Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Ideal Lineup Picks for May 7
You have to love Yoenis Cespedes in the DraftKings contests for the early major league baseball games on Thursday. The Detroit Tigers outfielder has had his way with Chicago White Sox starter Jose Quintana in his career.
In eight at-bats, Cespedes is hitting .750 with four home runs, a double and nine RBI. That includes a grand slam and a two-run home run back on April 19.
In total, it's a relatively small sample size to reference, but you'll rarely see that type of domination from a hitter over a specific pitcher. To add to the case for drafting Cespedes—and a few other Tigers for that matter—Quintana has struggled to a 5.28 ERA this season overall.
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For just $4,400, Cespedes could be one of the day's biggest values.
Because Quintana has had his issues this season and a number of Tigers have had rousing success against him, the Tigers-White Sox game got a lot of attention in my DraftKings lineup.
| P | Jake Arrieta | St. Louis | $9,500 |
| P | Edinson Volquez | Cleveland | $6,700 |
| C | Miguel Montero | St. Louis | $3,500 |
| 1B | Victor Martinez | Chicago White Sox | $4,400 |
| 2B | Addison Russell | St. Louis | $3,600 |
| 3B | Miguel Cabrera | Chicago White Sox | $5,400 |
| SS | Jhonny Peralta | Chicago Cubs | $3,600 |
| OF | Yoenis Cespedes | Chicago White Sox | $4,400 |
| OF | Chris Coghlan | St. Louis | $3,200 |
| OF | Rajai Davis | Chicago White Sox | $4,600 |
Miguel Cabrera ($5,400) at Chicago White Sox
We don't necessarily have to reference the batting average against a specific pitcher in Miguel Cabrera's case, but it helps. Cabrera is hitting .350 on the season with an OPS of 1.040. His consistency is pretty amazing, and he's still just 32 years old.
Against Quintana, Cabrera is hitting .348 with a home run in 23 at-bats. He's only struck out four times in 25 plate appearances. Cabrera is a safe pick on just about any day he's in action, but his success against Quintana makes it even easier to draft him on Thursday.
Jake Arrieta ($9,500) at St. Louis Cardinals
Jake Arrieta has been the most consistent pitcher the surprising Chicago Cubs have had all season. He hasn't gotten a ton of run support, but he's 3-2 with an ERA of 2.84, and he has a sparkling 1.04 WHIP.
His 31 strikeouts in 31.2 innings also screams fantasy point possibilities.
Arrieta has also had some success against the St. Louis Cardinals. Just two of the Cardinals' hitters have gotten the better of Arrieta in their careers, and that's Matt Adams (.417 batting average) and Jhonny Peralta (.316).
In total, the members of the Cardinals who have faced Arrieta are hitting just .180 in 111 at-bats. As the Cubs' official Twitter account points out, neither lefties nor righties are having a great deal of success against Arrieta.
Because of his stuff and his ability to handle St. Louis' hitters, Arrieta is my ace on the mound on Thursday.
Addison Russell ($3,600) at St. Louis Cardinals
Don't look now, but Chicago Cubs rookie Addison Russell has a nine-game hit streak. He's hitting .343 during that span and has raised his batting average to .260 after a slow start.
Russell looks a bit like a young Roberto Alomar at the plate, and he's begun to show off a little pop in his at-bats. In his last three games, Russell has collected four extra-base hits.
He looks more like a budding star with each passing game. Kris Bryant is garnering most of the attention, but Russell is making his mark as well.
For now, just drop Russell into your lineup and let your team benefit from his consistent growth.
Edinson Volquez ($6,700) vs. Cleveland Indians
Opposing hitters are hitting just .192 against Edinson Volquez this season, and he has struck out 27 men in 34.1 innings pitched. A lack of run support has led to a 1-2 record in his last three starts. During that span of time, he has allowed just four runs. On the season, Volquez's ERA is 2.10.
His WHIP is 0.93, and he has four quality starts in five outings this season. While not as inviting as Arrieta, Volquez has been a consistent fantasy performer when he takes the ball. If he produces his average of 20.7 fantasy points on Thursday, he'll have done his part toward pushing your DK lineup over the top.
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