DraftKings Early MLB Picks May 3: Is Corbin worth the price?

KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 27: Kansas City Royals fans sit in panchos during a rain delay in the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium on August 27, 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks May 3: Is Corbin worth the price?

There are 11 games today. Six of them make up the early DraftKings tournament. The awkward start time of the second game of the Toronto-Cleveland double dip has left that out of everything. The pickings are fairly slim this afternoon. Who looks like the best options? Let’s check it out!

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There is rain all over this afternoon. The Toronto-Cleveland game may be delayed, but it should be played, just maybe later than expected. The chances of rain in Kansas City increase as the game goes on. There are also major wind boost. There will be a 20 mph wind blowing out to right in KC and winds of 12-15 mph blowing out in Washington, New York, Cleveland, and Houston.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. Stacking against a bad pitcher is always a good idea!

For you first time players, if you would like a free $20 in DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 11: Starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco #59 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on April 11, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Carlos Carrasco ($12,000): Carrasco’s career numbers against the Jays are not all that great, but he has logged 15 strikeouts in 53 at bats, and the Jays just got shut out by the Twins behind a rookie pitcher. There is a lot of potential here with Carrasco. Toronto is only hitting .208 off of him, but they do have three homers. His strikeout total should make up for the runs he may allow here.

Middle Tier:

Lance McCullers ($9,100): You have to have some faith to rely on McCullers here. Aside from a blowup against the Twins at Target Field, McCullers has been pretty strong this year. However, the current Yankees are tearing him up at a .417 clip in 36 at bats. So why recommend him? Well, the Astros have blasted Tanaka, and despite that fattened average, the Yankees only have one run in those 36 at bats and have struck out ten times. How is that possible? McCullers has been a master at getting out of trouble against the Yankees, and is worth a look here.

Jaime Garcia ($5,700): How much do you trust Garcia here? His career numbers against Cleveland are solid for the price. The Tribe are hitting a solid .256 off of Garcia, but they only have two runs in 43 at bats with eight strikeouts. However, he has a tough matchup with Carrasco on the mound opposite him, and the fact that the Cleveland offense is just good overall.

Bargain Pitchers:

Mike Fiers ($5,400): The Royals offense has picked up a little, but not enough for me to avoid a pitcher going against them. They are hitting a solid .333 against Fiers in 111 at bats, but they only have three homers and 11 runs. That said, Fiers only has 14 strikeouts. Much like the other options in this tier, Fiers can’t bail himself out with good strikeout totals. You are basically playing him in hopes the Royals struggle at the plate again.

Eric Skoglund ($4,800): Despite a horrid start to the season, Skoglund pitched very well against the White Sox his last time out. He also wasn’t terrible against the Tigers in the start before that. HIs numbers are starting to come down. The current Tigers lineup is only hitting .171 in 35 at bats against Skoglund with just two homers and three runs to go with seven strikeouts. That strikeout potential is higher than anyone else in this tier. Skoglund is an interesting GPP pick.

Jeremy Hellickson ($4,400): Hellickson is the cheapest pitcher on the slate, mostly because of his low strikeout numbers. He can’t bail himself out of a lackluster start. If Hellickson struggles, you’re getting negative points. That said, the Pirates have been miserable against Hellickson. They are hitting just .138 off of him in 68 at bats with two homers, only four runs, and a hefty 18 strikeouts. There is potential here with Trevor Williams starting opposite him.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 05: Jeff Mathis #2 of the Arizona Diamondbacks congratulates teammate Paul Goldschmidt #44 after scoring a run in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 25, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Paul Goldschmidt is 6-23(.261) with four walks, three homers, five runs, and six RBI in his career against Alex Wood.

Miguel Cabrera against a lefty is always a good idea. Especially when said lefty has a 6.23 ERA on the season. Miggy is only 1-4 against Eric Skoglund, but he has two walks and a RBI to show for it. Jeimer Candelario is 1-2 with a walk, a double, and a run off of Skoglund.

Middle Tier:

Masahiro Tanaka has been smoked by the Astros. They have 14 runs in only 47 at bats! Alex Bregman is 1-2 with a walk and a grand slam against Tanaka. The stack starts here!

If the Braves start Kurt Suzuki at catcher, he is 8-38(.211) with three walks, two runs, and a RBI off of Jason Vargas. If Tyler Flowers starts instead, he could also be worth a look. Flowers is only 1-7 against Vargas, but the hit is a grand slam. Todd Frazier is always worth a look with a lefty on the mound.

