Happy Tuesday, Pitcher List fam! Tonight’s main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel greets us with nine games on the docket. It all starts on the East Coast as Milwaukee and Toronto continue their series in Baltimore and New York. Then, we get a whole evening of DFS delight before a West Coast nightcap where Houston begins their quick, two-game set with Arizona, before San Diego and San Francisco meet for the first time this season in an NL West showdown.
Pitching Kings on DraftKings
| Pitcher | Opp | DK Salary | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | DK FPPG |
| Luis Garcia | at ARI | $9,400 | 3.56 | 1.19 | 26.3 | 8.0 | 16.05 |
| Patrick Sandoval | vs. MIA | $7,900 | 3.39 | 1.18 | 26.1 | 9.4 | 19.51 |
| Jesus Luzardo | at LAA | $7,300 | 6.22 | 1.61 | 22.5 | 5.8 | 10.11 |
Luis Garcia broke out massively last year and is ready for his encore. The right-hander posted his three best DK results after the All-Star break and begins 2022 with a good test in Arizona. In 2021, the Diamondbacks sported a mediocre .234/.306/.391 slash line versus RHP, and struck out 25.04 percent of the time.
The Angels pushed his start back to begin the year, but he swears it wasn’t because of the back issue that shut him down in 2021. So I’m choosing to believe Patrick Sandoval, and I love his price point on DraftKings tonight. After the All-Star break, he scored 19.51 FPPG (fantasy points per game), and I expect more of the same versus a weak-hitting Marlins lineup. Last season, Miami was an offense I regularly streamed against when a southpaw was on the mound because of their 27.3 percent strikeout rate and .634 OPS.
I don’t usually recommend two starting pitchers from the same game, but I’m buying the Spring Training hype and rolling with Jesus Luzardo against the Angels. I think he or Sandoval makes for a perfect secondary arm with Luis Garcia on tonight’s nine-game slate. With Luzardo, he was one of the buzziest pitchers in the preseason. The 24-year old lefty posted a 0.77 ERA, 1.03, and a 10:3 K:BB ratio in 11.2 innings. Add in the way he finished 2021 when he struck out at least eight batters in three of the four starts where he went more than five innings, and I think you’ve got one of the highest ceilings arms on your squad for $7,300.
These Dudes Rule on FanDuel
| Pitcher | Opp | FD Salary | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | FD PPG |
| Yu Darvish | at SF | $9,700 | 4.22 | 1.09 | 29.2 | 6.5 | 31.0 |
| Alex Cobb | vs. SD | $7,600 | 3.76 | 1.26 | 24.9 | 8.4 | 28.94 |
| Andrew Heaney | at MIN | $7,500 | 5.48 | 1.27 | 27.5 | 7.9 | 22.23 |
For the record, I would take Luis Garcia ($8,600) over all of the following pitchers on FanDuel. However, I already talked him up in the DraftKings section, so let’s look at some of the other options.
Yu Darvish is one of the only pitchers making his second start of the year this early, and he will look to improve on a somewhat disappointing debut in the Arizona desert. In six innings of work, the 10-year MLB veteran struck out three but walked four. The righty’s tantalizing upside will always keep him in my DFS player pool, but it is scary to roster him versus a patient Giants offense. On the other hand, quality starts count on FanDuel, and Darvish is the pitcher I trust the most to reach that threshold on Tuesday night.
Next up, we’ve got Darvish’s opponent for the evening, Alex Cobb. Unlike Darvish, I’m not sure if Cobb can get to six innings. However, he’s coming off a bounceback season with the Angels, and Spring Training reports had him touching 97 mph on his fastball. If the left-handed pitcher combines the gains he made in Los Angeles with some of the magic dust in the San Francisco pitching department, I feel good about the prospects for a pitcher who averaged 37 FPPG in four July starts last season.
Just like Michael Scott says, “No question about it. I am ready to get hurt again.” That’s what it feels like when you select Andrew Heaney onto your DFS roster. He’s the pitcher I’m most worried about and most excited to watch at the same time among tonight’s games. This guy had four games with at least 45 fantasy points last season but also finished the year in the bullpen for the Yankees after a disastrous mid-season trade. Still, as San Francisco did with Cobb, the Dodgers must’ve seen something they like in Heaney, and I’m willing to gamble on one evening of Heaney in a pitcher’s ballpark at the beginning of the season. Plus, who else will be crazy enough to have him as their FanDuel pitcher?
Tasty Stacks
New York Yankees vs. Yusei Kikuchi, TOR
- All those massive Yankee bats going against poor Kikuchi in Yankee Stadium sounds like a recipe for DFS success. Giancarlo Stanton is locked in to begin the year with two home runs and a three-hit game to his name. But don’t worry, you can pitch around him once you get through Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo, and Aaron Judge.
Milwaukee Brewers at Alexander Wells, BAL
- I tried to go with the Brewers yesterday, and it did not go well. So why am I back? Because it’s Camden Yards, and I love the lefty mashers Milwaukee can put in their lineup. Hunter Renfroe, Andrew McCutchen, Willy Adames, and Keston Hiura can be combined in any number of ways on FanDuel, while you’ll need to settle for two of Renfroe, Cutch, and Willy on DraftKings.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Daniel Lynch, KC
- The Cards had an off-day yesterday (thanks to the weather) and should be fielding their full team against the left-handed Daniel Lynch. That’s great news for our DFS rosters, but not so much for Lynch. After the All-Star break, the Cards lit up lefties with a .281/.339/.563 slash line and a 138 wRC+. In addition, they hung 19 runs on the Pirates in their opening series and seem to be firing on all cylinders as the 2022 season gets underway.
*Note: All stats referenced are from the 2021 season.
Value Bats
| Player | Position | Opp | DraftKings | FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keston Hiura | 1B | at BAL (Wells) | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| Alejandro Kirk | C | at NYY (Cortes) | $3,300 | $2,400 |
| Jo Adell | OF | vs. MIA (Luzardo) | $3,800 | $2,300 |
| Marcell Ozuna | OF | vs. WSN (Corbin) | $3,800 | $2,900 |
| Gio Urshela | 3B | vs. LAD (Heaney) | $3,400 | $2,900 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | SS/3B | at STL (Hudson) | $2,300 | $2,500 |
| Connor Joe | 1B/OF | at TEX (Perez) | $3,100 | $2,800 |