MLB DFS Picks & Playbook For Today’s Games: Saturday, April 27

Welcome to another day of MLB DFS here at Fantasy Alarm. We get a solid 7-game main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel kicking off at 7:10 PM EST.

This is a very interesting slate as we don’t really have many clear-cut pitchers to stack against. We dodged a bullet with the Mexico City game between the Astros and Rockies taking place before this slate, but it should be a fun game to watch with 17 runs expected due to the elevation that exceeds even Coors Field.

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, 4/27

Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox

There are some showers in the area but they are not expected to be much of a factor.

MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

This slate offers a variety of solid options for pitchers. The top-priced option is Dylan Cease, who is in a bit of a tougher matchup with the Phillies, but Aaron Civale should be the chalk as he takes on a terrible Chicago White Sox team.

In terms of stacking, my favorite team is the Braves, to no surprise. The team continues to dominate and Tanner Bibee may be a talented pitcher, but the Braves are on another level offensively.

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

• Dylan Cease (7.5 Ks +125) vs Philadelphia Phillies
• Jose Soriano (6.5 Ks +110) vs Minnesota Twins
• Carlos Rodon (5.5 Ks -160) vs Milwaukee Brewers
• Aaron Civale (5.5 Ks +105) vs Chicago White Sox

Best Odds for a Win

• Aaron Civale vs. Chicago White Sox
• George Kirby vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• Charlie Morton vs. Cleveland Guardians

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres

Dylan Cease has looked amazing this year, with quality starts in his last four outings. He holds a 1.82 ERA, .74 WHIP, and has struck out at least six batters in all five starts. He has not played against the best teams, but he has only given up more than two hits in one start this year and continues to produce in the way of fantasy points.

The Phillies will be more of a test than the teams he has played, ranking in the top 10 in wOBA at .316 while holding a 21.7% strikeout rate. Cease is on the road and has slightly worse odds of recording a win than Ranger Suarez, but he’s looked great. I find myself more likely to pay down for Aaron Civale, but when making multiple lineups, I do like some exposure to Dylan Cease.

Aaron Civale, Tampa Bay Rays

Aaron Civale is in a great spot here against the struggling Chicago White Sox. He ran into some trouble in his last start against the Yankees, walking five batters and allowing five runs, but they are a much better offensive team than the White Sox. Outside of the home runs he has allowed in all but his last start, he hasn’t allowed a lot of damage and has found eight strikeouts in two of his last four starts.

Zach Eflin was cruising in Friday’s game until he gave up a terrible home run in the sixth. Chicago ranks dead last in almost every offensive category against right-handed pitching while holding the ninth-highest strikeout rate at 24.3%. Civale has thrown over 100 pitches in his last two starts and I don’t see him getting into any trouble in this matchup, and his win equity cannot be ignored.

Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees

Carlos Rodon hasn’t been amazing, but he has been good this year in the value tier. He had trouble in his first two starts but those were against two of the best offensive teams against left-handed pitching in the Astros and Diamondbacks. He’s only striking out 19.1% of batters, down from 33% a few years ago, but we know he has the talent to get there. 

The Brewers rank in the bottom six with a .284 wOBA while holding the fifth-highest strikeout rate at 25.9%. Rodon has only tallied six strikeouts once this season but it should be in the cards in this matchup. The glaring issue with Rodon is he is walking 11.3% of batters and Milwaukee holds the highest walk rate at 14.1%.

Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels

Jose Soriano draws one of the best matchups for right-handed pitchers against the Minnesota Twins. Soriano was working out of the bullpen but has since made three starts and struck out at least six in each. He has not yet recorded a win but he will have ceiling strikeout potential in this game.

The Twins rank 25th with a .294 wOBA against right-handed pitching and fifth with a 26.5% strikeout rate. They do have some bats like Edouard Julien that can do damage but with a .206 team batting average and Soriano’s 25% strikeout rate, he should have an edge.

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals  

• Tampa Bay Rays (5.3) vs Chicago White Sox
• Atlanta Braves (4.9) vs Cleveland Guardians
• New York Yankees (4.6) vs Milwaukee Brewers
• San Francisco Giants (4.5) vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Note: Will Be Updated as Official Starting Lineups Are Released

Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners

Following a very slow start to his season, Julio Rodriguez is off and running. Over his last nine games, he has seven multi-hit games and double-digit DK points in all but two. He has only hit one home run so far but with the way he is hitting, he is due for more.