There is no way that I am paying the asking price for Patrick Corbin today. The Dodgers haven’t exactly dominated him, but they have done enough that he isn’t worth paying top dollar for. Austin Barnes is only 1-4 against Corbin, but the hit is a home run. If Yasmani Grandal starts, he is worth a look as well. Grandal is 5-14 with a walk, a double, three runs, and a RBI off of Corbin.

Lucas Duda and Mike Moustakas are both good targets here this afternoon. They are a combined 10-21 with three walks, two doubles, six runs, and a RBI against Mike Fiers.

Bargain Shoppers:

Of course, the other side of the coin, and the more popular one, is going to be to stack against Hellickson. Josh Bell is a good place to start. Bell is only 2-8 against Hellickson, but he has a homer and three RBI.

Adrian Gonzalez is only 4-19(.211) against Julio Teheran, but he has three walks, a double, a homer, two runs, and four RBI off of him in his career. If Jose Lobaton gets the start, Lobaton is 7-23(.304) with four walks, a double, two homers, five runs, and five RBI in his career against Teheran.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 01: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves runs to third base on a double hit by Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 1, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Ozzie Albies is definitely worth a look against Jason Vargas. He struggled in his first start of the season, and this isn’t much of a reprieve. Atlanta’s offense has looked good so far. Albies and Dansby Swanson are big reasons why.

Carlos Correa is 5-10 with a walk, two homers, a steal, five runs scored, and five RBI in his career against Masahiro Tanaka. Jose Altuve is 4-11 with a double, a solo homer, and two runs against Tanaka.

Middle Tier:

Asdrubal Cabrera is 8-26(.308) with two walks, two doubles, two steals, two runs, and a RBI off of Teheran. If you are stacking Mets today, Cabrera fits in there nicely.

Nick Ahmed is 4-12 with a double, a solo homer, and two runs in his career against Alex Wood. Ketel Marte is worth a look as well. He is only 2-8 against Wood, but Marte has a walk, a double, and a RBI.

Bargain Shoppers:

Alcides Escobar is a great place to save money this afternoon. Escobar is 7-16(.438) with two doubles, a steal, two runs, and two RBI off of Mike Fiers in his career.

Kike Hernandez is always in play with a lefty on the mound. He is only 4-17(.235) against Patrick Corbin, but he has a walk, two doubles, and two runs off of him.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 30: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros dives into third base in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park on April 30, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

George Springer is 4-9 with two walks, two homers, three runs, and three RBI already in his career against Masahiro Tanaka. Josh Reddick is only 1-4 against Tanaka, but the hit is a home run.

A.J. Pollock is on fire anyway, and he is 8-19(.421)with three doubles, two homers, five runs, and three RBI in his career against Alex Wood.

Curtis Granderson has a horrendous series against the Twins, but he is 5-12 with a double, two homers, and four RBI in his career against Carlos Carrasco. The rest of the team is 6-41(.146) with one homer and four RBI. Kevin Pillar, who has hit everyone lately, could be worth a look. Pillar is only 2-10 against Carrasco, but he does have a triple and two RBI.

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Middle Tier:

I’m all over Ronald Acuna against Jason Vargas here. Nick Markakis hits all pitchers fairly well, but Acuna is my first choice.

Matt Kemp is 5-18 with a walk, three doubles, two runs, and four RBI in his career against Patrick Corbin. Chris Taylor is worth a look as well. Taylor is 3-13 with a double, two runs, and three RBI against Corbin.

I’m not sure how Gregory Polanco is only $3,700. Polanco is 4-11 with a solo homer, a steal, and three runs in his career against Jeremy Hellickson.

Jay Bruce is 7-31(.226) with four walks, two doubles, two homers, three runs, and five RBI in his career against Julio Teheran. Michael Conforto is 4-15 with a homer and three RBI against Teheran.

Bargain Shoppers:

Brandon Guyer is only 1-5 with a walk, but he has scored both times that he has reached base against Jaime Garcia. Despite not holding the platoon advantage, Michael Brantley is 2-3 with a run and a RBI against Garcia.

Abraham Almonte is 4-5 with a solo homer and two runs scored already against Mike Fiers. There is potential here.

Next: DraftKings Main Slate MLB Picks

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. Still in NBA mode? No worries, we have the NBA DFS covered for the playoffs as well!