MLB DFS Playbook April 13: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Apr 13, 2023
Welcome to the MLB DFS Playbook for April 13! We have a small 5-game slate on our hands today, so the options are a bit limited. As always, make sure to check out our awesome MLB DFS tools as they are always worth going through before building your lineups. However, as I am sure you have figured out by now, the new playbook will be a one-stop shop that includes everything from easy-to-read player write-ups and suggestions to MLB Weather Reports to lineup construction tips to our best value plays for DraftKings and FanDuel. You will be given core plays around which to build your lineups, DFS stacks to consider for GPP tournaments and key statistics to help you in your DFS research. Let’s dive in!
MLB DFS Playbook April 13
MLB Weather Updates
No rain concerns.
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing out:
Detroit Tigers vs. Toronto Blue Jays (blowing out RCF)
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing in:
None.
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
Small slates can be tough, with limited options in certain price ranges or potentially a lack of pitching. On the bright side, I don’t see pitching as an issue today as they are a handful of guys that I would feel comfortable inserting into my lineup tonight. We also don’t have to worry about any MLB weather concerns which is always nice, especially on small slates that can’t afford to lose any games. We also have some nice stack options to pick from, so let’s dive into it all!
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
Nick Lodolo vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Jordan Montgomery vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Best Odds for a Win
Jordan Montgomery vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (-237)
Chris Bassitt vs. Detroit Tigers (-226)
Nick Martinez vs. Milwaukee Brewers (-155)
Jhony Brito vs. Minnesota Twins (-147)
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
Lodolo has been electric to start the year, giving up just two runs across 12 innings of work while striking out 21! He is averaging over 30 dk points per game through two starts. He faced these same Phillies in his last start and they barely even managed to make contact against him as they had just three hits with 12 strikeouts. Pitching in Cincinnati can be dangerous, but with his strikeout rates and getting more ground balls than fly balls, he should be fine.
Jordan Montgomery, St. Louis Cardinals
Monty has been incredible ever since joining the Cardinals and I think we see more of the same when he takes on the Pirates today. His ERA when pitching at the Cardinals home field is 3.07 and his ERA against the Pirates is 3.00 across two starts. The Pirates are 22nd in runs per game thus far and no longer have Cruz on the lineup, so this is a very good matchup.
Brito has pitched very well in his first two career starts, giving up just five hits and one run through 10 innings of work while picking up a pair of wins. He has struck out eight in that span. Today he gets to the face the Twins and they have the 9th highest strikeout rate thus far and are 25th in runs per game. They are also dealing with a few injuries and overall are not running out a strong lineup right now.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
5.02 – Toronto Blue Jays vs. Spencer Turnbull
4.96 – San Diego Padres vs. TBD
4.78 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. Vince Velasquez
4.66 – Cincinnati Reds vs. Bailey Falter
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Jonathan India, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
India is having a great season thus far, hitting .310 with a .420 OBP. He has one home run, two steals, and 12 runs scored in 11 games of action. His career OPS at home (.796) is slightly better than on the (.775). Righties have destroyed Falter in his career with a .795 OPS against him, compared to the .675 mark that lefties have produced. The Reds look like a good play today and I would consider pairing India with Steer and potentially a few others.
Matt Chapman, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
This price for Chapman feels steep, but sheesh this guy has been incredible thus far this season. He is hitting .489 with three home runs, a steal, 8 doubles, and 15 RBI through 12 games. He has scored 23, 37, 19, and 12 points on DK over his last four games with multiple hits in every single one of them. He is currently on a 10-game hitting streak and Turnbull is not a good pitcher.
Daulton Varsho, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
From one Blue Jay to another, Varsho is a great play today. He is currently hitting .317 on the year with a home run and two steals. He has a career OPS of .787 against righties, compared to .627 against southpaws. Turnbull has a 13.50 ERA through his first two starts with a 2.25 WHIP… in other words, he’s been very bad. The Blue Jays are a very strong stack option today.
Alec Burleson, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Walker is going to be the chalkier of the two cheap Cardinals outfielders, but that almost makes me more intrigued with Burleson. He has been very good thus far, hitting .300 with a .930 OPS. He has one home run and three doubles and hits 2nd in a strong Cardinals lineup. Velasquez is a horrendous pitcher with an ERA at 9.82 through two starts and lefties are slashing .400/.526/.800 against him through 19 plate appearances.
Garrett Mitchell, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
It’s hard to not like my guy Mitchell again today. He currently has a .997 OPS with three home runs and, I know I keep saying it but the stolen bases are coming. Today he gets to face Martinez and Martinez is simply not a good starting pitcher. He has a 6.17 ERA through two starts and a 4.96 ERA for his career when being used as a starting pitcher.
Player Pool
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Stacks
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