MLB DFS Playbook April 1: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Apr 01, 2023
Happy April Fools Day! On the day of jokes and pranks hopefully we will be getting the last laugh on today's MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Today we have 12 games on the main slate and fortunately both platforms are using the same games for their slate. Mother Nature is playing the first joke today as we have some weather issues to watch out for today which we will touch up in a few moments but be sure to check out MLB Weather Center throughout the day as we lead into roster lock. Don't forget, we also have some great tools like the MLB Vegas odds, batter versus pitcher and the MLB Lineups page . To get projections and to build multiple lineups we have MLB Daily Projections and an MLB DFS Lineup Generator plus check out the Fantasy Alarm MLB tools page.
MLB DFS Playbook April 1
MLB Weather Updates
Saturday's MLB DFS main slate is the first slate with multiple games with wind and weather advisories that should be considered when building your MLB DFS lineups for today's slate. Check out the highlights below and be sure to monitor the MLB Weather Center for continued updates.
Toronto Blue Jays vs St. Louis Cardinals: Sustained winds of 20+ MPH with gusts greater than 25+ MPH.
Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs: VERY Cold with winds of 20+ MPH with gusts exceeding 25+ MPH. Could see delay to start as rain moves through the area.
Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals: We have a High Wind Warning in the DC area today with sustained winds ranging from 20-to-25 MPH with wind gusts that could reach 60 MPH per weather.com.
San Francisco Giants vs New York Yankees: There is a potential for delay here with the rain coming later in the day. We have 20 MPH winds blowing out.
Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox: As someone that lives in Boston, right now it's raining but that rain is expected to clear out around first pitch. It's also windy and that wind is supposed to be blowing out at 20-to-25 MPH.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds: Could see rain during the game and maybe it causes a delay but reading some reports it seems like nothing that will stop the game. Once again, we have high winds expected and high winds blowing out in one of the more favorable hitting parks.
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
As we get to the third day of MLB DFS we moving down the rotations and away from the “Aces” of the staff and find ourselves with some better hitting matchups. The other key factor to lineup construction today is going to be playing the weather. Without a doubt, these games with 20+ MPH winds blowing out will be drawing a lot of attention and that's likely where we go today as well.
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
Nick Lodolo vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Chris Sale vs Baltimore Orioles
Spencer Strider vs Washington Nationals
Best Odds for a Win
Spencer Strider (-120) vs Washington Nationals
Zack Wheeler (+120) vs Texas Rangers
Patrick Sandoval (+120) vs Oakland Athletics
Kevin Gausman (+135) vs St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Sale (+150) vs Baltimore Orioles
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves
The man is -120 to collect record a win today, the only pitcher with minus odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Braves themselves are -240 to win today's game. We know Strider is an elite strikeout pitcher and the Nationals figure to be among the worst, if not, the worst team in baseball this season. Yes, the wind is a worry but I'm hopeful he misses enough bats to limit the damage while his offense tees off on Josiah Gray.
Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels
Pure matchup play here, Sandoval isn't always the most exciting pitcher but the A's are putting out one of the worst lineups in baseball this season. Sandoval dominated the A's last season over four starts, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA. He is also +120 to pick up a win today which is the second best odds on the books behind Spencer Strider.
Is this a homer pick? Certainly possibly, but when have we ever seen Chris Sale this cheap? On DraftKings he is under $7,000. The weather reports have winds blowing IN at 20-to-25 MPH which will only help his cause here. Sale pitched just one game last season for the Red Sox and his Spring Training starts were up and down but I'm willing to bet on the upside here just given the price tag.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
Minnesota Twins vs Jordan Lyles
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Last season Josiah Gray allowed 38 home runs. 22 of those 38 home runs came against left-handed hitters and lefties owned a .980 OPS off of him last season. Olson hit one of those 38 home runs off Gray last season and he hit 27 of his 34 homers last season off of righties. Now add in the fact that there could be 60 MPH wind gusts at times during this game blowing out and we could see multiple home runs here today from the Braves first basemen.
Tyler Stephenson, C Cincinnati Reds
I don't look to spend up for catcher and if I can spend the absolute minimum then I will on most slates but I do love me some Tyler Stephenson and think the Reds lineup today is in a great spot, at home, against a lefty in Rich Hill. Stephenson hits in the middle of the Reds lineup and last season against southpaws he hit .346 with an OPS of .852. Rich Hill is a great story but the man is 43 years old and during Spring Training he allowed 13 runs on 20 hits over 12.2 innings. He is well past his prime.
Ok, so, its pretty clear I'm looking to stack Reds today. This price tag on Myers is criminal. He hits in the middle of the Reds lineup, fits nicely in stacks at this price tag and I don't need to repeat myself on the matchup against Rich Hill today.
Nick Gordon, 2B Minnesota Twins
I like Gordon as a punt play today at the second base position. He has a little bit of pop and some stolen base upside as well. The Twins are also hitting him sixth in their lineup which is a nice little boost. When it comes to highest expected run total for today the Twins also rank second as they run up against Royals stater Jordan Lyles.
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