MLB DFS Expert Survey: Friday, May 1st

by Andy Means (meansy53) Last Updated 2026-05-01 22:16:34 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Our panel of experts is here to give you their insights on MLB DFS today for the 5/1 main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. They’re here to answer key questions that will assist you in making those crucial lineup-building decisions. Curious to know Dean’s favorite sneaky stack? Or perhaps you’re wondering about CheeseIsGood’s top overall pitcher? Read their thoughts below!

MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Expert Survey for Friday, May 1

Who is your favorite hitter to spend up for in cash games?

CheeseIsGood: Ozzie Albies
ebeimfohr: Ronald Acuna Jr.
boggslite: Ronald Acuna Jr.
Dean78904: Ronald Acuna Jr.

Who is your favorite hitter to spend up for in large-field tournaments?

CheeseIsGood: Jose Ramirez (FD) / George Springer (DK)
ebeimfohr: Jose Ramirez
boggslite: Jose Ramirez
Dean78904: Munetaka Murakami

What is your preferred tournament format (e.g. large-field, single-entry) to play on this slate? How do you plan to beat that field of opponents? What tactic or strategy will set you apart?

CheeseIsGood: I prefer small-field tournaments tonight, where we should get a bigger edge from fading the Braves. It’s not that the Braves aren’t the top offense on the slate, but the sites did a good-enough job with the salaries that they can be beaten in DFS even if they score 10-12 runs. My favorite pivots are the Dodgers and Blue Jays. In most lineups, I will not have overly chalky offense, so I’m not going to overthink it at pitcher, using Cole Ragans as the discounted SP1 and then spending up for SP2 on DK where salary allows.

ebeimfohr: I will be focusing on smaller-field, single-entry style of tournaments, as I usually tend to do, but with a slightly different strategy than usual. The top pitchers include some just mediocre matchups and Zack Wheeler in just his second start back from injury. There’s quite a bit of variance in Wheeler and co., so I am getting more off the beaten path at pitcher on both sites as my key differentiator.

boggslite: Large-field tournaments – While there is no shortage of quality pitchers to pay up for, my preference is to save some salary at the position in order to load up on bats. Cole Ragans, Shane McClanahan, and Emmet Sheehan fit that mold for me, with their matchups and reasonable prices. Atlanta is my top overall stack, but I won’t go all-in on them and will instead spread my exposure to some stacks that will likely have lower ownership, like Cleveland, Colorado, and Houston.

Dean78904: I mostly focus on single-entry and smaller-field tournaments. I know he has been shaky at times, but I’m likely to play Cole Ragans in every lineup I make. I’m also OK not pairing him with Zack Wheeler on DK if Wheeler’s current pOWN% holds, and Joey Cantillo is my favorite DK pivot. I am in on the slate’s “obvious” offenses: Braves, Yankees, Mets, Guardians. As a way to be different, my main lineup very likely won’t be a 4-4 or 5-3 stack, as a 3-3-2 or 4-2-1-1 type of iteration would give me a different shuffle.

Who is your favorite pitcher (when considering price, matchup, projected ownership, etc.) on the board and why?

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