Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Saturday, April 5th!

We’re diving into the action with a 7-game main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel, kicking off at 7:05 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 our 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: Saturday, 4/5

Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Mets

Rain is expected in the area most of the day.  This could lead to a possible delay or postponement.

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

We have quite a few viable pitching options for Saturday's slate. 

Spend up options including: Jacob deGrom and Robbie Ray.  We also have intriguing pay down options such as Griffin Canning, German Marquez and JP Sears.

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

deGrom looked like his old self in his first start of the season turning in an impressive stat line of 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K on 73 pitches.  The Rangers are also expected to increase his pitch limit in his second start.  

He faces the Tampa Bay Rays with a less than stellar lineup on Saturday.  deGrom is well worth his respective price tags on both FanDuel ($10,200) and DraftKings ($9,000) with his potential upside.

Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants

It was a mixed bag in Robbie Ray's first start of the season as he ended with a stat line of 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.  He flashed high-end upside until he gave up 2 HRs in the 6th inning.

If you like 'revenge game" narratives Ray could fit the bill as he faced his former team in the Seattle Mariners.  He has solid history against the Mariners hitters and offers some solid strikeout upside.  He will be expensive option and potential pivot off of Jacob deGrom on both DraftKings ($8,800) and FanDuel ($9,400)

Griffin Canning, New York Mets

Canning comes in as a potential value on both DraftKings ($6,800) and FanDuel ($7,300).  His price tag will not stay this low for long!  The Mets have worked on his pitch mix with improved results in both Spring Training and his first start of the season.  

He has a solid history against the Blue Jays hitters in the past.  Canning also posted 40 FanDuel points and 26.7 DraftKings points against Toronto in 2024.  

JP Sears, Athletics and German Marquez, Colorado Rockies 

It is very rare that you mention two pitchers in a game played at Coors Field.  However, both JP Sears and German Marquez look like potential pay down options. 

Sears has solid history against the Rockies hitters in the past and comes in at $7,500 on DraftKings and an even more intriguing price tag of $8,200 on FanDuel.

Marquez comes with more risk as he has only made six starts since the beginning of 2023.  He looked solid against a potent Phillies lineup in his first start of the season.  He has not faced many of these Athletics’ hitters before.  Typically that is an advantage in favor of the pitcher.  With price tags of $8,300 on FanDuel and $6,600 on DraftKings, he warrants some consideration for today's slate.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

There are a good amount of viable starting pitchers on today’s slate.  This allows us to get more creative with our stacks.  We will also be looking to buy low on some players who have been off to a slower start to the 2025 season.

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels

Schanuel is off to a solid start to the season hitting safely in five of six games.  He has two multi hit performances during this stretch.  The one downside to Schanuel has been his lack of power.

The good news is that he is 3 for 5 with 1 HR against Tanner Bibee, the expected starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians.  Schanuel offers a cheap bat with potential upside at $2,800 on FanDuel and $3,400 on DraftKings.

Jose Trevino, Cincinnati Reds

The former All-Star catcher appears to be off to a slow start to the season.  However, he is a cheap option on both FanDuel ($2,300) and DraftKings ($2,800).  He should return to the lineup after getting a day off on Friday

He is one of the few Reds hitters who has faced Elvin Rodriguez, the Brewers expected starting pitcher, in the past.  He is 2 for 2 with 1 HR vs Rodriguez in his career.  This appears to be a great buy low spot for Trevino.  Look to mix him into your Reds stacks today!

Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

Unfortunately Lindor is off to a slow start again in 2025.  However, he may be turning the corner as he is on a modest three game hitting streak.  He collected his first extra base hit of the season during Friday’s game and walked twice.  Lindor has also stolen a base in two of his last three games offering him a safer floor.

He has some decent history in the past against expected Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt.  He is 4 for 14 with 1 HR vs Bassitt in his career.  Buy the early season dip today with Lindor on both DraftKings ($5,700) and FanDuel ($3,600).

Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves 

Albies has had back to back multi hit games after a slow start to the season.  He is coming in at a reduced price tag of $4,500 on DraftKings and $3,300 on FanDuel.  

He enters a good spot on Saturday against Marlins expected starting pitcher Cal Quantrill.  He is 3 for 8 against Quantrill in his career.  Look for another big day out of Albies!

Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves 

Like many of the Braves hitters, Marcell Ozuna has been off to a slower start to the season.  On Friday he broke out in a big way with both his first HR and first multi hit game of the season.  Look for this momentum to carry into Saturday’s matchup against Marlins expected starting pitcher Cal Quantrill.  Ozuna is 1 for 2 in his brief history against Quantrill.  He is a more attractive option on DraftKings at a reduced price tag of $4,600.  His FanDuel price of $3,800 has remained relatively consistent throughout the season.

 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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