Welcome to the MLB DFS Playbook for April 12! The 2023 MLB season is cruising along very nicely and we are finally starting to see some cold players heating up and some hot starts coming back down to Earth. Yesterday’s performance by Max Scherzer is a prime example. Does that mean we lock in Corbin Burnes for the Milwaukee Brewers? We’ll explore. There might be a few other pay-ups on the mound we prefer, but it’s nice to know he could be welcomed back into the conversation with a strong effort tonight. So, who are the top plays on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight? Let’s get to it, and, as always, let me remind you, as you move through today’s DFS Playbook, be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, take in the daily MLB projections, follow the MLB DFS Ownership projections and maybe even take our MLB DFS Lineup Generator for a spin. With so much knowledge at your fingertips, it’s going to be tough to not see green no matter if you’re playing cash games or GPP tournaments. 

MLB DFS Playbook: April 11

MLB Weather Updates

  • Minor winds but no major weather concerns

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

Well, of course we’re going to have to lead off with Coors Field tonight, especially when it comes to using right-handed St. Louis bats against Kyle Freeland. There are a few Rockies bats you can look to add in against Miles Mikolas, but my focus is on the Cardinals who are sporting a .357 wOBA against southpaws this season and are looking for a bounce-back after dropping six of their last seven. Of course, we may have to bargain shop Coors a little as the pitching slate dictates a pay-up for the likes of either DeGrom or Ohtani on FanDuel and pairing one of them up with someone like Manoah or Lopez. High-priced bats are relatively abundant, particularly at first, third and the outfield, so we’ll see what we can fit into our lineups, but some of the pricing for guys like Francisco Alvarez and Jordan Walker still hasn’t been corrected, so there are bargains to be found.

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Best Odds for a Win

Bullpens Most Likely to Blow Your Starters’ Win & Boost Your Stacks

Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups

Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

Well, that didn’t take long. We watched deGrom get back on-track during his last start as he held the Orioles to two runs (one earned) through six innings with 11 strikeouts and reaffirmed our beliefs that, when healthy, he’s the best pitcher in baseball. Now he’s facing the Royals who have a league-worst .243 wOBA against righties with a feeble .109 ISO and a 24.4-percent strikeout rate. We like him for the W and a boatload of strikeouts. 

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

He walks too many guys still, but it’s tough to argue against one earned run and 18 strikeouts over 12 innings thus far. The Nationals have shown some patience at the plate against righties, only striking out 20.7-percent of the time, but they lack punch in this lineup and are going to have difficulty getting hits against him. If he minimizes the walks, we’re in fantastic shape.

Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins

The White Sox have been solid against right-handed pitching this season, but they’ve lost Eloy Jimenez to a hamstring injury and will now be without Tim Anderson as well. Lopez has been sharp against bottom-feeders like the Royals and Marlins, but should maintain his performance levels, including his strikeouts, against a now-depleted Chicago team. 

Alek Manoah, Toronto Blue Jays

After getting roughed up by the Cardinals in his season-debut, Manoah righted the ship immediately with seven scoreless innings against the Royals. Now he gets a soft-hitting Tigers team that has the second-lowest wOBA against righties (.258), the lowest ISO (.087 and a 23.5-percent strikeout rate. He’s probably going to be my pairing with deGrom on DraftKings and I will probably also lock him into some FanDuel GPPs.

Recommended DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups

Francisco Alvarez, C New York Mets

The Mets eased Alvarez in by starting him Sunday against the Marlins and giving him a day off yesterday against Yu Darvish. Today, he gets lefty Ryan Weathers and we are 100-percent in for that. Weathers has struggled with his command at times and right-handed hitters have a career .365 wOBA against him. Considering the price and the talent level, I’ll lock him down as my starting catcher on DK and have no issue using him on FanDuel either.

Matt Olson, 1B Atlanta Braves

Sure, you can go with the Polar Bear or maybe take a dive into Coors Field, but Olson against righty Luis Cessa screams double-dong potential. He’s slashing .333/.462/.667 this season and owns a 1.335 OPS and .551 wOBA against right-handed pitching.

Brendan Donovan, 2B St. Louis Cardinals

I do wish he was a little cheaper, but that’s the Coors Field tax you always end up paying. At least he’s not priced up like Jonathan India, another second baseman I like, but Donovan hits left-handed pitching very well and should fare very nicely in Colorado. If you can’t afford him, then paying all the way down to Ha-Seong Kim is worth a look.

Manny Machado, 3B San Diego Padres

Speaking of Ha-Seong, how about those Padres taking on lefty David Peterson. Machado has seven hits in his last five games and while he’s yet to leave the yard, he does have two recent doubles in that span. With a .386 wOBA against southpaws already, I’m willing to pay up here.

Dansby Swanson, SS Chicago Cubs or Corey Seager, SS Texas Rangers

Pricey, but the wind is blowing out in Wrigley and Swanson is in for a string effort against a typically hittable Chris Flexen. But dang, if it isn’t Seager with his .938 OPS and .396 wOBA against Jordan Lyles. I love them both and am fine with either one. Personally, for the lineups I am building my lean is a little more Seager just for the savings.

Brandon Nimmo, OF New York Mets

Nimmo against a lefty? Yes, please. He’s an on-base machine who can sprinkle in some speed and has a .406 wOBA against southpaws. The cost is a little high on DK, but the salary on FanDuel makes it easier to get that front-line pitching and a couple of big bats into your lineup.

Adolis Garcia, OF Texas Rangers

We’re going to be picking on Jordan Lyles plenty tonight and Garcia fits the bill with both power and speed. The .356 wOBA against righties certainly plays and he should have the lefty bats of both Seager and Nathaniel Lowe creating traffic in front of him. Check out the Texas stack below.

Jordan Walker, OF St. Louis Cardinals

Here is the must-play of the day, considering the sites have yet to correct their pricing. Walker is a huge steal, especially in Coors. He’s hit safely in each of the first 10 games, something that hasn’t been done since Ted Williams, and he’s got a 1.166 OPS with a .488 wOBA against southpaws this season. He will be in every one of my lineups thanks to the savings.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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