Tuesday, May 3, brings a robust 11-game main slate with a first pitch of 7:05 p.m. ET on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
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MLB DFS Picks Today: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks | Tuesday, May 3
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Toronto Blue Jays vs. RHP Jameson Taillon — 4.1 implied runs
While Jameson Taillon has been solid this season, he has a tough matchup tonight against the Blue Jays. Taillon is susceptible to home runs with his above-average 46.4% fly ball rate and his mediocre 22.9% strikeout and 74.1% contact rates. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($18), Lourdes Gurriel ($15), Bo Bichette ($15) and George Springer ($23) are a potent core four at the top of the order. Raimel Tapia ($7) is somehow sitting at the Yahoo minimum salary, and if he is in the lineup tonight, use him to average down the overall salary cap impact of Toronto stacks.
Late Slate: Oakland Athletics vs. LHP Ryan Yarbrough — 3.4 implied runs
There are only two teams on the late slate, where the pitching is flush tonight. Julio Urias and Carlos Rodon are clear aces and warrant looks on the main slate as well. In Oakland Ryan Yarbrough and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays will be facing Paul Blackburn and the Athletics. Both games have an implied run total of seven, which means offense may be hard to come by.
Blackburn has been outstanding this season, and while regression is likely lurking around the corner, he has done a nice job of limiting power. Yarbrough, on the other hand, will be making his season debut after wrapping up a rehabilitation stint in the minors. Tampa is unlikely to push Yarbrough beyond 50 pitches or so as he continues to work his way back from a groin issue. Over his last 500 lefty-righty matchups, Yarbrough has ceded a .211 ISO, so look to Sean Murphy, Chad Pinder and Stephen Piscotty for cheap home run upside.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Joe Ryan at Baltimore Orioles — 3.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $55 | FanDuel $10,200 | DraftKings $9,500
Joe Ryan has been phenomenal through his first four starts, with three wins, a 1.17 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 25 punchouts across 23 innings. There will be rocky days ahead, but he is well positioned to succeed in his matchup tonight against the Orioles. The projected Baltimore lineup has a paltry 0.116 ISO with a 26% strikeout rate since the beginning of last year. While Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle are promising talents, the rest of the lineup is not even replacement level from an offensive perspective.
Secondary MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Brandon Woodruff vs. Cincinnati Reds — 2.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $46 | FanDuel $9,700 | DraftKings $8,900
This season Brandon Woodruff has had two stellar outings bookended by a pair of disasters. The season opener was a rough one, as he allowed seven of nine baserunners to score. Then, in his last start, Pittsburgh of all teams got to him for four runs — though it was the second time they faced him in six days. In between those outings, he had back-to-back shutouts over 11 combined innings against the Cardinals and Pirates.
For the season, Cincinnati is averaging 3.04 runs per game, which is just slightly better than Kansas City. It is last or second-to-last in each triple-slash category .201/.271/.311 with a projected strikeout rate of 24.6%. Last year Woodruff was one of the few pitchers to record more than 200 strikeouts and his 10.6 per nine innings were ninth best in the league. He also set career marks with a 2.56 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 179.1 innings pitched across 30 starts. Don’t let the unsightly ERA keep you away from this matchup tonight.
Final MLB DFS Thoughts & Weather Notes for the Tuesday, May 3 Fantasy Baseball Slate
There are several trouble spots worth monitoring in the Midwest, with the games in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit all carrying above-average precipitation risk. There is also a chance of rain in Colorado, though the actual veracity is always the wild card with the Denver weather patterns.
