Welcome to Monday! We have made it pretty much exactly a month into the season, and it has been a fun one so far! 

The White Sox managed to double their win total over the weekend by sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays, The Braves claimed the best record in baseball by beating the Guardians in two out of three, and the Marlins continued their skid yesterday after taking a 7-0 lead by the 2nd inning and blowing it to the Nationals. 

I am sure there will be more excitement for us this week, and hopefully, we can join in on it by building some winning MLB DFS lineups!

 

 

 

Today, we have a decent-sized slate for a Monday with a 9-game main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel getting underway at 7:07 PM ET.  There are no day games today, but that gives us plenty of time to ensure our lineups are perfect before locking them in! Let’s jump right into today’s playbook and some of my favorite MLB DFS picks for the day.

MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, April 29

MLB Weather Today, 4/29

There doesn’t appear to be anything concerning for the weather today.

MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

There aren’t many pitching options I love today. While I like Nick Lodolo, Ryan Pepiot, and Bryce Miller, their matchups and price today keep me from running to put them in my lineup compared to my favorites. 

Besides my favorites and those other three at the top end, there are also intriguing plays in Garrett Crochet, Jameson Taillon, and Bailey Falter that didn’t quite make my favorites but could be considered if you are interested in living in the cheaper end of pitching. 

On the offensive side, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers game provides my two favorite stacks of the day, with both having matchups that should turn that game into a slugfest. Some other offenses I would target today include the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options For Strikeouts

Best Odds For A Win

 

 

 

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins

I was in on Joe Ryan in his last outing as well, when he was the highest-priced pitcher on the slate, and it worked out just fine. He pitched 6 innings with 8 strikeouts, giving up 3 earned runs (2 homers are the only thing that killed him). I am absolutely willing to pay the price once again today. 

Sure, the White Sox just won three straight games, but I doubt it will be four. Joe Ryan easily has the best strikeout upside of anyone today and the best odds to get a win, making him worth the high price tag he comes with today. 

Max Fried, Atlanta Braves

Max Fried just pitched a complete-game shutout against the Miami Marlins. Yes, the Marlins are terrible, especially against lefties, but the Mariners haven’t been a whole lot better. They strike out more than the Marlins do, so even if/when he doesn’t go another 9 innings, it should easily come with at least 6 strikeouts again. 

The Braves always give you great win potential, even when having to face another quality pitcher like Bryce Miller. I am sure Fried will get back to being more like a 22-25% strikeout guy in no time, and even without the strikeouts, we have now seen three solid outings in a row. 

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies

The last outing wasn’t great. He went only 3 innings with 3 strikeouts. A lot of that was due to bad luck, though, with 4 unearned runs. I am not worried about it, and I think this start against the Angels should look a lot more like the previous two starts, where he went 6 innings and struck out 6 and 10 batters, respectively. 

His main problem in his last outing was the slider wasn’t working as he didn’t get a single swing and miss with it. If the slider is working again with his excellent changeup, he should have no problem shutting down the Angels. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Core MLB DFS Hitters

*Note: Will Be Updated As Official Starting Lineups Are Released

Christian Walker, 1B Arizona Diamondbacks

Chrisitan Walker had another two hits, a double and a homer, in yesterday’s game. This is his second game with multiple hits and a homer over his last five (over which he has at least a hit in every game). 

James Paxton’s 2.61 ERA is completely fraudulent. It comes with a 1.55 WHIP, a -6.7 K-BB%; yes, that is NEGATIVE 6.7%. His xERA is 5.33, and his FIP is 5.84. He is bound to hit some regression if he continues to pitch like this, and I would bet on Walker and the Diamondbacks giving it to him. 

Ketel Marte, 2B Arizona Diamondbacks

So, remember everything I just said about James Paxton? Now, let’s combine that with the fact that Ketel Marte has a 1.104 OPS against lefties this season. Looking at Paxton’s 11.3% strikeout rate against right-handed hitters combined with Marte’s 7.7% strikeout rate against lefties means Paxton does not have a good chance to get Marte out today. If you are paying somewhere on offense today, you should consider it being Marte at second base. 

Mookie Betts, 2B/SS Los Angeles Dodgers

If you aren’t paying up for Ketel Marte today, it should probably be because you can’t afford him after spending the money on Mookie Betts. I am betting over 10 runs on this matchup today. I think both sides of this game could score 10 runs on their own.

Tommy Henry had a decent outing in his last start going 6 innings against the Cardinals with 6 strikeouts and only giving up one run. I don’t think he can recreate that against the Dodgers. I don’t really need to sell you on how great Mookie Betts is, but he has 12 hits in his last 5 games and continues to lead the majors in OPS. 

Brandon Marsh, OF Philadelphia Phillies

Brandon Marsh continues to prove that he isn’t just a defense-only outfielder. He has an .880 OPS on the season, along with 6 homers and 3 steals, in what has been a great opening month for him. He also has found himself in the sixth spot of the Phillies lineup most days lately. 

He strikes out a ton, but when it comes with a .291 batting average as well as some power you can live with the strikeouts. While I think Griffin Canning will be better than his 7.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP he has to start the season, I am not shying away from stacking hitters against him, especially within a lineup as good as the Phillies. 

 

 

 

Player Pool

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