Today’s MLB DFS main slate is massive and there are tons of value options. Here we will go through each game and highlight the players to target for daily fantasy lineups. Let’s dive into some of the prospective MLB DFS value picks for Friday, May 12.
MLB DFS Value and Advice | May 12
New York Mets at Washington Nationals
MacKenzie Gore has a high ceiling but a tough matchup, while Tylor Megill has struggled this season but has a favorable matchup. Neither pitcher is a priority, but they could be used at low ownership in GPPs on a slate with weak mid-range pitching options. The Mets have plenty of power upside in their lineup, making them an interesting option for a stack. The Nationals lineup offers some value in Keibert Ruiz and Luis Garcia, who could be useful value bats at relatively weak positions.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Baltimore Orioles
Neither Johan Oviedo nor Kyle Bradish is bad, but neither one is someone to avoid rostering hitters against. Left-handed power plays the best in Camden Yards, making Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski the best plays from the Pirates. The Orioles are the more appealing full stack, as they have power top to bottom in their lineup and plenty of speed as well. Anthony Santander is the favorite home run pick from Baltimore, but the entire lineup is appealing.
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
It is a difficult matchup for Gerrit Cole, but he is still the second-highest-projected pitcher on the slate due to his strikeout upside. There is plenty of risk in paying $12,000 for a pitcher against the Rays. Yankees stacks are appealing, but stacking against an opener and long reliever is not ideal since it limits the number of times a hitter will see the same pitcher.
Atlanta Braves at Toronto Blue Jays
Spencer Strider is the highest-projected pitcher on the slate and slightly more expensive than Cole. He has a tough matchup but appears to be getting less ownership than he deserves compared to Cole. Chris Bassitt has struggled this season, and this is a tough spot to get right. Matt Olson is one of the most likely players on the slate to hit a home run. Braves stacks in general are strong options, but Olson individually stands out the most.
St. Louis Cardinals at Boston Red Sox
Adam Wainwright is making his second start of the season. He struggled in his first start but did throw 90 pitches. Boston looks like a strong stack, with a 5.5 implied run total and reasonable pricing throughout their lineup. James Paxton is making his first major league appearance in a couple of years. He used to be a legitimate ace but has had numerous injuries since then. He struggled in his rehab starts this season, walking about 16% of hitters, but he did strike out about 26% as well. St. Louis has struggled this year, but they are inexpensive and facing a pitcher in Fenway Park that may not have much left in the tank.
Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland Guardians
Logan Allen has shown good strikeout stuff at the minor league level, and it has carried over through his first three starts with Cleveland. He is projected for less than 10% ownership in the Top Pitchers Tool despite having the fifth-highest chance of being a top-2 pitcher. Allen has had issues limiting power through his limited time with Cleveland, making the Angels appealing as well. They have plenty of power throughout their lineup and are only projected for 2% aggregate ownership in the Top Stacks Tool. Anderson is a viable SP2 at $5,500 for those who want to punt and pay up for a top SP1 and good bats.
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Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox
The Houston Astros are up against Michael Kopech, who has struggled this season, with a 5.45 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. His strikeout rate against left-handed hitters is above average, but he has allowed a lot of power and production to them. Righties are also hitting him well, which bodes well for the Astros lineup. J.P. France could be an interesting SP2 in tournaments, with low ownership.
Kansas City Royals at Milwaukee Brewers
Josh Taylor is not expected to go deep into the game. This is a bullpen game, which is not ideal for targeting hitters. Corbin Burnes is projected to be the highest-owned pitcher on DraftKings, but he has not been very good this season, with a 4.29 FIP and a strikeout rate of just 19.8%. There are a lot of lower-owned options to pivot to, making Burnes one of the most over-owned pitchers on the slate.
Chicago Cubs at Minnesota Twins
Sonny Gray is a top pick for pitchers on this slate, as he is $2,000 less than Cole and $2,200 less than Strider on DraftKings but projects just a couple of points below them. He has a 2.08 FIP and has struck out 29.0% of hitters this season. The Chicago Cubs have just a 3.3 implied run total, making Gray an attractive option. Drew Smyly is pitching for the Cubs, and he has not been great this season, with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. There is not much to like in this game for hitters.
Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies
It is Coors Field, and everyone knows what that means: Bats look good and pitchers do not. The Phillies have a better lineup than the Rockies, who have struggled this season. Austin Gomber has struggled against both sides of the plate, so there is no need to worry about rostering Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber. Gomber has a 5.87 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP this season, so it is tough to trust him. The Rockies are appealing because they are virtually unowned, but they still are not a great play.
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks
This is a tough game to analyze, as it has a 10-run total but neither team is particularly strong offensively. The Giants are cheap, with players like LaMonte Wade, Joc Pederson and Michael Conforto being strong starting points for a stack. The Diamondbacks have Ryne Nelson on the mound, who has a 5.11 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP this season. It is tough to trust either team in this game, but the Giants stack has some appeal due to their affordability.
Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics
Martin Perez is facing one of the worst offenses in baseball in a favorable park for pitchers. He is projected to be the highest-owned pitcher in the $6,600 to $9,200 range on DraftKings, but he is not a must-play at his current ownership. There are other solid options in that price range such as Allen or France. Ken Waldichuk is also pulling close to 20% ownership due to his affordability and the good ballpark. He would work as savings if he were low owned but not at his current ownership. Rangers bats look good, as Waldichuk has a .230 xISO to lefties and a .216 xISO to righties since the start of last season (and has not gotten better this year).
San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
This is a somewhat interesting tournament game. Not much ownership is coming despite two good pitchers facing two good offenses. Blake Snell is not chalk for once. Rostering a volatile pitcher like him is not very fun when he is the most popular pitcher on the slate. It is a little bit more fun when he is getting half the ownership of Perez. The same can be said for Dustin May. He is not a great strikeout pitcher, but he does a good job of limiting production and keeping the ball on the ground. He is not very exciting for DFS, but neither is Perez. The Dodgers are always a strong stack, especially when they are not popular. Snell is very capable of getting himself in trouble early, and the Dodgers have a lineup that can take advantage. Similar to the Angels game, the field is making a mistake by essentially ignoring both Snell and the Dodgers.
