DraftKings Early MLB Picks For May 21

Sep 12, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the DraftKings sign board during the match with FC Dallas playing against New York City FC at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For May 21

There are 14 games tonight, so that means a lot of stats to go through, and a lot of tough decisions to make. Who should you spend on? Let’s hit the stats!

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players.

Michael Fulmer has never faced the Rays, so none of them will be on here. Rookie Sean Manaea has never faced the Yankees. John Lamb has only faced one Mariner, Adam Lind. Lind had a two run double in his only at-bat against him. Zach Davies has never faced the Mets. Pat Dean has taken the rotation slot of Jose Berrios. He has never faced Toronto, and I would advise against gambling with him here.

For you first time players, if you would like a free entry into the $1 million baseball contest, use this link for the referral bonus!

Next: Pitcher Picks

May 15, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Bets:

Jacob deGrom ($11,400): deGrom has held the current Brewers lineup to a .188 average in 32 at bats with two RBI. The bad news is that he has only struck out six. Don’t overthink this though. He is the best bet to come through for you today. It is also worth noting that Ryan Braun is 0-10 off of deGrom.

Masahiro Tanaka ($10,300): If you aren’t sold on deGrom as your ace, Tanaka is an excellent plan B. He has held the A’s to a .152 average in 33 at bats with two RBI and nine strikeouts. The numbers favor him over deGrom, and he is in a pitcher-friendly ~~park~~ stadium. No part of O.co Coliseum says “park.”

Honorable Mention:

Felix Hernandez ($11,000): The strikeouts are down, and the runs are slightly up, but against John Lamb, Felix is a strong candidate for a win. It’s a small sample size, but the current Reds are only 2-12(.167) off of Felix with one run and three strikeouts. He is a slight risk, but might not be as highly owned.

Dark Horses:

Adam Morgan ($6,100): Yes, the Braves are bad. They are hitting .250 off of Morgan in 44 at bats, but have only one homer and four RBI. The downside here is the alarming lack of strikeouts. Morgan has only fanned five of the 44 Braves he has seen. That said, he is a strong bet to at least match the output of the middle tier, if not surpass most of them.

Williams Perez ($5,700): Believe it or not, Perez has held the Phillies to a .225 average in 80 at bats with two homers, seven RBI, and 20 strikeouts. That’s nearly one per inning. This is enough of a sample size to believe in it. Matt Wisler shut down the Phillies last night. Do you want to bet on Perez doing it again? It may pay off in a big way.

Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?

May 17, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (79) hits a home run against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

You have heard our FanDuel experts Matt Rogers and Brian Tulloch talk about “stacking” pieces of a lineup against certain pitchers. Here are the stacks that could work well on DraftKings today, based on past statistics.

Consider a D-back stack against Mike Leake. A.J. Pollock had the best stats off of him, but Phil Gosselin ($2,500) is 2-4 with a walk, a homer, and three RBI. Rickie Weeks ($2,000) is 6-15(.400) with two doubles, a triple, two homers, and three RBI off Leake. If he gets the start, use him! Jake Lamb and Nick Ahmed are a combined 5-6 off of Leake, but have no counting stats. This may surprise you, but steer clear of Paul Goldschmidt. Goldy is only 3-20 against Leake.

Salvador Perez ($3,700) is 4-11(.364) with a homer and two RBI off of Miguel Gonzalez. Jarrod Dyson ($3,500) has five singles in six at bats against Gonzalez. Its nothing flashy, but its double digit points!

The White Sox like what they have seen from Danny Duffy. Jose Abreu ($4,300) is 6-17(.353) with three walks, a double, a homer and two RBI against Duffy. Austin Jackson ($3,400) is 8-23(.348) with four walks, two doubles, and a solo home run. Dioner Navarro ($3,600) is 2-4 with a walk, a homer, and two RBI.

This game being in Pittsburgh might temper these stats a little, but these are no fluke. The Rockies have rocked Jonathon Niese. Ryan Raburn ($3,100) is 3-5 with a walk, a double, a triple, and four RBI already. Carlos Gonzalez ($2,600) is 5-19(.263) with two walks, two doubles, a homer, and three RBI against Niese. Charlie Blackmon ($4,100) is 2-4 with a two run homer. Nolan Arenado ($4,400) is 3-11 with a homer and two driven in. Trevor Story has only faced Niese twice, but he has a solo homer to show for it. DJ LeMahieu ($3,500) is 5-12 with a double and a RBI. It seems as though everyone has hit Niese, so stack some Rockies!

Next: More Notes For 5-21

May 17, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) hits a long fly ball in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Ian Kinsler ($4,500) is 4-10 with a walk and a solo home run against Drew Smyly. James McCann ($2,700) is perfect with a single and a two run homer off of Smyly. If he is in the lineup, he could be a great low priced option for us!

Eddie Rosario ($3,300) is a perfect 2-2 with a double, a homer, and three RBI against J.A. Happ. Brian Dozier ($3,800) is 3-7 with a walk, two homers, and three RBI off of Happ.

Matt Joyce ($3,000) could be worth a shot if he plays. He is 3-5 with a walk and three RBI against Tyler Chatwood.

David Ortiz ($5,000) has liked what he has seen from Trevor Bauer so far. Ortiz is perfect off of him with a double, a homer, and three RBI. Mookie Betts ($5,100) has a bases clearing double in two at bats off Bauer.

Jace Peterson ($3,000) is the one who has done almost all of the damage off of Adam Morgan. He is 2-6 with a homer and three RBI off of Morgan.

Ryan Howard ($3,700) is 3-8 with a homer and four RBI against Williams Perez.

Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks, while Matt Rogers tells you where to save in his FanDuel Economics articles. Don’t play an FanDuel without them!

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball!