusing our attention on the 11-game main slate looking at some core plays at each position for FanDuel and DraftKings. Let's get started. Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Shane Bieber FD - P 12200 DK - SP 10400 Opponent - KC (Brady Singer) Park - KC FD - 47.33 DK - 26.92 What an absolutely loaded main slate in terms of pitching tonight with three elite options right at the top. You really can't go wrong with either of them but the system has a clear favorite and it's Shane "don't call me Justin" Bieber who is projected for about 15% more than Darvish in the same price range. Bieber has also been one of the best pitchers in baseball to this point in the season as he comes in with a 2.76 ERA/2.34 xFIP and has double-digit strikeouts in five of six starts for an incredible 39.5% K rate. My only concern here is the matchup as the Royals have only struck out around 21% of the time on the season but I am not concerned as Bieber struck out 12 Royals in their first meeting in early April. Fire up Bieber in all formats. Martin Pérez FD - P 6700 DK - SP 6600 Opponent - DET (Casey Mize) Park - BOS FD - 33.99 DK - 17.12 First of all, on DraftKings, I really don't mind pairing Buehler with Bieber as it only takes us slightly over $20K but it leaves us searching for multiple punt plays to tier it all together. This build may look better closer to lock when lineups come out but for now, I will be looking for a value SP2, at least in cash games. Martin Perez doesn't stand out on his own merit here as he enters his sixth start with a 4.70 ERA and his high walk rate(8.5%) has not helped him get deep into games. What I do like is the price(obviously) but more importantly, the matchup vs. the Tigers who rank dead last in wOBA(.261), wRC+(67), and K rate(31%) on the season. Making it even more enticing is that they have an embarrassing 33 wRC+ and 38% K rate vs. left-handed pitching. This alone puts Perez, who is also a -190 favorite, at the top of my PTS/$ value list tonight. Catcher/First Base Ryan Zimmerman FD - 1B...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 5/4/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Jacob deGrom FD - P 12500 DK - SP 11100 Opponent - STL (Johan Oviedo) Park - STL FD - 47.43 DK - 27.25 Anytime deGOAT takes the mound the slate is centered around him as he is putting up absolutely insane numbers. He has gone at least six innings in all five starts while limiting opponents to three or fewer hits in four of five, has allowed just two earned runs all season, and has a 59:4 strikeout to walk ratio. Looking at the stats, the matchup is average as the Cards sit with a 92 wRC+ on the season but do produce runs 16% less against right-handed pitching which is just more confirmation deGrom is the top pitcher in all formats. Huascar Ynoa FD - P 8000 DK - SP 8200 Opponent - WSH (Joe Ross) Park - WSH FD - 32.38 DK - 17.23 I have been on Ynoa through this whole price climb on DraftKings and I still feel he is a bit underpriced based on the underlying stats. He has gone five innings or more in four of his five starts and limited the opponent to four or fewer hits and two or fewer earned runs in all four. Not only has he been consistent, but he has also flashed a ton of upside with a 32% K rate backed up by a 14.6% swinging-strike rate. The Nats aren't a great matchup but it is a huge upgrade with no Soto and have one of the biggest split differentials in the league with a 136 wRC+ vs. lefties and a 76 wRC+ vs. righties. At these prices, he is in play in all formats on both sites. Catcher/First Base Eric Hosmer FD - 1B 3300 DK - 1B 4600 Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - SD FD - 10.23 DK - 7.77 The Padres are my top team to target on tonight's slate in a plus matchup vs. the struggling Mitch Keller. Over five starts, he has already given up 24 hits and 13 walks for a 1.98 WHIP and has been punished with 17 earned runs and a 50% hard contact rate(via statcast). For Hosmer, he has been consistent getting on base lately with hits in eight of his last 11 games with six walks but hasn't provided any power with a .000 ISO in that time. I am willing to somewhat dismiss...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday, 5/3/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW!   Pitchers Walker Buehler FD - P 10200 DK - SP 9600 Opponent - CHC (Kyle Hendricks) Park - CHC FD - 39.49 DK - 21.78 It's a day without a lot of fantastic pitching options, and I think you could do a lot worse than Walker Buehler. The strikeouts have gone down a tic this year, but his incredible command (.57 BB/9!) has more than made up the difference in terms of his overall effectiveness. The Cubs are not a conventionally fantastic match-up, with a lot of household names in their lineup. They have been about league average in terms of wOBA this season, but importantly, their 27% K rate is the third-highest in the Majors. Buehler and the Dodgers are almost -200 favorites, as well. On a day without many headliners, Buehler should see significant cash game ownership. Kenta Maeda FD - P 6900 DK - SP 7800 Opponent - TEX (Dane Dunning) Park - MIN FD - 39.19 DK - 21.08 Maeda has, quite simply, been really bad his year. Basically every available metric paints the picture of an aging pitcher declining. So why would we consider him for cash games? There are a couple of reasons. First of