Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Strategy, Primer for May 12 – Bleacher Report

A lack of true aces on the board could make Tuesday a big day for the hitters in daily fantasy baseball. If you find the right value for pitchers and combine it with some big-time performers at the plate, you could be in for a nice showing on May 12.

Pitchers to Draft

Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs ($8,600)

Betting on a struggling pitcher represents a decent amount of risk, but it also is a chance to get great value for a small portion of your budget.

While Jake Arrieta has seen his ERA inflate from 2.03 to 3.41 in his past two starts, it seems like this has mostly been just bad luck. His fielding-independent pitching mark of 2.53 is directly in line with his ERA from last year (exactly 2.53), while his 13 strikeouts and two walks over the past two games remains encouraging.

With Arrieta‘s price being as low as it has been all year, this seems like a good chance to strike.

C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels ($7,500)

With the exception of one poor start against the Kansas City Royals, C.J. Wilson has had a strong year to this point. He has allowed two runs or fewer in every other appearance for a total of six earned runs in 34.1 innings.

Against a Colorado Rockies lineup that has fallen apart lately, Wilson should be in line for another positive performance.

Pitchers to Avoid

Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox ($9,400)

The five-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the Royals won’t affect him too much, but his struggles in recent games are cause for concern. Chris Sale has allowed 13 earned runs in 8.1 innings over the last two starts while looking nothing like the ace pitcher he has been in the past.

On the plus side, there doesn’t appear to be any injury problems, as Scott Merkin of MLB.com learned:

Talked to Dr. Don Cooper today about Chris Sale’s struggles over the last two starts. He feels he’s simply overdoing it, doing too much

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) May 9, 2015

Still, you might be better off waiting around for more success before spending this much money.

Mike Fiers, Milwaukee Brewers ($8,500)

Even though Mike Fiers is set to match up against the aforementioned Sale, you don’t want to bet on either pitcher to get a win or even a quality start in this one.

Only once this year has Fiers made it out of the sixth inning, which is the only start he earned more than 13 fantasy points on DraftKings. This represents way too much of a risk to bet on at this point.

Hitters to Draft

Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals ($5,300)

The cost is high, but so is the potential for Bryce Harper during this incredible stretch. He is unsurprisingly coming off an NL Player of the Week award thanks to these impressive statistics:

Bryce Harper named NL Player of the Week; led MLB in: HRs (6), SLG (1.318), total bases (29), RBI (13)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 11, 2015

There is little chance Rubby De La Rosa does anything to slow down the hottest hitter in baseball.

Adam Jones, OF, Baltimore Orioles ($4,300)

Although he has slowed down a bit from his incredible start, Adam Jones remains one of the top hitters in baseball and is always a threat to post a lot of RBI in a quality lineup. The chances are even greater against an opposing pitcher he has crushed in the past.

In 37 at-bats against Mark Buehrle, Jones has 16 hits (.432 batting average) with two home runs and only three strikeouts. This dominance against the southpaw should continue Tuesday night.

Hitters to Avoid

Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates ($5,300)

While Andrew McCutchen is obviously coming alive at the plate with a number of extra-base hits as of late, he still has a long way to go to reach his MVP level.

Even against questionable Phillies starter Sean O’Sullivan, he isn’t worth the lofty price tag.

Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals ($5,100)

Picking one of the more consistent hitters in the sport against a young pitcher seems like a safe bet, especially when you consider how well Eric Hosmer has fared against right-handers this year.

The problem is opposing pitcher Nick Martinez hasn’t quite been a pushover this season, amassing a 1.47 ERA in six starts. Considering he has actually fared better against lefties (.184 batting average against) than righties (.284 BAA), fantasy owners should find other options.

Team to Stack

Los Angeles Angels

Kyle Kendrick kicked off the year on a high note by shutting out the Brewers over seven innings on Opening Day. Unfortunately, the rest of the year hasn’t been as kind, as the former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher has built up an 8.73 ERA.

Over his last five appearances, he has an 11.08 ERA and isn’t getting much better.

Although the Los Angeles Angels have a lot of right-handers in the lineup, they should be just fine against the struggling starter.

Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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