Memorial Day weekend is over, which means we are back to night games all around and more condensed contests for daily fantasy baseball. This means the choices for your lineup are plentiful and you have to make sure to grab the right players at each spot.
Here is a look at the best and worst options for Tuesday's contests.
Pitchers to Draft
Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants ($9,600)
Even though he is set to pitch in the hitter-friendly Miller Park, this is still great value for Madison Bumgarner considering the World Series MVP has cost at least $10,000 in each of his past five starts.
The Milwaukee Brewers have the worst batting average in the National League and will have a hard time getting too many hits against an elite pitcher like Bumgarner.
Jordan Zimmermann, Washington Nationals ($8,600)
The Chicago Cubs have a lot of quality young hitters, but they strike out more as a team than anyone else in baseball. This could lead to a big day for Jordan Zimmermann, who has a 2.08 ERA in four May starts after a shaky April.
Adding in his ability to keep the ball in the park (just two home runs allowed all season), Zimmermann should be able to handle the Cubs hitters.
Wandy Rodriguez, Texas Rangers ($6,100)
If he had his way, Wandy Rodriguez might never pitch another home game. He has pitched twice this year at Globe Life Park in Arlington and has two losses after allowing nine runs in nine innings. Things have gone much better on the road, however, accumulating a 2-0 record with a 1.40 ERA in four starts.
Although he struggled against the Cleveland Indians earlier this month, he has a chance for a much better day versus the lefty-heavy lineup.
Pitcher to Avoid
Jacob deGrom, New York Mets ($10,000)
There will be plenty of people looking to grab Jacob deGrom after the reigning Rookie of the Year put together his best start of the season last time out, finishing eight shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
The problem is his struggles against lefties this year. So far this season left-handed hitters are batting .296 against him with a .759 OPS, which is a big jump from his .173 and .459 against right-handed hitters.
Ben Revere, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and others could cause problems for deGrom from the left side of the plate Tuesday.
Hitters to Draft
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies ($5,000)
Over the last two games, Nolan Arenado has been on fire with seven hits, two home runs, seven RBI and a triple. There is no reason this should change against Cincinnati Reds starter Michael Lorenzen, who has been in and out of the rotation all year.
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds ($4,400)
The price is down because Joey Votto hasn't displayed much power lately and is facing a left-handed pitcher. However, he has actually fared better against southpaws this season (.319 batting average versus .275) and has a double in three straight games.
He should have plenty of success against Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa and his 6.51 ERA.
Daniel Murphy, 2B, New York Mets ($3,900)
After an awful start to the season, Daniel Murphy is finally turning things around. His .198 batting average in April was replaced by a .329 batting average in May, including a 9-for-17 mark over his past four games.
If he can add some power to his base hits, he could be a valuable addition to your team.
Hitter to Avoid
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies ($5,300)
This is a good game for a lot of hitters, but the cost is simply too great for Troy Tulowitzki at this time. The shortstop has gone through a bit of a slump while dealing with a quad injury and hasn't hit a home run since April.
There are better ways to spend your money in contests.
Team to Stack
Toronto Blue Jays
With some of the best power hitters in baseball, you always have a chance to get a lot of fantasy points with this team. The chances are even greater against the Chicago White Sox's inconsistent and wild John Danks.
Considering how well players like Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin have crushed left-handed pitchers this year, we could see a lot of long balls in this one.
Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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