MLB DFS Picks & Playbook For Today’s Games: Saturday, April 20

Welcome to another day of MLB DFS here at Fantasy Alarm. We get a solid 8-game main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel kicking off at 1:05 PM EST.

This slate has an assortment of solid pitchers to choose from and a ton of hitters in favorable matchups. Luckily the Rockies play in the evening so we will not have to deal with factoring Coors Field into our builds.

With that being said, let’s dive into the slate and see what we can find for top spends and value plays. 

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MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook 

MLB Weather: Today, 4/20

We have no real weather concerns to worry about.

MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

This slate offers a lot of solid options at pitcher, with my favorite being the top-priced Zac Gallen. There are interesting options at each value tier which will give lineup construction plenty of possibilities, but some decisions will have to be made.

In terms of stacking, my favorite teams are the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees. The Cubs were initially my favorite but they are resting some players in the early game since they will play again tonight, making them a little less appealing, but still an option while they rank first in both wOBA and ISO against left-handed pitchers on the season.

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

• Mitch Keller (6.5 Ks +100) vs Boston Red Sox
• Reese Olson (6.5 Ks +120) vs Minnesota Twins
• Bailey Ober (6.5 Ks +125) vs Detroit Tigers
• Jesus Luzardo (5.5 Ks -130) vs Chicago Cubs

Best Odds for a Win

• Zac Gallen vs. San Francisco Giants
• Gavin Stone vs. New York Mets
• Ronel Blanco vs. Washington Nationals

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks

Zac Gallen is the most expensive pitcher on the slate and the best option. He has a 1.64 ERA with a 3-0 record through four starts and has yet to give up a home run. He’s faced some soft lineups this season in the Rockies and Cardinals, but the Giants are not intimidating.

They sit in the middle of the league in both wOBA and strikeout rate at .307 and 22.8% respectively. Gallen has struck out at least six batters in his last three outings and has built-in win equity while playing for the Diamondbacks.

Kutter Crawford, Boston Red Sox

Kutter Crawford has been fantastic to start the season. He has allowed three or fewer hits in all four starts this year and has only allowed a single earned run while striking out at least six batters.  His only real drawback to this point is that through four starts he has yet to record a win.

This matchup against the Pirates is interesting as they hold both the 13th-highest wOBA at .313 and the 13th-highest strikeout rate at 22.9%. The Pirates do have some power-hitters in the lineup but Crawford has not given up a home run to this point and should be in line for another solid outing.

Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs

Javier Assad has pitched well this season, cruising to a 2-0 record with a 2.16 ERA. Sure, two of those starts were against bad lineups in the Rockies and Mariners, but he’s been effective enough to play. He is averaging six strikeouts per game while allowing only four hits. 

Assad has given up a home run in two straight starts, but outside of those he has been good at limiting the damage. The Marlins have some strong bats on the roster, but they currently sit in the bottom ten in wOBA while holding a 22.6% strikeout rate against right-handed arms. If his price tag keeps climbing, he may become less appealing but for the moment, the fantasy points he has been producing give him good value.

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates

While Boston did just hang runs against the Pirates, Mitch Keller is a much better pitcher than Quinn Priester. He did struggle in his first two starts, but he has since put together two solid outings only allowing two runs each while picking up two wins. 

Against right-handed pitchers, Boston ranks 22nd in wOBA at .296 and 7th with a 25.5% strikeout rate. Boston does have several lefties that can give Keller trouble, namely Tristan Casas, but without Rafael Devers in the lineup, he can have a solid night. He struck out nine batters against the Tigers and could produce similar results considering how often the Red Sox strike out.

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals  

• Los Angeles Dodgers (5.6) vs New York Mets
• Houston Astros (5.2) vs Washington Nationals
• St. Louis Cardinals (4.5) vs Milwaukee Brewers
• Chicago Cubs (4.4) vs Miami Marlins

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Note: Will Be Updated as Official Starting Lineups Are Released

Triston Casas, 1B, Boston Red Sox

Triston Casas has been crushing the baseball, with four home runs in his last seven games. With both Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill injured, Casas is far and away the best hitter in the Red Sox lineup. Going back to 2023 he maintains a higher ISO against left-handed pitchers, but he has maintained an ISO above .200 against right-handed arms at the same time.

