MLB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Saturday Playbook

Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Saturday, April 19th!

We’re diving into the action with a 11-game main slate on DraftKings and 8-game main slate on FanDuel, kicking off at 1:05 PM ET on DraftKings and 3:07 ET on FanDuel. 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, 4/19

Cleveland Guardians vs Pittsburgh Pirates

• Chance of rain/thunderstorms in the early afternoon.  Should be clear prior to first pitch, but could have some additional rain here and there.

Washington Nationals vs Colorado Rockies

• After a postponement last night, there is a chance of snow/rain again in the morning.  Warmer weather is expected prior to first pitch, so it appears likely that they will play today.

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

With a larger Saturday main slate on both sites, we have a handful of pitching options.

Paul Skenes and Garrett Crochet lead the charge in terms of high upside spend up options.  Kodai Senga, Hunter Greene and Logan Gilbert look like solid options for their respective price tags.  On DraftKings, both Ben Brown and Taijuan Walker are intriguing pay down options as well.

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates  - DraftKings $10,800 | FanDuel $10,600

Skenes has picked up where he left off after a strong rookie campaign.  He enter’s Saturday with 2.96 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 26 Ks in 24.1 IP.  He offers clear high end upside on any slate that he pitches.

He enters this matchup with the Cleveland Guardians with no history against their hitters in the past.  Typically this favors the pitcher.  Look for a big performance out of Skenes on Saturday.

Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox - DraftKings $10,500 | FanDuel $11,200

Crochet is off to a strong start to the 2025 Season.  He enter’s Saturday with 1.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 28 Ks in 26 IP.  Much like Skenes, he offers clear high end upside on any slate that he pitches.

If you like 'revenge game" narratives, Crochet could fit the bill as he faces his former team in the Chicago White Sox.  He faced the White Sox in his most recent start and finished with a dominant 39.3 DraftKings Points. 

Kodai Senga, New York Mets - DraftKings $9,100 | FanDuel $9,500

After an injury plagued 2024 season, Senga has returned to form to start the 2025 Season.  He enters Saturday with 1.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 16 Ks in 17 IP.  Look for his strikeout rate to improve as the season moves along.

He faces a St. Louis Cardinals lineup that he has fared well against in the past.  Look for a big day out of Senga, especially if he is on top of his “ghost” forkball on Saturday.

Taijuan Walker, Philadelphia Phillies - DraftKings $7,300

Walker is my favorite value pitcher on Saturday’s slate.  He is coming off a rough start against the San Francisco Giants.  However, he finished with at least 15 DraftKings points in his first two starts of the season.

Walker has good history against the Marlins hitters that he has faced in the past, other than Otto Lopez.  Please note Walker is only on DraftKings, as the Phillies vs Marlins game is not included on the FanDuel Main Slate.

Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs - DraftKings $7,600 

Brown is coming off an excellent start against a potent Dodgers lineup, where he posted 6 IP 0 ER 0 BB 5 Ks.  If he is able to limit walks once again, he offers some solid upside.

He faces a Diamondbacks lineup that appears solid on paper.  However, Brown had a solid start against them in 2024 finishing with 17.7 DraftKings points.  Please note Brown is only on DraftKings, as the Cubs vs Diamondbacks game is not included on the FanDuel Main Slate.

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals - DraftKings $4,100

It has been a slow start to the year for Salvador Perez.  However, he has collected a hit in 6 of his last 8 games.  The bad news is that he has 0 multi games and 1 HR during that time span.

The good news is that he is 12 for 25 with 1 HR against Casey Mize, the expected starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.  Please note Perez is only on DraftKings, as the Tigers vs Royals game is not included on the FanDuel Main Slate.

Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays - DraftKings $5,000 | FanDuel $2,800

Brandon Lowe once again looks like a boom/bust option for Saturday’s slate.  He has hit safely in 8 of his last 10 games started.  However, Lowe has only 1 multi hit game and 1 HR during this stretch.

