Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Friday, April 4th!

We’re diving into the action with a 7-game main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel, kicking off at 6:45 PM ET. With a packed day of baseball ahead, our expert analysis is here to guide you through the top pitchers, value plays, and stackable offenses to target.

Whether you’re hunting for GPP glory or locking in cash game success, we’ve got tailored insights to help you conquer today’s matchups. Let’s dive into the key plays and strategies to dominate the slate!

 

 

 

This season's MLB DFS picks and playbook will consist of a pitcher and hitter core players section with written analysis, player pool grid and core stacks section.

The core player section should be used as a starting point for all lineups, you may not be able to use all players in the same lineup, but those players should be the building blocks for you on a given night.

The player pool grid will feature both players from the core player section along with additional plays to help you build a complete lineup. The grid will be broken into top priced players, mid-priced players and value tier players.

The stacks section will bring you are favorite lineups stacks for the day and which players we would look to include in those stacks based on matchups and pricing.

There will also be a daily MLB DFS Show with a variety of hosts ranging from myself, Jon Impemba, Howard Bender, and James Grande. The MLB DFS Show will give you an initial outlook on the day's MLB DFS slate and should give you a good base for the start of your research each day! 

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 & MLB Playbook

MLB Weather: Friday, 4/4

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Philadelphia Phillies

  • A little light rain is possible, but likely nothing to be concerned about. 

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Washington Nationals

  • Rain a little more likely than in Philadelphia, but still probably not heavy enough to impact play. 

Baltimore Orioles vs Kansas City Royals

  • The highest risk of precipitation this evening comes in Kansas City, where temps are also expected to be in the 40s. The rain alone is likely not heavy enough to cause problems, but added with the colder temps, there is some slight risk of postponement. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

We have a few more viable options than we did on yesterday's small slate, but this is still not the strongest of pitching slates. 

We have Spencer Schwellenbach appropriately priced-up as the most expensive pitcher on the slate, a Dodgers stud in a tough matchup, and then a few mid-range options that have some upside. 

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves

Schwellenbach had a strong rookie campaign for the Braves last season, and he followed that up with a strong first start to begin this season -- 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K -- against a strong Padres offense. 

The Marlins are expected to roll out five hitters who have struck out more than 29% of the time since the beginning of last season, which gives Schwellenbach the elite upside we need at this price tag. He is also the biggest favorite (-250) on the slate, so we have a good chance of securing some win points.

The honor of most expensive pitcher on the slate is well-deserved today given his elite matchup with the Marlins.  

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers

Yamamoto is arguably the most talented pitcher on the slate, but he gets a difficult matchup with the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park today. The Phillies ranked 4th in wOBA and struck out at just 19.4 percent last season. 

Yamamoto has picked up right where he left off last season, with two strong starts to begin the 2025 campaign. He struck out 10 Tigers in just 5 innings his last time out and saw his pitch count rise to 91 pitches. He has the raw stuff to dominate any matchup, so I wouldn't let the difficult matchup scare me away. 

Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies

In almost any other matchup, Luzardo would be chalk at his price tag after striking out 11 Nationals in his season debut. He has a track record of being an elite strikeout pitcher prior to his injury-riddled 2024 season, and it was nice to see him get off to a great start. 

I don't anticipate picking on the Dodgers all too often this season, but I think it is viable today. Freddie Freeman remains on the IL, so that is at least one fewer elite bat Luzardo will have to deal with. 

Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians

Williams has not quite lived up to his billing as one of the very best pitching prospects in baseball just a couple seasons ago, but he is still a talented arm that has plenty of upside in a plus matchup with the Angels. 

The Guardians righty threw just 74 pitches in his first start of the season, but I think we can expect him to be closer to 90 pitches in his second start. 

Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks

Pfaadt was solid in his first start of the season, allowing three runs and striking out five in six innings against the Cubs. He threw 78 pitches and should see a bump from that number today. 

His matchup today comes against a Nationals team that is expected to be below average this season.  

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

No team has an implied run total above five runs tonight, but we do have several above four runs. The Braves and Diamondbacks lead the slate from a run scoring expectation, with the Rangers and Brewers close behind them. 

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

Marte has been a huge force in the middle of the D-backs lineups for several years now. His eligibility at a weak 2B position and a solid matchup makes him a priority for me. Marte has a .385 wOBA through seven games this season after posting a .391 wOBA last year. 

The matchup against Jake Irvin and a bad Washington bullpen is a plus factor as well. Irvin turned in a solid season last year, but he still allowed a .208 ISO to lefties last season. 

Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks

Carroll seems to be well past whatever plagued him to begin last season. He had a fantastic second-half for the Diamondbacks and is off to a good start this season. He has three extra-base hits in seven games, including one long ball. He has yet to swipe a bag this season, but he racked up 89 swipes over the past two seasons. 

The same positive matchup factors for Marte apply to Carroll as a fellow D-backs lefty.  

Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

Seager has dealt with calf soreness and is off to a slow start to begin the season. The slow start matters very little as Seager has cemented himself as one of the best hitters in the league. If he is healthy enough for the Rangers to put him into their lineup, I comfortable putting him into DFS lineups. 

Rays righty Zach Littell has traditional splits, striking out just 20.2 percent of lefties and surrendering a .170 ISO. 

Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves 

Riley and the Braves are still looking for their first win of 2025. They have had a dreadful start to the season as they opened the year on a west coast trip where they had take on two of baseball's best teams in the Padres and Dodgers. They get a much better matchup at home against the Marlins tonight. Riley has posted a .361 wOBA or better in each of the last four seasons. He should be just fine and comes at a discounted price thanks to the slow start. 

Michael Harris, Atlanta Braves 

Speaking of discounted prices, Braves leadoff hitter Michael Harris is priced at just $3,500 on DK and $2,900 on FD. Harris took a step back for the second straight season last year, falling short of the lofty expectations he set after an incredible rookie campaign in 2022. He is off to a slow start like the rest of his teammates, but a home matchup against the Marlins could be the ticket to get them on track. 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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