Happy Tuesday, Pitcher List fam! We’ve got 11 games to navigate as we look to fill our DFS lineups. DraftKings and FanDuel have the same sized slate, and there are some fantastic options in the pitching department and batter’s box. So let’s break it all down before the contests lock at 7:05 pm Eastern.
Pitching Kings on DraftKings
| Pitcher | Opp | DK Salary | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | DK FPPG |
| Carlos Rodón | at LAD | $10,000 | 1.17 | 0.83 | 43.2 | 9.1 | 30.4 |
| Brandon Woodruff | vs. CIN | $8,900 | 5.30 | 1.34 | 22.9 | 9.6 | 12.5 |
| Bruce Zimmermann | vs. MIN | $6,100 | 0.93 | 1.19 | 26.3 | 7.2 | 17.9 |
If you give me the chance to play Carlos Rodón in DFS, I’m going to play Carlos Rodón in DFS. Even in a challenging road matchup with the Dodgers, I’m willing to take on a roster filled with MVP winners of the past (and possibly future) because of the lefty’s current form (and health). The southpaw is throwing his fastball a career-high 65.6 percent of the time, and it is an unhittable tool in his bag of tricks. A .126 xBA backs up a .130 batting average on his heater, and he’s also sporting a 73 percent strike rate and 34.3 percent CSW rate (both career-highs) with the pitch. You. Love. To. See. It.
For those of us who also play season-long fantasy baseball, Brandon Woodruff is likely in every ‘buy-low’ article on the face of the Earth. Well, we can apply that same logic in DFS and “Buy the dip!” with a home game against Cincinnati. Woodruff’s early-season struggles have left him with an unsightly 5.30 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. However, a 2.38 xERA and 2.62 FIP show that some bad luck has befallen the Brew Crew’s right-hander. The two-time All-Star averages 25.3 DK points at home compared to -0.4 points (?!?!) on the road. So a home date with a free-swinging Reds lineup (25.2 percent strikeout rate) will give DFS managers and Woodruff a great jumping-off point for Tuesday’s game.
DraftKings and FanDuel’s pricing always differs because of the way they construct their lineups. However, I can’t remember when I’ve seen a salary difference this radical. Baltimore’s Bruce Zimmermann is $6,100 on DK but $9,500 on FD. In the words of the American Idol judge Randy Jackson, “It’s a no from me, dawg” on FD, but I am intrigued on DraftKings. Zimmermann’s decreasing his fastball usage (34.5%), and it’s helping his changeup and slider become more effective. The changeup is coming through with a career-high 39.2 percent CSW rate. Meanwhile, the southpaw’s slider is producing a 28.9 percent swinging-strike rate, and literally, no one has been able to hit it (.000 BA, 0.64 xBA).
These Dudes Rule on FanDuel
| Pitcher | Opp | FD Salary | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | FD PPG |
| Alek Manoah | vs. NYY | $10,400 | 1.44 | 0.88 | 25.8 | 7.2 | 44.5 |
| Brad Keller | vs. STL | $9,000 | 2.19 | 0.77 | 18.9 | 5.6 | 29.75 |
| Michael Pineda | vs. PIT | $6,900 | 3.60 | 1.00 | 10.3 | 0.0 | 18.0 |
Remember the MTV show ‘Next,’ where a group of men or women would try to woo some fine gentleman or lady, but all they had to do was yell “Nextttttt!” and the date was over? Well, that’s what it feels like with Alek Manoah this season. It doesn’t matter which opponent gets off the bus. He checks them out, strikes them out, and yells, “Nexttttttt.” He’s already brushed aside the Yankees, Astros, and Red Sox in three of his four starts, and it gives me the confidence to start the towering right-handed hurler versus the Yankees, despite their 120 wRC+ against RHPs this year. Manoah’s fastball is up half a tick in 2022, and he’s throwing it in the strike zone 60.9 percent of the time compared to 52.1 percent in 2021. It’s producing an improved CSW rate (30.8%) and Strike rate (73.7%) and turning the Blue Jays starter from a top prospect into a star in all fantasy baseball formats.
