Welcome to Thursday’s MLB DFS Picks and Playbook! We have a travel day today for a handful of teams, so it's a lighter slate than most, but that also means we get day games, which is always great. 

 

 

 

The weather not being great today has put a bit of a damper on things, though. This slate definitely is riskier than most, with it being a smaller slate and weather threatening other games as well, but if you want to put a lineup today, you have come to the right place!  

Today we get early main slate with a 4-game slate starting at 12:20 PM; this was supposed to be a 5-game slate, but the Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers game has been postponed. This was the game with the top two pitchers of the slate as well, which changed things quite a bit. 

Hopefully, the weather cooperates for the other games, and we can still get a good 4 games today and can make some winning MLB DFS lineups, but we will have to keep a close eye on the weather! With that said, let’s jump right into today’s playbook and some of my favorite MLB DFS picks for today! 

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Check Out Today's MLB DFS Playbook Preview Show

MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, April 11

MLB Weather Today, 4/11

MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

The weather has changed everything today. I had written up both Tarik Skubal and Pablo Lopez as favorites today, but neither of them is an option, which makes us pivot. That does mean there will be more money to spend on the offensive side since those were the top 2 options on the slate. 

On the offensive side, some of my favorite lineups to target today include the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, and Kansas City Royals. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options For Strikeouts

Best Odds For A Win

 

 

 

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Postponed: Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

There are plenty of reasons to avoid this one: the Cincinnati Reds have a solid offense, the weather isn’t looking great, and Great American Ballpark is tough to pitch in. However, Freddy Peralta is an ace, and with Tarik Skubal and Pablo Lopez gone, he is by far the best pitcher on this slate, even with those concerns. He has huge strikeout stuff, and as long as this game happens, I will be shocked if he is not the top-scoring pitcher of the day. 

Jon Gray, Texas Rangers

The first two starts have not been dazzling for Jon Gray, who only went 3.2 innings in each of his first two starts with 5 combined strikeouts. That was against the Cubs and the Astros, and he now faces the Oakland Athletics, so I think we will see him get his first great outing of the year. I think we could see him go at least 5 innings today and still have the strikeout stuff to push 6+ pretty easily against this Oakland team. 

Hunter Brown, Houston Astros

He hasn’t been that great so far, but it was really just one terrible inning against Texas that crushed his numbers and other than that, he has still looked pretty good. Kansas City is still a decent place to pitch, even with the Royals' offense being much better than the last few years, but I am okay with going back to Hunter Brown today as a pitcher I really believe in.  

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Note: Will Be Updated as Official Starting Lineups Are Released

Jonah Heim, C Texas Rangers

Jonah Heim hit his first homer of the season on Tuesday and then followed it up with another two hits and two RBIs yesterday. He is a better hitter against lefties and has a good matchup against Sears today. This Rangers offense is so strong, and with Heim hitting in the middle of it, he is a great option at Catcher today, coming in at a reasonable price for the matchup he gets.

Postponed: Rhys Hoskins, 1B Milwaukee Brewers

Rhys Hoskins kicks off my Brewers love for the day. This weather is concerning me, though, so hopefully, this stack doesn’t get killed by that. I know he hasn’t done anything incredible yet this season, but he is looking solid at the plate for someone who hasn’t played since 2022. He gets to face Nick Martinez today in the best home run park in all of baseball in Cincinnati and is a great choice at first base.  

Postponed: Brice Turang, 2B Milwaukee Brewers

Going to another Brewer today at second base. Brice Turang, this season, is batting .353 with 7 steals and a homer already. While he isn’t going to keep that up all season, he has been locked in at the plate to start the year and is still incredibly cheap, so I am happy to ride the hot hand and pair him up with some of these other Brewers I like today in Great American Ballpark (aka Coors Lite). 

Postponed: Willy Adames, SS Milwaukee Brewers

I tried to find someone I liked better, so I wasn’t giving you three straight Brewers hitters as my favorites, but I don’t like anyone better than Willy and I am not going to give you a write-up on what I think is a worse option just to avoid being repetitive but be prepared to pivot with me if this game gets postponed. 

Willy Adames crushes right-handers, is hitting right in the heart of what has been a very productive offense so far and is cheaper than many of the other options today (many of which have much worse matchups), making him incredibly appealing. 

MJ Melendez, OF Kansas City Royals

MJ Melendez has been fantastic through his first 10 games this season, with a .333/.421/.727 slash line, which includes 3 homers and a steal. Hunter Brown is a pitcher I like, but if you aren't playing Brown, I think this young Royals team still has the potential to do some damage against him today. I think Melendez is coming in too cheap for how talented a hitter he is. 

 

 

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