DraftKings Main MLB Picks For May 7

Only one of the seven main DraftKings tournament games has a chance of rain, which is a welcome development this week! The Coors stack is in this tournament. Is it worth paying up for, or should we spend on pitching? Let’s crunch some numbers!

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The money line last night was at 123.1. surprisingly, it was my lineup without Clayton Kershaw that made it into the money. I survived a meh start from Jordan Zimmerman thanks to Gerrit Cole, Adam Duvall, and Matt Carpenter. Everyone whiffing on the Arizona stack helped too.

The winning lineup was way up to 248.45 DraftKings points, which was a whopping 26 points above second place! This guy spent on the most expensive pitchers, Kershaw and Lance McCullers, and had double digits from every offensive player. Huge nights from Yonder Alonso, Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks, and Cody Bellinger made this lineup untouchable.

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. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: DraftKings Main Lineup 1

P: Johnny Cueto ($10,900): One glance at the past stats will tell you that there is risk involved here. His former teammates are hitting .241 with two homers and four runs in just 29 at bats, but they have also struck out eight times. I realize that Great American Ball Park should be renamed Great American Hitters Park, but the fact remains that Cueto has a 2.98 career ERA there in 99 starts. If he can stay away from Joey Votto, he’ll be fine.

P: Daniel Norris ($8,100): Norris is still taking some lumps at the major league level, but he showed what he is capable of by handcuffing a pretty good Cleveland team in his last start. Now he is in a great position against a light-hitting A’s squad in a cavernous ballpark. If he can keep his walks under control, he can have another game in the 20’s for DraftKings points. The bad news? One of the things the A’s can do well is milk some free passes.

C: Yasmani Grandal ($3,400): Grandal is 4-13(.308) with three walks, a double, two runs scored, and a RBI in his career against Trevor Cahill. The Dodgers gave Grandal the day off last night, so he should be ready to go in the Sunday matinee.

1B: Matt Holliday ($3,800): Holliday is a risk considering the lack of a DH at Wrigley and the fact that the game doesn’t start until 8pm Eastern. However, the lineups should be announced far enough in advance that we can switch this out if need be. I’m betting it wont be needed. Holliday is 6-12 with a walk, a double, a run scored, and three RBI against Jon Lester in his career. If he makes that much contact, that is always a chance that he knocks one out of the Friendly Confines.

2B: Jose Altuve ($4,400): Altuve is a big fan of Matt Shoemaker. He is 8-23(.348) with two walks, a double, two solo homers, and three runs scored against him. The problem is that the homers were solo because most of his teammates haven’t quite figured out Shoemaker yet.

3B: Kyle Seager ($4,100): I thought about stacking Mariners against Andrew Cashner, but then I remembered that Cashner has a sub-3 ERA and is dealing in a ballpark that supresses hitters. Then I decided to just go with the one Mariner that has homered off of him. The fact that Seager is 4-11(.364) with a walk, two runs scored, and a steal to go along with that RBI made it a pretty easy decision. I would much rather stack Rangers against Dillon Overton if you are going the stack route this afternoon.

SS: Corey Seager ($4,500): Seager is 2-4 with a walk, a double, a homer, two runs scored, and three RBI so far against Cahill. If the Dodgers do some damage, Seager should be right in the middle of it all.

OF: Cody Bellinger ($3,700): Splits? What splits? Bellinger roughed up a left handed starter last night, and has three homers in his last two games. Trevor Cahill is off to a great start in 2017, but Bellinger is off to a great start to his rookie season as well. I will take a chance with him right now. Even if Bellinger strikes out three times and homers in the other at bat, it’s still good news from the DraftKings standpoint!

OF: Aaron Hicks ($3,500): My pivot to Hicks yesterday was the only reason my Kershaw lineup still had a chance at placing. He destroyed lefty Brett Anderson yesterday. With another lefty on the mound today, Hicks is worth trotting out there again. Now, Jon Lester is a pretty darn good lefty, but if anyone can make him pay for a mistake, it’s Hicks. He has 83 DraftKings points in his last four games. Let that sink in for a minute. I’ll wait.

OF: Cameron Maybin ($3,600): I really wanted Mike Trout against Mike Fiers, but since he aggravated his hamstring again during warmups last night, I highly doubt he is in for this afternoon. That means Maybin will likely start, and he makes for a solid plan B. Maybin is 4-12 with a double, a homer, three runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Fiers. He could wind up being a nice bargain!

Next: DraftKings Main Lineup 2

P: Matt Shoemaker ($8,400): The Astros are only hitting .200 against Shoemaker in 135 at bats with five homers, but only eight runs and a solid 34 strikeouts. Those are pretty good numbers for a pitcher in this price range. The Astros were shut down by JC Ramirez last night. I have to think Shoemaker has a pretty good chance of holding them again.

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P: Trevor Cahill ($7,400): You may think that I’m not much of a believer in Cahill’s success judging by my first lineup, but I actually think the strikeouts are sustainable (well….not 11 K/9, but you get what I mean). So is the 3.60 ERA. He will rack up some strikeouts, which is rare for this price range, but he will also give up some (home)runs, hence the mini Dodger stack in the first lineup.

C: Jonathan Lucroy ($3,300): Lucroy is off to a slow start, but losing starts to Robinson Chirinos isn’t really the answer either. With this being the day game after a night game, I would think Lucory will be back in there, and I love his chances against the overmatched Dillon Overton.

1B: Miguel Cabrera ($4,500): Miggy is starting to come around after a slow start. Today against Sonny Gray should only help. He is 3-7 with a walk, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI against Gray. With Gray struggling mightily again, I want some exposure to him today.

2B: Yangervis Solarte ($3,200): Solarte is 5-10 with a walk, three doubles, a homer, two runs scored, and three RBI in his career against Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy is off to a good start, and he gets a little park boost in San Diego, but a few Padres have managed to hit him well.

3B: Jake Lamb ($5,300): I’m kind of non-committal to Coors Field today. Taijuan Walker is a solid pitcher, and Tyler Chatwood’s numbers are not as terrible as you think. Seriously. Paul Goldschmidt is just 2-13 against him and both the hits are singles. However, Chatwood has struggled against lefties, which is what I’m targeting here. Lamb in particular is 3-11 with a walk, two homers, three runs scored, and five RBI off of Chatwood. I’m paying up for him here.

SS: Elvis Andrus ($3,600): Andrus will be leading off against a lefty with very little big league experience in Dillon Overton. I decided that I wanted more exposure to the Padres and Coors than the Rangers, but I want their catalyst on my team in case they light him up. Of course, starting at Safeco is a good way to get a confidence boost, so if the Rangers don’t go off, my lineup isn’t sunk.

OF: Ian Desmond ($4,900): Desmond smacked a home run against Walker at sea level, and is 4-8 with a walk and three runs scored off of him in his career. With Carlos Gonzalez out, I’m chasing the only other Rockie that has homered off of Walker so far.

OF: David Peralta ($4,800): Peralta is just 1-6 with a RBI against Chatwood, but that wont last considering what Peralta does to most right handed pitchers of Chatwood’s caliber. I’m not saying that he’s bad, but he certainly isn’t an All Star. This looks like a great situation for Peralta.

OF: Aaron Judge ($4,600): The Cubs beat Brett Anderson like he owed them money yesterday. He recorded just one out and allowed six runs! Surprisingly, Judge had nothing to do with it. He wore the collar yesterday at Wrigley. I doubt that happens again.

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our NBA, PGA, and EPL picks!