Opening Day of the 2026 MLB season is here and we have a nine-game main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Considering it's opening day, every team lined up their rotations so that their aces will be toeing the rubber today and looking to give their respective teams a 1-0 start. Pitchers such as Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Hunter Brown, and Garrett Crochet are all on the main slate today. On the offensive side of things, it's harder to pinpoint the top bats of the day because there are so many good pitchers, but we'll definitely find our edges as there are good spots to target such as the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox. And with that, let's dive into the first MLB DFS playbook of the year. 

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 up's 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: 9-Game Main | Lock Time: 1:15 PM ET
  • Vegas Totals: CWS/MIL 8 O/U, MIN/BAL 8 O/U, LAA/HOU 8 O/U, BOS/CIN 8 O/U, TEX/PHI 8 O/U
  • Weather Risk: WAS/CHC - delay is possible the later the day gets as the rain shows up on the backside of this game. 20 MPH winds, but blowing across the field, not out or in. MIN/BAL - Winds blowing out at 10-15 MPH and temperatures should be upwards of 80 degrees.
  • Highest K-Projections: Garrett Crochet 7.5 O/U, Tarik Skubal 7.5 O/U, Hunter Brown 6.5 O/U, Paul Skenes 6.5 O/U, Joe Ryan 6.5 O/U 
  • Top Expected Ownership: Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros

💎 PITCHING COACH

The Top Tier

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers — FD $11,200, DK $10,500

Analysis: Possibly the greatest pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal should start the season off with a bang. He's one of two pitchers on the main slate with 7.5 implied strikeouts and is pitching in a great ballpark. San Diego doesn't have a ton of strikeout in their lineup for what it's worth.

Hunter Brown, Houston Astros — FD $10,200, DK $9,500

Analysis: Nobody struck out more than the Los Angeles Angels last year against right-handed pitching at 27.1% this year. Brown threw 83 pitches in his final spring training start and should be as close to full go as anyone else on the main slate. Brown and the Astros are -184 today, which is the second-best odds on the slate.

Value Play

Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers — FD $8,800, DK $7,500

Analysis: I'm fascinating how his ownership plays out today because especially at his DraftKings price, Misiorowski is one of the best values on the mound you can find because of what the ceiling is. The White Sox have the ninth-highest K-rate against righty hurlers last year and Misiorowski is fully stretched out. His 86 pitches in his final spring outing was the third most amongst any other starter pitching today. The Brewers are -180 today, the third biggest favorites of the day.

Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays — FD $7,400, DK $6,700

Analysis: We saw Drew Rasmussen end his spring throwing 83 pitches and he only topped that SIX times in 31 starts last year. That shows you that we should see Rasmussen let off the leash a bit this year. The Cardinals offense looks VERY different than last year as they traded away most of their big bats and Lars Nootbaar is hurt. This is a fantastic park for pitching, too.

💎 HITTING COACH

Elite Bats

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros 

Analysis: Yordan Alvarez comes into 2026 healthy and he has a .956 OPS vs. RHP over the entirety of his career. Soriano is very inconsistent and can be hit around when the sinker isn't sinking.

Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers 

Analysis: 2B is an awful position and Turang is in a fantastic matchup against Shane Smith, who struggled against lefties. Turang hit 15 of his 19 HR vs. RHP last year along with a .352 wOBA and .173 ISO.

Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox  

Analysis: Contreras destroyed left-handed hurlers last year posting an .863 OPS, .211 ISO, and .371 wOBA and gets to hit in Great American Ballpark in near-80 degree weather.

Value Bats (Salary Savers)

🏗️ THE STACKING BLUEPRINT

Primary Stack: Boston Red Sox

Why: Great weather, great ballpark, high implied team total 

The "Leverage" Stack: Chicago Cubs

Why: Lot of HR upside in this lineup against Cade Cavalli who allowed a .167 ISO and .427 wOBA vs. LHH in '25

📈 THE LEVERAGE REPORT (GAME THEORY)

The "Chalk" (Popular)The "Pivot" (Low Owned)The Winning Logic
Garrett CrochetDrew RasmussenTough ballpark to pitch in for Crochet & Rasmussen in elite park vs. bad offense
Houston AstrosMinnesota TwinsWarm weather in BAL, regression on the table for T. Rogers

🎯 Heart of the Order

The foundation for every lineup you build today.

  1. Hunter Brown, Houston Astros: Elite strikeout upside and is nearly fully built-up per his final spring training outing.
  2. Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers: .173 ISO & .352 wOBA vs. RHP last year and Shane Smith allowed a .189 ISO vs. LHH in '25
  3. Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox: Elite ballpark to hit in & Contreras had a .211 ISO, .253 xISO, .371 wOBA & .382 xwOBA vs. LHP in '25
  4. Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox: Elite spot and price point and the Red Sox have one of the highest implied totals on the board

Player Pool

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Stacks

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