Now it’s time to recommend the best Keller in baseball. I said what I said! Or… I typed what I typed! While we won’t rely on Brad Keller all season, I am more than comfortable playing him in DFS against St. Louis on Tuesday. The Cardinals are last in baseball with eight home runs off righties in 2022, and they’ve only compiled a .627 OPS against them across 620 plate appearances. While Keller’s 18.9 percent strikeout rate isn’t anything to write home about, he limits baserunners and prevents massive damage whenever he does give up contact. There are sexier pitchers to roster on FD tonight, but Keller’s made three quality starts in four outings this year, and the matchup with St. Louis is a potential pivot in tournament contests.
If you hold your nose, cover your eyes, and ask your significant other to press the ‘draft’ button, maybe that will distract you enough to forget you’re rostering Michael Pineda in 2022. The former Yankees and Twins pitcher is now in Detroit and has an excellent matchup with Pittsburgh in town. To alter this Michael Scott quote: Would I rather fear or love Michael Pineda? Both. I want to fear how much I’ll love him when he comes through in this start. This is not a cash-game option. Pineda is only for tournaments, and the mad hatters out there willing to do whatever it takes to bring down a big win. The Pirates strike out 26.3 percent of the time against RHPs, and the team’s 0.098 ISO gives even a pitcher as meh as Pineda a chance at a win and quality start.
Tasty Stacks
Game stack: Washington Nationals (Erick Fedde, RHP) at Colorado Rockies (Germán Márquez, RHP)
- Cooooooooors! Always in play as a stack, and I want multiple pieces from this game. C.J. Cron has nine extra-base hits in 13 home games this year. Juan Soto is below $5,000 on DK, and Nelson Cruz can still punish a baseball now and then. Cesar Hernandez leads off for the Nationals, is $3,500 on DK, and has 13 hits in his last eight games. A lot of places to go in the Mile High City on Tuesday, but I will fade Connor Joe on DK at $5,600. That’s the same price as Freddie Freeman and more expensive than Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Byron Buxton, and George Springer.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds (Tyler Mahle, RHP)
- I had to double-check my stats when I saw Tyler Mahle hasn’t given up a home run in 2022. That changes tonight. He’s touting a 7.27 ERA and 1.62 WHIP on the road, and he’s walked two batters and given up at least five hits in four consecutive starts. Last week, the Brewers bats came alive, averaging 6.3 runs over their previous six games and scoring at least nine runs in three of those six. It’s a Rowdy Tellez night.
Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners (Chris Flexen, RHP)
- Houston isn’t exploding off my sheet tonight as a stack, but I feel like you’ll only need a couple of their bats to turn a profit. Kyle Tucker (four-straight multi-hit games) and Yordan Alvarez (three home runs in the last four games) can cause the damage by themselves. However, I’m all for it if you want to toss in a discount hitter like Yuli Gurriel (hitting fifth) or Chas McCormick (seventh) to make it a bigger stack.
Value Bats
| Player | Position | Opponent | DK Salary | FD Salary |
| Mike Zunino | C | at OAK (Blackburn | $3,300 | $2,200 |
| Ryan Mountcastle | 1B | vs. MIN (Ryan) | $3,100 | $3,100 |
| Brendan Rodgers | 2B | vs. WAS (Fedde) | $3,400 | $2,600 |
| Jose Miranda | 3B | at BAL (Zimmermann) | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Alcides Escobar | SS | at COL (Marquez) | $3,400 | $2,700 |
| Tyler Naquin | OF | at MIL (Woodruff) | $3,600 | $2,800 |
| Whit Merrifield | 2B/OF | vs. STL (Hudson) | $3,700 | $2,700 |
| Austin Slater | OF | at LAD (Urias) | $2,700 | $2,400 |