Welcome to another day of MLB DFS here at Fantasy Alarm. This Thursday slate brings us four games over on DraftKings with their inclusion of the 7pm ET matchup between the Royals and White Sox while the FanDuel slate is just three games featuring only the 4pm ET start times. 

 

 

 

Small slates make for big chalk as we saw last night and when the chalk plays hit, they will be hard to beat but baseball is a sport where a 33% success rate is considered elite so there is always a chance to go contrarian and have it pay off in a big way.

This is also a slate where weather could be a factor as rain may cause a delay between the Pirates and Nationals while cooler weather may be factor in the other games on this slate.

That said, make sure to get your early lineups in on DraftKings and FanDuel as we present to you our MLB DFS picks for today, April 4th.

*Editor's Note: Make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel so you never miss a show! Also, join the Fantasy Alarm Discord to get your DFS lineup questions answered by our MLB DFS team! Plus, as always, be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, with the Daily MLB Projections, MLB DFS Rostership Projections, and our MLB DFS Lineup Generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting!

 

 

 

MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, April 4

MLB Weather Today, April 4

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals

  • Rain is in the area and could cause a pre-game delay, so make sure you are tuned in closer to roster lock for the latest updates.

MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

On small slates there are only so many players to choose from and more often than not the options aren't always the best. For this slate specifically however there are a handful of starting pitchers we can take a look at and ones that I would be willing to play even at high expected rostership. With hitting, as always, it's all about finding the right stack and matchups to target.  and see where the field is going to be going

Check out the MLB DFS Rostership Projections and see where the field is going to be going, take some of the chalk but find the lower rostered plays to build your lineups around.

I'd also suggest playing light when it comes to your bankroll. We have a nice full slate of games for Friday with better options when it comes to lineup builds and the slate will be far less of a coinflip. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options For Strikeouts

Best Odds For A Win

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins

Lopez had a great first season in Minnesota and followed that up with an impressive Opening Day start against the Royals where he tossed seven innings of one-run baseball with seven strikeouts. Lopez is a big favorite today, with his odds of picking up a win today sitting at +115 and the Twins themselves set as a -160 home favorite on the moneyline. 

Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals (DK Only)

Going to be uber chalk today over on DraftKings at his price tag and for good reason as the Royals take on the lowly Chicago White Sox. Lugo is coming off six shutout innings on Opening Day against the Minnesota Twins. The Royals are -175 on the moneyline and Lugo is +115 to get the win.

Lance Lynn, St. Louis Cardinals

Oh boy. For those of who you followed us last season you will remember that Lynn was one of our favorite punching bags after the veteran pitcher led baseball by allowing 44 home runs. Lefties really did the damage, as they owned a .384 wOBA and a .549 slugging percentage against him last season. 

We were fully expecting Lynn to get the hammer in his season debut against the Dodgers but instead he tossed four shutout innings while striking out five. He tossed just 70 pitches before being removed from the game. 

Knowing that Lynn is a workhorse I'd expect to see that pitch count rise today in a good spot against a Marlins team that has some punch to it but overall, really not that intimidating against right-handed pitching. Though a small sample size, Miami has a 24.6% strikeout rate while hitting just .207 against righties on the season.

Martin Perez, Pittsburgh Pirates

We've got a coinflip of a game here with the Pirates sitting as -115 moneyline favorites on the road against the -105 moneyline Washington Nationals. Last season we LOVED to stack the Nationals against left-handed pitching and long term that could again be the play this season as well but at least for now, on the super small sample size that we have, the Nationals just aren't hitting the ball all too well against lefties.

The Pirates just suffered their first loss of the season yesterday and will be looking to avenge that loss against Nationals starter Josiah Gray who has flashes of being a good starting pitcher but overall continues to struggle which included his Opening Day appearance against the Reds where he was shelled for seven runs on eight hits over four innings. Gray is just two seasons removed from allowing the most home runs in baseball and he allowed two in that start. 

I look for Perez to get the run support and if he can keep the damage to a minimum, be able to pay off the cheap price tag.

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Note: Run Totals from Vegas Odds

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Note: Will Be Updated as Official Starting Lineups Are Released

Oniel Cruz, SS Pittsburgh Pirates

Yes, strikeouts are still a problem, but the man hits the ball a mile when he does make contact and today's matchup against Josiah Gray presents a great opportunity for Cruz to put one over the fence. In Gray's lone start this season he allowed two homers to lefty Nick Martini of the Cincinnati Reds. 

He is also two seasons removed from leading the league in home runs allowed where 22 of the 38 homers were given up to left-handed hitters. On DraftKings he is also a bit cheaper than Bobby Witt if you need to save some money at the position.

Alex Kiriloff, 1B/OF Minnesota Twins

A statement that can be said about most Twins here is “play him while he's healthy” and that fits Kiriloff as well with the Twins often injured first basemen off to a hot start to his season where he is hitting .444 with one RBI and four runs scored. 

He hits second in the lineup and has a good matchup today against Guardians second-year pitcher Tanner Bibee who struggled in his debut start this season against the Oakland A's, getting tagged four three runs on six hits while walking five and striking out only four.

Jack Suwinski,  OF Pittsburgh Pirates

Going right back to the well here with Suwinski who was 44% rostered in single entry contests last night and did not disappoint, going 2-for-4 with a double, homer, two runs and one RBI. He has a ton of power in this matchup against Josiah Gray and his price tag on a short slate will likely make him pretty popular once again.

Trey Lipscomb, 3B Washington Nationals

Another value play on this slate that will help you spend up for pitching and some top hitters. Lipscomb has registered fantasy points in each game this season which included back-to-back games with two hits before yesterday's 0-for-3 outing. Assuming he is in the lineup again today I see no reason not to go back to the well here.

 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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