Happy Monday, March 30th. We have a 10-game MLB slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. 

Teams are starting to work through their rotations, and we are down to several 4th and 5th starters. That means offenses are in better spots than we have seen over the first few days of the season, as evidenced by four games with totals above 9 runs. 

What can you expect from the playbook?

Well, first and foremost, you'll get a broad overview of the slate. You'll get our top spend-ups and value plays on the mound and at the plate. Some of our favorite stacks and even some leverage to go along with it. You can find all of our ownership on-site, lineups pages here, and many more tools we have to offer. We'll have a player grid at the bottom of this playbook, too, and narrow that down into some core players for today's main slate.

⚡ THE SLATE DASHBOARD

💎 PITCHING COACH

Top Tier

Edward Cabrera (CHC) | vs LAA

Analysis: Cabrera's spring training results were not good, as he allowed 12 runs over his final two starts. However, those results are not necessarily what we care about for veterans in ST. More importantly, he worked up to 83 pitches across 4.1 innings, and the fastball was sitting 97 mph, better indicators that he is ready to go for the season. The matchup is an elite one for upside, as the Angels struck out more than anyone in baseball against RHP. Cabrera took a step forward last season with improved command and increased breaking ball usage. He'll look to build on that success with his new team in Chicago. 

Luis Castillo (SEA) | vs NYY

Analysis: Castillo has had some of the most pronounced home/road splits in MLB during his tenure in Seattle, and last season was no different. He posted a 2.60 ERA (3.77 xFIP) and 24.7% strikeout rate at home, compared to a 4.71 ERA (4.49 xFIP) and 18.4% strikeout rate on the road. The Yankees again project to be one of the top offenses in the league, but they will deal with a massive park downgrade in Seattle tonight. They also struck out at a top-five rate (23.4%) against RHP last season. 

Clay Holmes (NYM) | vs STL

Analysis: Holmes successfully transitioned from reliever to starting pitcher last year, even if he did begin to run out of gas towards the end of the season. In the first half, he posted a 3.30 ERA (4.15 xFIP) and 19.2% strikeout rate, compared to a 3.91 ERA (4.41 xFIP) and 16.7% strikeout rate in the second half. His matchup today comes against a Cardinals team that is off to a good start, but they are expected to be below average this season. There are plenty of strikeouts towards the bottom of the order as well, with Gorman, Walker, and Church expected to receive regular playing time. 

Value Plays

Cody Ponce (TOR) | vs COL

Analysis: Ponce is one of the more intriguing stories heading into the 2026 season. After debuting with the Pirates in MLB, he spent three years as a mediocre pitcher in Japan's NPB. Last season, his pitch arsenal took a massive leap forward, and he completely dominated his first season in Korea. Ponce posted an absurd 36.2% strikeout rate against just 5.9% walks en route to winning the league's MVP award. Toronto brought him back to MLB on a 3-year, $30 million contract in free agency. He looked great in the spring and will get the best possible landing spot in his first regular-season start. Colorado was a historically bad offense last season, especially on the road, where they posted a .260 wOBA and 28.6% strikeout rate. 

Ryan Weathers (NYY) | vs SEA

Analysis: Weathers brings a ton of upside with him as he moves from Miami to the New York Yankees in an off-season trade. He gave a lot of runs in the spring, but he also posted an excellent 20.2% K-BB%. His fastball is up a couple of clicks from 2025, sitting above 98 mph and touching 101 in his final spring outing. Seattle was an above-average offense against lefties last season, but they also struck out at the 5th-highest rate (24.8%) in the league. 

Kyle Leahy (STL) | vs NYM

Analysis: Leahy is attempting a transition into the starting rotation after pitching almost exclusively out of the bullpen for the last three seasons. He certainly has the pitch arsenal to be successful, as he's armed with six pitches, including a mid-90s fastball and two breaking balls that grade out as elite. He was outstanding in his final start of the spring, tossing five shutout innings with six strikeouts against the Astros. Leahy gets a tough draw against the Mets in his first regular-season start, but the upside is still excellent considering his value price tag. 

