Happy Tuesday, Pitcher List fam! Monday’s postponement of the Rangers-Guardians game has taken today’s schedule from a 13-game slate to a 12-gamer. Still, that’s more than enough for us to find our favorite pitchers and hitter to roster on DraftKings and FanDuel. So check those lineups before your evening commute home, as contests will lock at 7:05 pm Eastern.
Pitching Kings on DraftKings
| Pitcher | Opp | DK Salary | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | DK PPG |
| Alek Manoah | at KC | $10,000 | 1.98 | 0.91 | 23.0 | 4.0 | 21.6 |
| Jeffrey Springs | vs. STL | $6,300 | 2.57 | 0.93 | 27.1 | 4.4 | 17.0 |
| Dakota Hudson | at TB | $5,700 | 2.96 | 1.32 | 13.0 | 11.2 | 11.2 |
Manoah gets the nod over the rest of the elite arms on DK because 1) He’s the cheapest of the top four, and 2) He’s got the best matchup among those four. You could argue Tarik Skubal belongs in this discussion, but I prefer him on FD against the Pirates. In his last three starts versus the Reds, Angels, and White Sox, Manoah averaged 22.7 DK PPG with a 2-0 record, including a nine-strikeout effort versus Los Angeles. He’ll face a Royals squad with an average 22.6 percent strikeout rate to RHPs over the last month, but one that does not hit a lot of extra-base hits (.152 ISO).
I’m getting to the discount bin in a hurry on DK tonight as there are two exciting values on the mound. The first one is Jeffrey Springs from Tampa Bay. He sprung (sorry, I couldn’t resist) onto our radars this season and has been rays-ing (okay, I’ll stop) a lot of eyebrows in his previous three starts. In those outings, the southpaw struck out seven, six, and seven batters and made it through at least five innings every time. Fair warning: St. Louis is pummeling LHPs this season, and it will be a challenging matchup for Springs. However, if he makes it through this start with another impressive outing, his price will be $8,300 in his next start. So I’m willing to take the chance on Springs in tournaments.
“How low can you go?” Yes, Dakota Hudson’s 1.8 percent K-BB rate conjures up the vomit emoji when you see it, but have you seen those groundball numbers? Over his last five games, Hudson is averaging 7.8 groundball outs per game. That’s how you get away with an atrocious 13 percent strikeout rate. The Rays are mired in a bit of a slump to raise Hudson’s floor. Over the last month, Tampa Bay has been slashing .206/.269/.365 versus righties and striking out 24.6 percent of the time (fifth-highest mark in the league). The Cardinals pitcher doesn’t need to return many points to hit his value mark at $5,700, and he creates a ton of salary to spread among your bats.
These Dudes Rule on FanDuel
| Pitcher | Opp | FD Salary | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | FD PPG |
| Tarik Skubal | at PIT | $10,400 | 2.15 | 0.95 | 27.0 | 4.4 | 20.8 |
| Jameson Taillon | at MIN | $9,500 | 2.30 | 0.90 | 19.2 | 2.2 | 30.9 |
| Ranger Suárez | at MIL | $7,300 | 4.69 | 1.56 | 19.4 | 10.2 | 23.1 |
Love, love, love the Skoobs tonight. I love the 2.97 SIERA, the 27 percent strikeout rate, and his matchup with Pittsburgh. The Pirates strike out 25.5 percent of the time to southpaws, and the .237 batting average leaves a lot to be desired. Tarik Skubal gave fantasy baseball managers a 0.84 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts across 32 innings in his previous five starts. The Detroit lefty has also collected a quality start in five of his last six outings and should be well on his way to grabbing another one on the road tonight.
Jameson Taillon’s star may have lost some of its shine over the years, but it’s getting brighter by the start of 2022. Three straight games with at least seven innings pitched and one run or fewer will do that for you. He’s dominated the White Sox, Rays, and Angels in back-to-back-to-back starts and averaged 46 FD PPG. A matchup with Minnesota isn’t the most straightforward game on the schedule, but the Twins’ 23.1 percent strikeout rate to RHPs should raise his floor that little bit more. Taillon comes in as the sixth most expensive pitcher on FD tonight, and his roster percentage should be low enough to make him a viable tournament arm.
Recommending this Phillies lefty is solely based on his matchup. Ranger Suárez has been a far cry from the breakout pitcher of the second half of 2021. However, since May 7, Milwaukee has been abysmal against left-handed hurlers. The Brew Crew sports a .603 OPS with a 25.2 percent K rate. Their 74 wRC+ means they are a well below-average team against LHPs right now, and it opens the door for Ranger to redeem himself (at least in DFS circles). And, similar to Dakota Hudson on DK, Suarez’s $7,300 price tag creates a lot more space to fill up on premium bats for the 12-game schedule.
Tasty Stacks
Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels (Reid Detmers, RHP)
- I’m struggling to figure out how the Red Sox only scored one run against Noah Syndergaard last night. But, while I continue to find the answer, I’ll go back to constructing a lineup filled with Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Jarren Duran against Reid Detmers. Boston’s got a .189 ISO and .359 wOBA against RHPs this month.
Chicago Cubs at Baltimore Orioles (Kyle Bradish, RHP)
- According to the most recent forecast, the wind will blow out towards left field in Camden Yards on Tuesday. That should spell doom and gloom for Kyle Bradish and his 2.18 HR/9 metric. An Ian Happ blast could be in the cards.
Value Bats
| Player | Position | Opponent | DK Salary | FD Salary |
| Will Smith | C | at CSW (Kopech) | $4,100 | $3,100 |
| Frank Schwindel | 1B | at BAL (Bradish) | $3,300 | $2,900 |
| Santiago Espinal | 2B/3B | at KC (Keller) | $3,600 | $2,800 |
| Jose Miranda | 1B/3B | vs. NYY (Taillon) | $3,000 | $2,400 |
| Bryson Stott | SS | at MIL (Alexander) | $2,500 | $2,300 |
| Joc Pederson | OF | vs. COL (Marquez) | $5,500 | $3,500 |
| Andrew McCutchen | OF | vs. PHI (Suarez) | $3,500 | $2,700 |
| Jack Suwinski | OF | vs. DET (Skubal) | $2,200 | $2,500 |
A heads-up on the Red Sox v. Angels: Detmers is a lefty.