Lowe is 4 for 10 with 2 HRs against Yankees expected starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.  He looks like a core play, whether that is as a one-of play or in a Tampa Bay Rays stack!

Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays - DraftKings $4,200 | FanDuel $2,700

After a slow start to the season, Yandy Diaz has turned the corner as of late.  He has at least one hit in 6 of his last 8 games.  This includes 3 multi hit games and 2 HRs during that stretch.

He has done well against Yankees expected starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco in the past.  He is 2 for 3 against Carrasco in his career.  Look for another strong performance out of Diaz and the Rays on Saturday!

Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox - DraftKings $4,300 | FanDuel $2,900

Story is one of my favorite values for Saturday’s slate.  He has hit safely in 7 of his last 8 games.  This includes 5 multi hit games and 3 HRs during that stretch.

He has a good history in the past against expected White Sox starting pitcher Shane Smith.  He is 2 for 3 vs Smith in his career.  Look for Trevor Story to continue his hot streak on Saturday!

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees - DraftKings $6,400 | FanDuel $4,700

Judge is off to a strong start to the 2025 season posting .384 BA, 7 HR and 22 RBI.  He has hit safely in 6 of his last 7 games.  He has 4 multi hit games and 1 HR during that stretch.

Aaron Judge is 2 for 6 with 1 HR against expected Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz.  The two-time AL MVP should be included as a solid one-of play on Saturday.

Player Pool

• DraftKings
• FanDuel

$ Tier	SP	1B	2B	3B	SS	OF
High	Garrett Crochet $11,200	Pete Alonso $4,400	Mookie Betts $4,000	Rafael Devers $3,300	Elly De La Cruz $3,900	Oneil Cruz $3,700
	Paul Skenes $10,600	Freddie Freeman $3,700				Aaron Judge $4,700
	Hunter Greene $11,000					Juan Soto $3,900
Medium	Logan Gilbert $10,400	Vladimir Guerrero $3,000	Jonathan Aranda $3,200	Alex Bregman $3,200	Gunnar Henderson $3,600	Ryan O'Hearn $3,000
	Kodai Senga $9,500	Jonah Heim $2,900	Jazz Chisholm $3,300	Josh Jung $3,100	Francisco Lindor $3,200	Teoscar Hernández $3,500
					Corey Seager $3,100	Julio Rodríguez $3,400
					Trevor Story $2,900	Bryan Reynolds $2,900
Low	Matthew Liberatore $7,700	Yandy Díaz $2,700	Brandon Lowe $2,800	Mark Vientos $2,600	Kyle Farmer $2,800	Christopher Morel $2,700
	Shane Smith $8,000	Triston Casas $2,700	Gavin Lux $2,600	Dustin Harris $2,600	Isiah Kiner-Falefa $2,600	TJ Friedl $2,800
		Jake Burger $2,600	Enmanuel Valdez $2,400	Oswaldo Cabrera $2,400	Bo Bichette $2,800	Anthony Santander $2,700
		Mitch Garver $2,400			Chase Meidroth $2,300	Austin Hays $2,700
		Jose Trevino $2,300				Jesse Winker $2,500
		Rowdy Tellez $2,300				Tyrone Taylor $2,400

Stacks

Reds	Austin Hays	Elly De La Cruz	TJ Friedl	Jose Trevino
DraftKings	3400	5700	4500	3500
Fanduel	2700	3900	2800	2300

Rangers	Dustin Harris	Corey Seager	Jake Burger	Jonah Heim
DraftKings	2600	4900	3100	3800
Fanduel	2600	3100	2600	2900

Dodgers	Mookie Betts	Teoscar Hernández	Tommy Edman	Freddie Freeman
DraftKings	6100	5100	4700	5200
Fanduel	4000	3500	3300	3700

Royals	Bobby Witt	Maikel Garcia	Salvador Perez	Cavan Biggio
DraftKings	5900	4200	4100	2200
Fanduel	-	-	-	-