One of the problems is just how bad the Mariners lineup has been as a whole. As a team, they hold a 28.4% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching which can hurt his overall fantasy production. His upside far outweighs his price tag and I have no issues playing him while he continues to pour in hits.

Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves

Over his career, Ozzie Albies has been a better hitter against left-handed arms, but he’s great against both and holds a .190 ISO against righties on the year. His ability to hit from both sides makes him a great play on essentially every slate, but especially today as we have seen his price on DraftKings discounted by 15%. 

He hits in the top half of the stacked Braves lineup which is projected for the second most runs on the slate at 4.9. He has hits in nine straight games and recorded a double and RBI in his first game back from injury. Albies is a guy we were willing to play at his previous price tag but now with the huge discount, he’s that much more appealing.

Jose Caballero, SS, Tampa Bay Rays

Jose Caballero has been one of the only bright spots in the Tampa Bay Rays lineup. He has hits in four of his last five games, including a home run and two steals. The Rays have been largely disappointing, especially with the continued struggles of Randy Arozarena who is batting .153 on the season.

The Rays have the highest implied team total today at 5.3 and Caballero is a solid value option to get exposure to that. He doesn’t have a ton of power so expecting another home run would be wishful thinking, but his stolen base potential carries his value. He stole 26 bases in 104 games last year and has nine on the season.

Trevor Larnach, OF, Minnesota Twins

While I do like Jose Soriano in this matchup, Trevor Larnach has been a very good value option in the Twins lineup. He’s coming off two multi-hit games, including a home run, and has tallied four RBI in his last five games. The Twins really struggle against right-handed arms but Larnach is very cheap and has looked good.

In 2023, he held a .210 ISO against righties and his strikeout rate is down from 34% to 21.4%. He has only played eight games in 2024 so it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t run into strikeout woes again, but the power is there and for the price tag, he provides solid upside.

Player Pool

• DraftKings
• FanDuel

$ Tier	SP	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	OF
High	Dylan Cease $10,500	William Contreras $4,100	Bryce Harper $3,600	Ketel Marte $3,700	José Ramírez $4,000	Trea Turner $3,500	Ronald Acuña $4,200
	Aaron Civale $10,100		Matt Olson $3,700	Ozzie Albies $4,000	Manny Machado $3,300		Juan Soto $4,300
	Ranger Suárez $9,800						Julio Rodríguez $3,400
							Marcell Ozuna $4,100
Medium	Carlos Rodón $8,900	Cal Raleigh $3,000	Rhys Hoskins $3,200	Xander Bogaerts $2,900	Alec Bohm $3,600	Ha-Seong Kim $3,300	Michael Harris $3,300
		Ryan Jeffers $3,300	Alex Kirilloff $2,800		Oswaldo Cabrera $2,900	Anthony Volpe $3,000	Jorge Soler $3,000
							Bryan Reynolds $3,100
							Blake Perkins $3,100
Low	José Soriano $8,100	Luis Campusano $2,600	Wilmer Flores $2,400	Edouard Julien $3,300	Danny Mendick $2,200	José Caballero $3,100	Joc Pederson $2,900
					Josh Rojas $2,500	Kevin Newman $2,200	Trevor Larnach $2,600
							Pavin Smith $2,400
							Jarred Kelenic $2,400
							Eloy Jiménez $2,800

Stacks

Braves	Ozzie Albies	Marcell Ozuna	Michael Harris
DraftKings	4800	5500	4900
Fanduel	4000	4100	3300

Mariners	Cal Raleigh	Josh Rojas	Julio Rodríguez
DraftKings	4100	3100	5300
Fanduel	3000	2500	3400

Diamondbacks	Ketel Marte	Joc Pederson	Kevin Newman
DraftKings	5500	4100	3200
Fanduel	3700	2900	2200

Yankees	Juan Soto	Anthony Volpe	Aaron Judge
DraftKings	6300	4800	6100
Fanduel	4300	3000	3900