Our starting pitcher rankings for Tuesday are an interesting lot. You have some big-name aces at the top, followed by several solid SPs with mediocre-to-bad matchups, then several mediocre SPs in favorable spots. For daily fantasy baseball contests, this creates a dilemma: Pay up for one of the top studs, bet on talent that might be low owned, or take the savings and go with a sleeper. On FanDuel, this is an all-or-nothing choice; on DraftKings, you can split the difference and go for one of each.
Of course, considering there's a Coors Field game tonight, you might want to try to sneak through two lower-priced guys to save up for bats. That's a real option based on matchups, as Griffin Canning (@ Tigers), Mike Fiers (vs. Reds), Tyler Mahle (@ A's), and Daniel Norris (vs. Angels) are in good spots. By no means are any sure things to have success, but they're decent rolls of the dice in GPPs. Lucas Giolito (@ Indians) is in the best value/streamer spot, but with that game getting underway at 6:10 p.m. ET, he's not available on main slates.
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The studs are obvious at the top, with Noah Syndergaard (@ Padres), Jose Berrios (@ Blue Jays), and Jon Lester (vs. Marlins) in great spots, but it gets a little shakier after that, especially when you get into the Hyun-Jin Ryu (vs. Braves)-Aaron Nola (@ Cardinals)-Madison Bumgarner (@ Rockies) tier. Bumgarner's matchup is good on a paper, but given the location and his relatively low ground-ball rate, he's tough to trust. Of course, we said the same thing about Robbie Ray last week and he allowed only one earned run over 5.2 innings in Colorado, so Bumgarner still has upside as a tournament play.
Ryu and Nola look like matchup-based fades, especially when you factor in their prices. You can get Lester or Caleb Smith for less on DK and both offer more upside tonight.
The only game that looks to be in any danger of seeing weather-related delays is the Giants-Rockies. Make sure to check with the Fantasy Alarm Weather Center closer to lineup lock.
MORE TUESDAY MLB: DFS picks | DK lineup | Betting picks
Today's Daily Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Rankings: Tuesday, May 7
(O) = Opener
(PLR) = Primary Long Reliever
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opponent | Opp. wRC+ vs. LHP (rank) | Opp. wRC+ vs. RHP (rank) | FD | DK |
| 1 | Noah Syndergaard | Mets | @ Padres | N/A | 83 (23rd) | $10,400 | $10,100 |
| 2 | Jose Berrios | Twins | @ Blue Jays | N/A | 79 (25th) | $10,700 | $10,400 |
| 3 | Jon Lester | Cubs | vs. Marlins | 63 (27th) | N/A | $8,500 | $9,000 |
| 4 | Caleb Smith | Marlins | @ Cubs | 105 (12th) | N/A | $10,000 | $9,500 |
| 5 | Stephen Strasburg | Nationals | @ Brewers | N/A | 95 (17th) | $11,300 | $10,600 |
| 6 | Max Fried | Braves | @ Dodgers | 106 (T-10th) | N/A | $8,700 | $8,800 |
| 7 | Collin McHugh | Astros | vs. Royals | N/A | 106 (11th) | $8,600 | $8,200 |
| 8 | Marco Gonzales | Mariners | @ Yankees | 106 (T-10th) | N/A | $8,400 | $8,900 |
| 9 | Hyun-Jin Ryu | Dodgers | vs. Braves | 124 (T-3rd) | N/A | $9,600 | $9,800 |
| 10 | Aaron Nola | Phillies | @ Cardinals | N/A | 115 (T-5th) | $8,900 | $9,200 |
| 11 | Masahiro Tanaka | Yankees | vs. Mariners | N/A | 117 (4th) | $8,200 | $9,600 |
| 12 | Madison Bumgarner | Giants | @ Rockies | 73 (25th) | N/A | $7,300 | $7,600 |
| 13 | Griffin Canning | Angels | @ Tigers | N/A | 82 (24th) | $6,700 | $8,500 |
| 14 | Lucas Giolito | White Sox | @ Indians | N/A | 72 (29th) | $7,500 | $7,700 |
| 15 | Mike Fiers | A's | vs. Reds | N/A | 77 (26th) | $7,000 | $6,800 |
| 16 | Tyler Mahle | Reds | @ A's | N/A | 89 (18th) | $7,100 | $7,000 |
| 17 | Daniel Norris | Tigers | vs. Angels | 75 (T-23rd) | N/A | $6,300 | $7,700 |
| 18 | Aaron Sanchez | Blue Jays | vs. Twins | N/A | 113 (7th) | $7,200 | $7,200 |
| 19 | Antonio Senzatela | Rockies | vs. Giants | N/A | 73 (28th) | $6,200 | $6,500 |
| 20 | Dakota Hudson | Cardinals | vs. Phillies | N/A | 101 (14th) | $6,500 | $6,300 |
| 21 | Cal Quantrill | Padres | vs. Mets | N/A | 88 (19th) | $6,600 | $5,700 |
| 22 | Freddy Peralta (PLR) | Brewers | vs. Nationals | N/A | 87 (20th) | N/A | $7,900 |
| 23 | Steven Brault | Pirates | vs. Rangers | 83 (22nd) | N/A | $5,600 | $6,700 |
| 24 | Jefry Rodriguez | Indians | vs. White Sox | N/A | 105 (12th) | $7,400 | $6,900 |
| 25 | Danny Duffy | Royals | @ Astros | 134 (1st) | N/A | $6,900 | $7,300 |
| 26 | Jalen Beeks (PLR) | Rays | vs. D-backs | 124 (T-3rd) | N/A | N/A | $7,100 |
| 27 | David Hess | Orioles | vs. Red Sox | N/A | 97 (16th) | $5,700 | $4,800 |
| 28 | Adrian Sampson | Rangers | @ Pirates | N/A | 86 (T-21st) | $6,100 | $5,600 |
| 29 | Hector Velasquez | Red Sox | @ Orioles | N/A | 86 (T-21st) | $5,500 | $7,100 |
| 30 | Taylor Clarke | D-backs | @ Rays | N/A | 115 (T-5th) | $5,800 | $6,900 |
| 31 | Ryne Stanek (O) | Rays | vs. D-backs | N/A | 98 (15th) | $5,500 | $5,000 |
| 32 | Adrian Hauser (O) | Brewers | vs. Nationals | N/A | 87 (20th) | $5,500 | $5,700 |
wRC+ is defined by Fangraphs as "[measuring] how a player’s wRC compares with league average after controlling for park effects. League average for position players is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than a league average hitter would have in the same number of plate appearances. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average." For more on the stat, click here.