Rays	Jake Mangum	Christopher Morel	Kameron Misner	Yandy Díaz	Brandon Lowe
DraftKings	4300	4200	4000	4200	5000
Fanduel	2700	2700	3100	2700	2800

Pirates	Isiah Kiner-Falefa	Enmanuel Valdez	Bryan Reynolds	Oneil Cruz
DraftKings	3000	3100	4500	5600
Fanduel	2600	2400	2900	3700

Reds	Austin Hays	Elly De La Cruz	TJ Friedl	Jose Trevino
DraftKings	3400	5700	4500	3500
Fanduel	2700	3900	2800	2300

Rangers	Dustin Harris	Corey Seager	Jake Burger	Jonah Heim
DraftKings	2600	4900	3100	3800
Fanduel	2600	3100	2600	2900

Dodgers	Mookie Betts	Teoscar Hernández	Tommy Edman	Freddie Freeman
DraftKings	6100	5100	4700	5200
Fanduel	4000	3500	3300	3700

Royals	Bobby Witt	Maikel Garcia	Salvador Perez	Cavan Biggio
DraftKings	5900	4200	4100	2200
Fanduel	-	-	-	-

Reds	Austin Hays	Elly De La Cruz	TJ Friedl	Jose Trevino
DraftKings	3400	5700	4500	3500
Fanduel	2700	3900	2800	2300

Rangers	Dustin Harris	Corey Seager	Jake Burger	Jonah Heim
DraftKings	2600	4900	3100	3800
Fanduel	2600	3100	2600	2900

Rays	Jake Mangum	Christopher Morel	Kameron Misner	Yandy Díaz	Brandon Lowe
DraftKings	4300	4200	4000	4200	5000
Fanduel	2700	2700	3100	2700	2800

Dodgers	Mookie Betts	Teoscar Hernández	Tommy Edman	Freddie Freeman
DraftKings	6100	5100	4700	5200
Fanduel	4000	3500	3300	3700

Royals	Bobby Witt	Maikel Garcia	Salvador Perez	Cavan Biggio
DraftKings	5900	4200	4100	2200
Fanduel	-	-	-	-

Rays	Jake Mangum	Christopher Morel	Kameron Misner	Yandy Díaz	Brandon Lowe
DraftKings	4300	4200	4000	4200	5000
Fanduel	2700	2700	3100	2700	2800

Pirates	Isiah Kiner-Falefa	Enmanuel Valdez	Bryan Reynolds	Oneil Cruz
DraftKings	3000	3100	4500	5600
Fanduel	2600	2400	2900	3700

Pirates	Isiah Kiner-Falefa	Enmanuel Valdez	Bryan Reynolds	Oneil Cruz
DraftKings	3000	3100	4500	5600
Fanduel	2600	2400	2900	3700

Reds	Austin Hays	Elly De La Cruz	TJ Friedl	Jose Trevino
DraftKings	3400	5700	4500	3500
Fanduel	2700	3900	2800	2300

Rangers	Dustin Harris	Corey Seager	Jake Burger	Jonah Heim
DraftKings	2600	4900	3100	3800
Fanduel	2600	3100	2600	2900

Dodgers	Mookie Betts	Teoscar Hernández	Tommy Edman	Freddie Freeman
DraftKings	6100	5100	4700	5200
Fanduel	4000	3500	3300	3700

Royals	Bobby Witt	Maikel Garcia	Salvador Perez	Cavan Biggio
DraftKings	5900	4200	4100	2200
Fanduel	-	-	-	-

Rays	Jake Mangum	Christopher Morel	Kameron Misner	Yandy Díaz	Brandon Lowe
DraftKings	4300	4200	4000	4200	5000
Fanduel	2700	2700	3100	2700	2800

Pirates	Isiah Kiner-Falefa	Enmanuel Valdez	Bryan Reynolds	Oneil Cruz
DraftKings	3000	3100	4500	5600
Fanduel	2600	2400	2900	3700