Mitch Keller is a fine pitcher but he can give up some damage to the left side of the plate. Going back to last season, he is allowing higher than a .450 SLG to lefties and 16 of his 25 home runs allowed last year came from lefties. 

Nico Hoerner, 2B, Chicago Cubs

Nico Hoerner has had a very slow start to his year but it looks like he may have turned the corner. He’s had multi-hit games in three of his last four, including three extra-base hits and three RBIs. It’s hard to believe he has not yet stolen a base considering he tallied 43 last season, but he is always a threat to run.

Jesus Luzardo has been struggling for the Marlins, allowing a home run in all four starts and five or more runs in his last two. Lefties have been doing most of the damage this season but he righties have historically hit him better.

Amed Rosario, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

Amed Rosario may not be flashy, but he’s currently hitting .333 on the year and riding a 9-game hit streak. Over that stretch, he’s recorded two home runs, five multi-hit games, and driven in seven runs. He doesn’t generally hit for power, but he does carry a career .170 ISO against left-handed arms.

In a small sample size of 10 plate appearances against Nestor Cortes, Rosario has two home runs, two doubles, and three walks. We of course cannot put a ton of stock into this stat, but combined with how well he is hitting the ball, he’s an interesting play down in the mid-tier.

Juan Soto, OF, New York Yankees

Juan Soto is off to a great start in New York, batting .347 with five home runs, 20 RBI, and 1.068 OPS. He’s an elite hitter and with Aaron Judge hitting right behind him, he always has a high fantasy ceiling.

Zach Eflin has been very up and down this season, allowing more than five runs in two of his four starts. He’s been primarily beaten up by righties, allowing a .532 SLG on the year, but Soto has done well against him throughout his career. In 31 plate appearances, he is batting .440 with two home runs and two doubles. Eflin has given up four home runs in four starts and there is a good chance Soto and the Yankees do some damage to him.

Player Pool

• DraftKings
• FanDuel

$ Tier	SP	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	OF
High	Zac Gallen $10,600	Will Smith $3,300	Pete Alonso $3,600	Ketel Marte $3,700	Max Muncy $3,400	Mookie Betts $4,500	Juan Soto $4,300
	Ronel Blanco $9,300	William Contreras $3,800		Jose Altuve $4,100			Yordan Alvarez $4,100
							Kyle Tucker $3,700
							Shohei Ohtani $4,300
							Jazz Chisholm $3,100
Medium	Kutter Crawford $9,200	Gabriel Moreno $2,500	Christian Walker $3,600	Nico Hoerner $2,700	Triston Casas $3,100	CJ Abrams $3,500	Lourdes Gurriel $3,600
	Javier Assad $8,900	Yainer Diaz $3,000	Rhys Hoskins $3,100	Amed Rosario $2,900	Eugenio Suárez $2,900	Anthony Volpe $3,300	Kerry Carpenter $2,600
	Mitch Keller $9,000				Alex Bregman $2,800	Dansby Swanson $2,900	Riley Greene $3,100
					Christopher Morel $3,100		Brandon Nimmo $3,200
Low	Nestor Cortes $8,000	Miguel Amaya $2,300	Alex Kirilloff $2,800	Brice Turang $3,300	Oliver Dunn $2,600	José Caballero $2,800	Sal Frelick $3,100
				Colt Keith $2,500	Oswaldo Cabrera $3,100		Randal Grichuk $2,600
							Chas McCormick $2,700
							Blake Perkins $3,100
							DJ Stewart $2,800

Stacks

Diamondbacks	Ketel Marte	Lourdes Gurriel	Gabriel Moreno	Christian Walker
DraftKings	5500	5000	3900	4900
Fanduel	3700	3600	2500	3600

Cubs	Garrett Cooper	Nico Hoerner	Christopher Morel	Cody Bellinger	Yan Gomes
DraftKings	4200	4100	4300	4800	3100
Fanduel	2300	2700	3100	2900	2200

Astros	Jose Altuve	Alex Bregman	Yordan Alvarez
DraftKings	5100	4200	5600
Fanduel	4100	2800	4100

Yankees	Juan Soto	Anthony Volpe	Aaron Judge
DraftKings	6000	4600	6100
Fanduel	4300	3300	3900