💎 HITTING COACH

Elite Bats

Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF, CHC)

Analysis: Pete Crow-Armstrong had an insane first half for the Cubs last season, before struggling down the stretch of his first full season. He finished with 31 homers and 35 stolen bases, flashing elite fantasy upside. He made noise this spring with a 2-homer game for Team USA in the WBC. His bat speed is also up a few clicks early this season, which suggests we are closer to getting first-half PCA from last season. The Cubs are in an elite spot with winds blowing out at Wrigley Field tonight. The Angels will counter with rookie Ryan Johnson, who has less than 75 professional innings under his belt. The young righty allowed 4 home runs last season in just 14.2 MLB innings. 

Michael Busch (1B, CHC)

Analysis: Busch led the Cubs with 34 home runs and a .261 ISO in a breakout season last year. He should lead off again for a team with an implied run total above six runs, which gives him a great shot at five plate appearances tonight. He gets a strong matchup against an inexperienced pitcher with the winds blowing out at Wrigley Field. 

Ronald Acuna (OF, ATL)

Analysis: Acuna is off to a slow start for Atlanta, but there is no concern at all for the former MVP. He homered twice and was a primary offensive contributor for Venezuela en route to them claiming their first WBC title. He also enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2025 after recovering from an ACL tear, and looks primed to compete for the MVP award again. Tonight, he gets a matchup against a flyball lefty who allowed 1.73 HR/9 and a .194 ISO to righties last season. 

Value Bats (Salary Savers)

• Addison Barger (3B/OF, TOR): Barger was a pleasant breakout for the Blue Jays last season, slugging 21 home runs in 502 plate appearances while covering 3B and RF. He added some much-needed lefty pop to an already deep lineup and helped propel them to a World Series appearance. Tonight's matchup against Tomoyuki Sugano lines up perfectly for Barger, as Sugano was smashed by lefties last season, allowing a .228 ISO and .256 xISO. 
• Jesus Sanchez (OF, TOR): Another Toronto lefty, and this one is cheaper and hitting in the 2-hole tonight. Sanchez was having a solid season for the Marlins before being traded to the Astros last season, where he struggled to close out the year. He's already notched a homer for his new team this season and gets an elite matchup against Sugano and the awful Rockies bullpen. 
• Chase DeLauter (OF, CLE): Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter is off to a blazing start in his MLB career. The young outfielder has already smacked four home runs and tallied six hits in his first four games. He gets a matchup against a youngster in Roki Sasaki, who struggled mightily this spring after a disappointing debut last season. 

🏗️ THE STACKING BLUEPRINT

Primary Stack: Chicago Cubs

Targets: Busch, Crow-Armstrong, Bregman, Happ, Hoerner, Ballesteros 

Opponent: Los Angeles Angels | 9.5 total | CHC implied 6.0 | Lock: 7:40 PM ET

Why: The wind is blowing out to centerfield at 10-15 mph in the most wind-sensitive park in the league. The Cubs have a huge implied team total of over 6 runs. 

Primary Stack: Toronto Blue Jays

Targets: Springer, Sanchez, Guerrero Jr., Barger, Varsho, Kirk 

Opponent: Colorado Rockies | 8.5 total | TOR implied 6.0 | Lock: 7:07 PM ET

Why: The Jays have the highest implied team total on the slate of over 6 runs. They get an elite matchup against a low-strikeout, fly-ball pitcher with a home run problem. 

Primary Stack: Los Angeles Dodgers

Targets: Ohtani, Betts, Hernandez, Freeman, Smith, Pages 

Opponent: Cleveland Guardians | 9.0 total | LAD implied 5.5 | Lock: 10:10 PM ET

Why: One of the best offenses in baseball is facing an inexperienced pitcher. 

Contrarian Stacks

• Braves Stack (Contrarian): Righties in particular look good against a fly-ball pitcher who allowed 1.73 HR/9 against righties last season. 
• Yankees Stack (Contrarian): Castillo has been better at home, and the Yankees are dealing with a park downgrade, but that is why one of the best offenses in baseball is seeing low ownership despite low prices. 

📈 THE LEVERAGE REPORT (GAME THEORY)

The field is converging on Luzardo at pitcher, CHC as the primary stack, and Yordan Alvarez as the elite bat anchor. The plays below identify where you can generate lineup differentiation while maintaining exposure to quality game environments.

🎯 HEART OF THE ORDER

The foundation for every lineup you build today. These are the highest-confidence pieces across all formats.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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