all, while Maeda has declined, he hasn't turned into a true-talent 6.56 ERA guy overnight. He might not be the Cy Young candidate he was last year, but even in this diminished state he's probably league average. With career high BABIP allowed and HR/FB rate, he's due for some positive regression soon. Then there's the match-up. The Rangers have struck out at the 2nd highest rate in the Majors while posting a below-league-average .303 wOBA. It's not without risk, but at these prices we can afford a little risk in our lives. Also considered: Frankie Montas. Catcher/First Base J.T. Realmuto FD - C 3300 DK - C 5300 Opponent - MIL (Adrian Houser) Park - PHI FD - 10.9 DK - 8.25 I'll often write up a catcher with a caveat like, "If you have to play a catcher, think about this guy." In the case of Realmuto, this is an unqualified recommendation, at least on FanDuel. Realmuto is an on-base machine with more power than you think, and he's going up against a pitcher in Adrian Houser who gives opposing batters a lot of chance to get on base with his low K rate and relatively high walk...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 5/2/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Max Scherzer FD - P 12000 DK - SP 9700 Opponent - MIA (Trevor Rogers) Park - WSHFD - 43.48 DK - 24.33 Scherzer has started this season as his usual, dominant self. He’s striking out 11.4 batters per nine and has a better than 6:1 K:BB ratio. He’s facing a weaker Miami offense on Sunday though the money line isn’t all that great (-121) because Rogers is taking the mound for the Marlins. This is still a spot to spend up for Scherzer who is the best arm on the slate. It will cost you on FanDuel, but the floor is just so high for what he provides. The DraftKings price is simply too low at sub-$10K and I think the call is pretty easy over there. José Berríos FD - P 8800 DK - SP 8500 Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - MINFD - 34.72 DK - 18.36 Berrios has come out of the gate firing to start the season with a 32% K-rate that’s the highest of his career so far. The 2.96 xFIP is elite and he’s just rounding into one of the best pitchers in the game. The Royals are a below-average offense to start the season and it’s hard to imagine them improving much as the year wears on. Berrios at a -171 home favorite looks like a great cash game play. Catcher/First Base Freddie Freeman FD - 1B 4100 DK - 1B 5400 Opponent - TOR (Undecided) Park - TORFD - 11.89 DK - 8.89 Toronto is once again not exactly sure who their starter is about 12 hours before the game starts which always bodes well for the opposing hitters. Like Saturday, it’s going to be some scrub that’s in line to get lit up. We are going to be able to safely stack the Braves bats once again without much hesitation. Guys like Freeman will cost, but man the floor is just so high considering he walks more than he strikes out and hits for tremendous power. Joey Votto FD - 1B 2800 DK - 1B 5300 Opponent - CHC (Trevor Williams) Park - CINFD - 10.72 DK - 8.04 Votto is starting to find some of the power that had eluded him a couple of years ago. But over his last 300 or so plate appearances dating back to last season, he’s cranked 16 home runs and improved his...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 5/1/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOåW! Pitchers Zac Gallen FD - P 9000 DK - SP 8900 Opponent - COL (Austin Gomber) Park - ARIFD - 38.2 DK - 20.7 It’s a lighter Saturday when it comes to the afternoon games so we will focus a little more on the evening games. Gallen comes in as a -183 home favorite against the Rockies on Saturday. The 2.16 ERA is a little run hot considering the xFIP is about two runs higher, but this is still a good spot against the Rockies. Gallen is striking out close to 11 batters per nine but does need to get the walks under control some. The Rockies are a middling wOBA team on the season and that’s not even adjusted for park. I like Gallen here. Blake Snell FD - P 8800 DK - SP 9500 Opponent - SF (Anthony DeSclafani) Park - SDFD - 37.78 DK - 20.73 Snell is a -161 home favorite going into this game against the San Francisco Giants and this one only has a 7 over/under. Snell is striking out batters at a career-high 13.5 K/9 this season with a walk rate you’d like to see a little lower. But he’s still got a 3.15 xFIP which is about .75 runs lower than than the ERA. He’s a great price on both sites and has some serious K upside if he can command his pitches a little better. The Giants are a middle-of-the-pack offense on the season and not a group of bats we need to avoid. On the afternoon slate, don’t get worried about the ERA on Jameson Taillon (FD $7000 DK $7700). His xFIP is excellent and his peripherals have been great. Catcher/First Base Freddie Freeman FD - 1B 4100 DK - 1B 5700 Opponent - TOR (Undecided) Park - TORFD - 11.89 DK - 8.89 The Blue Jays haven’t announced their starter yet for Saturday, but we can trust it isn’t going to be an ace or anything. In fact, it will likely be quite the opposite. Freeman has started the season basically mashing like always with an OPS in the high .800’s and the 17% walk rate higher than the 14% K-rate. He’s one of the hardest outs in the game and that should continue to be the case on Saturday. Matt Olson FD - 1B 3800 DK - 1B 4900 Opponent - BAL (Matt Harvey) Park - OAKFD - 11.65...