Monday is going to be a tough one for those playing in daily fantasy baseball contests, at least when it comes to figuring out a pitcher strategy. Even with just 11 games on the schedule, there are a bunch of legitimate options -- many of whom are going head-to-head in tough matchups. Or you could just pick Clayton Kershaw and load up on value hitters -- your call.
While paying up for Kershaw might be the obvious choice in cash games, things might be a little tougher in GPPs. Four AL East pitchers -- Marco Estrada, Luis Severino, Dylan Bundy, and Rick Porcello -- are in play, but they're facing each other's loaded offenses. Gerrit Cole and Amir Garrett are going head-to-head in Cincinnati, and Johnny Cueto is going against Kershaw. That's seven of our top 13 pitchers in somewhat precarious positions.
Lance McCullers (vs. TEX), Julio Teheran (vs. NYM), Michael Wacha (vs. MIL), Jake Odorizzi (at MIA), and Brett Anderson (vs. PHI) stand out as guys with better chances at a win, though Odorizzi might be on a pitch count in his first start off the DL. Trevor Bauer (at DET), Robert Gsellman (at ATL), and Vince Velasquez (at CHC) are a decent trio of "boom-or-bust" options, and we have to mention Jason Vargas (vs. CWS) considering he's allowed one or fewer runs in three of his first four starts this year.
MORE DFS: Monday's lineup | Lineup Builder
Daily Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Pitchers
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw, LHP | LAD | vs. SF |
| 2 | Gerrit Cole, RHP | PIT | at CIN |
| 3 | Johnny Cueto, RHP | SF | at LAD |
| 4 | Lance McCullers Jr., RHP | HOU | vs. TEX |
| 5 | Julio Teheran, RHP | ATL | vs. NYM |
| 6 | Marco Estrada, RHP | TOR | at NYY |
| 7 | Dylan Bundy, RHP | BAL | at BOS |
| 8 | Luis Severino, RHP | NYY | vs. TOR |
| 9 | Michael Wacha, RHP | STL | vs. MIL |
| 10 | Rick Porcello, RHP | BOS | vs. BAL |
| 11 | Jake Odorizzi, RHP | TB | at MIA |
| 12 | Brett Anderson, LHP | CHC | vs. PHI |
| 13 | Amir Garrett, RHP | CIN | vs. PIT |
| 14 | Trevor Bauer, RHP | CLE | at DET |
| 15 | Jason Vargas, LHP | KC | vs. CWS |
| 16 | Wei-Yin Chen, LHP | MIA | vs. TB |
| 17 | Robert Gsellman, RHP | NYM | at ATL |
| 18 | Vince Velasquez, RHP | PHI | at CHC |
| 19 | Zach Davies, RHP | MIL | at STL |
| 20 | Andrew Cashner, RHP | TEX | at HOU |
| 21 | Daniel Norris, LHP | DET | vs. CLE |
| 22 | Dylan Covey, RHP | CWS | at KC |
Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks: Monday, May 1
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We start the month of May with an 11-game slate and some colder temps around the league. That can potentially help out pitchers, and it's worth taking note of this for the Orioles-Red Sox, Blue Jays-Yankees, Brewers-Cardinals, and Phillies-Cubs. The Phillies-Cubs has potential for some real nasty weather, with the wind blowing IN heavily from right field. This could help keep that game from getting out of hand and gives Brett Anderson and Vince Velasquez a slight bump in value. Also of note is that the wind is supposed to be blowing OUT toward the Green Monster in Boston. -- Nick Berns
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Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Picks: Monday, May 1
There are a few players that I didn’t do a full write-up on, but like for value plays and may make it into my Optimal Lineups. They include:
C - Geovany Soto (CWS) - DK / FD
C - Devin Mesoraco (CIN) - Y!
1B - Justin Bour (MIA) - DK / Y!
1B - Justin Smoak (TOR) - DK / Y!
1B - Eric Hosmer (KC) - FD
2B - Neil Walker (NYM) - FD
2B - Kolten Wong (STL) - DK
2B - Roughed Odor (TEX) - Y!
3B - Mike Moustakas (KC) - DK
3B - Adonis Garcia (ATL) - DK / FD / Y!
3B - T.J. Rivera (NYM) - DK / FD
SS - Asdrubal Cabrera (NYM) - DK / FD
SS - Tim Beckham (TB) - DK
SS - Dansby Swanson (ATL) - Y!
OF - Michael Conforto (NYM) - DK
OF - Matt Holliday (NYY) - FD
OF - Carlos Beltran (HOU) - Y!
OF - Curtis Granderson (NYM) - DF / Y!