MLB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Thursday Playbook
Published: Apr 02, 2026
Happy Thursday, April 2nd. We have a 3-game MLB slate on DraftKings and just 2 on FanDuel.
The DraftKings slate is insane considering it begins at 2:10 pm ET and then the next game begins at 9:40 PM. I've never seen such a slate. Despite the fact that there are only three games, Juan Soto, Corbin Carroll, Ronald Acuna, and Rafael Devers are all taking the field. The top arms on the slate include Cole Raganes, Robbie Ray, and Taj Bradley.
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
| Slate | Thursday Main Slate | 2/3 Games | Lock Time: 2:10 PM ET |
| Top Game Totals | MIN/KC 9.5 (KC -148) | Lock: 7:15 PM |
| Game Totals (ranked) | MIN/KC 9.5 (KC -148) • ATL/ARI 9 (ATL -117) • NYM/SF 7.5 (NYM -121) |
| Highest K-Projections | Cole Ragans (KC) • Robbie Ray (SF) • David Peterson (NYM) |
| Weather Risk | MIN/KC - Green, warm & winds blowing out. Big boost to bats. |
💎 PITCHING COACH
Top Tier
Cole Ragans (KC) | vs MIN
Analysis: Ragans has a 7.5 implied strikeout number, which is two higher than any other pitcher on the slate. Tough debut for Ragans as he didn't have his best control but the Twins are striking out 25% of the time.
Robbie Ray (SF) | vs NYM
Analysis: The Mets offense has been sleepy to start the year ranking 20th in OPS. It's an elite ballpark to pitch in and we know Ray can miss bats at a high level. His career K/9 is 10.8.
Value Plays
David Peterson (NYM) | vs SF
Analysis: Only the Athletics have a worst team OPS than the San Francisco Giants. They rank 29th in OPS and wOBA and are striking out 25.9% of the time. This is a ceiling type of matchup for Peterson.
Taj Bradley (TB) | vs KC
Analysis: Bradley generated 17 swings and misses in his debut and had nearly 19 K/9 in his debut. He has a massive ceiling because he can miss bats.
💎 HITTING COACH
Elite Bats
Corbin Carroll (OF, ARI)
Analysis: The under-the-hood stats do not look great for Reynaldo Lopez after his first start and Corbin Carroll is absolutely rollin'. He's homered in two straight and dominates right-handed pitching.
Vinnie Pasquantino (1B, KC)
Analysis: Pasquantino belted 26 bombs and had a .856 OPS and .230 ISO against right-handed pitching a year ago. Pasquantino gets a crack at Bradley who looked great in his debut, but we know how inconsistent he's been thus far in his career.
Ronald Acuna (OF, ATL)
Analysis: Over the last two seasons, Ryne Nelson has been a reverse splits pitcher. Righties had a .442 SLG% in 2025 and .454 SLG% and .333 wOBA. Acuna's as good as it gets.
Value Bats (Salary Savers)
- Heliot Ramos (OF, SF)
- Jose Fernandez (SS, ARI)
- Jac Caglianone (OF, KC)
🏗️ THE STACKING BLUEPRINT
Primary Stack: Atlanta Braves
Targets: Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley, Drake Baldwin, Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Harris
Opponent: Arizona Diamondbacks | 9.0 total | ATL implied 4.9 | Lock: 9:40 PM ET
Why: They have the second highest implied total on the board and Nelson is someone who gives up a bunch of home runs.
Primary Stack: Kansas City Royals
Targets: Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone, Carter Jensen, Bobby Witt, Maikel Garcia
Opponent: Minnesota Twins | 9.5 total | KC implied 5.2 | Lock: 2:10 PM ET
Why: Walls moved in, hot day, and winds are blowing out in Kansas City. It all feels great for offense on today's main slate.
Contrarian Stacks
- Twins Stack (Contrarian): Hot weather with winds blowing out. Twins are really cheap other than Byron Buxton.
- Diamondbacks Stack (Contrarian): I do not like the peripheral stats for Reynaldo Lopez after his first start and is in for a rude awakening against Arizona.
📈 THE LEVERAGE REPORT (GAME THEORY)
The Chalk (Popular) | The Pivot (Low Owned) | The Winning Logic |
|---|---|---|
| Cole Ragans (top proj SP) | Taj Bradley (MIN) | Bradley has elite strikeout upside. |
| KC Stack (KC 5.2 implied) | ARI Stack (ARI 4.4 implied) | Arizona faces a pitcher with bad underlying stats coming off Tommy John. |
| ATL Stack (ATL 4.9 implied) | MIN Stack (MIN 4.5 implied) | Cheap offense at lower ownership. |
| Bobby Witt (KC, heavy chalk hitter) | Geraldo Perdomo (ARI) | Love Perdomo from the left side of the plate. |
| Matt Wallner (MIN, heavy chalk) | Jac Caglianone (KC) | Cags is feeling good at the dish and has great weather on his side. |
🎯 HEART OF THE ORDER
The foundation for every lineup you build today. These are the highest-confidence pieces across all formats.
| SP1 | Cole Ragans (KC) |
| Core Bat | Corbin Carroll (OF, ARI) |
| Core Bat | Vinnie Pasquantino (1B, KC) |
| Core Bat | Ronald Acuna (OF, ATL) |
| Value Play | Heliot Ramos (OF, SF) |
| Value Play | Jose Fernandez (SS, ARI) |
Player Pool
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Stacks
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Player News
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