This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We're looking at a packed DFS slate Tuesday with 15 games on the schedule. Let's get right down to business and highlight some players to consider as you work your way through the bevy of options on DraftKings.
Pitchers
Brandon Woodruff ($11,000) bounced back from a subpar outing at Coors Field to hold the Diamondbacks to one run across seven innings in his last start. The five runs that he gave up against the Rockies was clearly an outlier performance given his 1.89 ERA and 2.80 FIP for the season. The key to his success has not only been his 31.0 percent strikeout rate, but also the fact that he's only allowed 0.9 HR/9. Look for him to keep things rolling against the Cubs, who he has already faced three times this season. Across those three starts, he's allowed one run and recorded 22 strikeouts over 19 innings.
The last time we saw James Kaprielian ($8,000) take the mound, he held the Rangers to two runs across six innings. He's now made eight starts for the A's, holding opponents to three runs or fewer seven times. Another matchup against the Rangers could leave with similar success given that they have the eighth-worst OPS in baseball.
The Brewers have needed Woodruff and the rest of their starting rotation to perform well given that their lineup has generated the ninth-worst OPS in baseball. If you can't squeeze Woodruff into your lineup based on his lofty salary, then you could consider Zach Davies ($6,900). The former Brewer has allowed no runs in three of his last four starts, although he did allow eight runs over six innings to the Marlins in the other outing. Still, the fact that he pitched six shutout innings against both the Padres and Dodgers is impressive. Going back even further, he has a 2.72 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP over his last 10 starts.
Top Targets
Starting at the A's pitcher-friendly home park might actually help Mike Foltynewicz ($5,200), who could certainly use any advantage that he can get given his 5.40 ERA and 5.53 FIP. Still, he has a 1.40 WHIP and has allowed 2.0 HR/9, so Matt Olson ($5,900) is an appealing option. He's been one of the A's best hitters this season, recording a 163 wRC+. He's cut his strikeout rate all the way down to 16.2 percent, which is nearly half what it was last season.
Shohei Ohtani ($4,900) continued his power surge Monday, slugging a home run in a win over the Yankees. He has a home run in five of the last seven games, leaving him with a .395 ISO for the season. Expect him to be a problem for Jameson Taillon ($7,400), who has allowed 1.5 HR/9.
Bargain Bats
The fact that Nick Castellanos ($4,000) has a salary this cheap is a bit surprising. He drove in seven runs Monday against the Phillies in what has been an excellent season for him given his 169 wRC+. He'll be facing Blake Snell ($7,600), who has struggled during his first season with the Padres, posting a 5.29 ERA and a 4.25 FIP. His problem has been an inability to keep men off base, resulting in a 1.55 WHIP.
It's been another rough season for Jose Urena ($5,100), who has a 1.65 WHIP through 14 starts with the Tigers. That makes him someone to target in DFS whenever he takes the mound. In this case, it will be a matchup against the Indians. That could mean that it's time to take a chance on Harold Ramirez ($3,300), who is 24-for-70 (.343) with four home runs and two doubles over his last 20 games.
Stacks to Consider
Rockies vs. Chase De Jong ($5,300), Pirates: Trevor Story ($6,100), Ryan McMahon ($5,200), Raimel Tapia ($4,300)
This is a tough spot for De Jong, who already enters this game at Coors Field with a 4.94 ERA and a 5.34 FIP. He's in his sixth different organization and has mostly bounced around the minor leagues, logging a total of just 78 innings at the big-league level. Story is the back name to consider for a Rockies stack, but don't forget about Tapia. He loves hitting at home, posting a .372 wOBA there for his career. For contrast, his wOBA is .264 on the road.
Astros vs. TBD, Orioles: Jose Altuve ($5,900), Yordan Alvarez ($6,100), Myles Straw ($3,100)
As of early Tuesday morning, the Orioles had not officially named a starter for this game. Regardless of who toes the rubber to starts things out, it's expected to be a bullpen game for them. That could spell disaster against the Astros, who have the highest OPS in baseball. Straw might not be one of the bigger names in their lineup, but he could provide value given that he is 24-for-64 (.375) with two home runs and two doubles over his last 17 games.
Red Sox vs. Brad Keller ($5,800), Royals: Rafael Devers ($5,500), Xander Bogaerts ($5,400), Alex Verdugo ($4,100)
Keller has allowed at least four runs in each of his last four starts, which included an outing against the Red Sox in which he gave up five runs over five innings. After having plenty of luck on his way to a .233 BABIP allowed last season, it's been the opposite this season with a .362 BABIP allowed contributing to his 1.80 WHIP. Although it would seem that his BABIP would come down as the season rolls along, he's going to need to make significant improvements on his 11.0 percent barrel rate allowed for that to happen. The powerful Devers, who has a .291 ISO, could capitalize on this matchup.
