MLB DFS Value Plays April 14: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks

Tonight’s MLB DFS main slate is a 12-gamer on both DraftKings and FanDuel that starts at 7:05 pm ET, excluding the three games that start a smidge earlier in the day. We do not have Coors Field on the slate, so you don’t have to worry about getting exposure there. Starting pitching is headlined by Kodai Senga and Drew Rasmussen, but overall this is a very thin pitching slate for a 12-gamer. A nice thing about this slate is that it currently appears that we have no mlb weather concerns. Let’s dive into some of my favorite value options of the day and some we can fit into our cash and tournament lineups!
MLB DFS Value Pitchers
Brady Singer, Kansas City Royals (DraftKings: $7,600 / FanDuel: $8,400)
Singer was hit around for five runs in six innings in his last start and now he has a tough spot to try and bounce back against the Braves. However, for that reason, he will be very low-owned tonight I would imagine and he can easily top this price tag. He pitched very well against a strong Blue Jays lineup in his season debut, tossing five innings of two-hit, one-run ball in a win. He was dynamite at home last year, pitching to a 2.76 ERA and 1.04 WHIP (compared to 3.99 and 1.30 on the road, respectively).
Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox (DraftKings: $6,500 / FanDuel: $8,100)
Houck has been pretty solid thus far, scoring 15.7 and 16.3 dk points in his first two starts while limiting the damage in both and picking up a win in both. Houck has been dominant against righties in his career with a .194/.267/.248 slash line and the Angels pose a pretty right-handed dominant lineup. His biggest issue will be dealing with Ohtani (and Trout is still Trout), but he should have the advantage over most of their lineup.
MLB DFS Value Hitters
Franchy Cordero, 1B/OF, New York Yankees (DraftKings: $2,800)
Cordero is going bananas right now with home runs in four of his past six games. He is hitting .250 with 11 RBI to go along with those four home runs and tonight he gets a Yankee stadium matchup against a bad pitcher in Varland. I would not be surprised to see Cordero put one over the short porch in right field tonight for his fifth dinger of the year.
Ji Man Choi, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates (DraftKings: $2,300 / FanDuel: $2,100)
Choi didn’t manage to get a hit in last night’s game, but he did homer in back-to-back games prior to that one. He has an .803 OPS against righties in his career, compared to .590 against lefties. He faces Woodford, who has a 9.00 ERA through two starts and lefties have a .770 OPS against him in his career, compared to the .718 mark that right-handed bats have produced.
Edouard Julien, 2B, Minnesota Twins (DraftKings: $2,000 / FanDuel: $2,400)
Julien led off for the Twins last night even with Correa and Buxton both in the lineup. E played very well, going 2-5 with a home run and two runs scored to finish with 19 DK points. At the minimum price and the small field of Yankee Stadium, I have no issue taking a chance on Julien even in a tough matchup against a good pitcher in Cortes. That being said, I would not use him in cash games and he is my least favorite play listed here today.
Corey Julks, OF, Houston Astros (DraftKings: $2,200 / FanDuel: $2,300)
Julks went 2-5 with a dinger in his last game and is now hitting .294 on the year through 34 at-bats. He has some pop and he has some speed and is a part of a very strong Astros lineup which should lead to more RBI and runs than it has to this point for Julks. Righties have a .798 OPS against Perez in his career, compared to the .637 mark that lefties have produced.
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Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.
Endy Rodriguez (finger) had his splint removed this week.
Rodriguez suffered a lacerated right index finger on April 14th. Now that he is out of his splint, he “is playing catch and doing a slightly modified swing.” Once he can progress to taking full swings, we’ll have a better sense of the timeline for his return.