We have just five games on today's MLB DFS main slate for DraftKings and six games on FanDuel as we hit the second Friday of the MLB season. That said, there is a good chance this slate ends up being a game shorter given the weather issues that expected to impact the the Padres vs Braves game.  Smaller slates come with smaller player pools so the expected rostership today should be high on the popular stacks. Be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, with the daily MLB projections, MLB DFS Ownership projections, and our MLB DFS Lineup Generator when building those lineups today!

 

MLB Weather Updates

San Diego Padres vs Atlanta Braves – Potential PPD

It's baseball season in Atlanta and while the summers are usually worse than the springs when it comes to rain, today is not the case. For those of you following The Masters Tournament you know that starting this afternoon through the weekend there is expected to be some pretty wet weather. Pay close attention to roster lock for updates regarding this game's status as a PPD is not out of the question.

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

Whelp, we once again have Coors Field on the slate today. Yesterday the matchup between the Nationals and the Rockies had a run total set at 10.5 and the game finished 1-0. Today, the run total for this matchup is currently at 11. A lot of the rostership is going to once again be on this game, especially with Jose Urena on the mound for the Rockies. You made money yesterday fading this game and that could be the recipe for success again today as these two offenses really aren't that good, even with the Coors Field boost. The other popular play today is going to be going with the Dodgers as they run up against lefty Madison Bumgarner who hasn't been a respectable MLB pitcher for almost five years. 

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Brandon Woodruff - 7.5 Ks (-120) vs St. Louis Cardinals

Clayton Kershaw - 5.5 Ks (-140) vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Zach Eflin - 4.5 Ks (-160) vs Oakland Athletics (FD Only)

Per DraftKings Sportsbook

Best Odds for a Win

Clayton Kershaw vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Brandon Woodruff vs St. Louis Cardinals

Zach Eflin vs Oakland Athletics (FD Only)

Patrick Sandoval vs Toronto Blue Jays

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Favorite Pitchers to use for DFS Lineups

Zach Eflin, Tampa Bay Rays (FD Only)

FanDuel only play here but I can see him being pretty popular running up against this awful A's lineup. He allowed just one run over five hits while striking out five in his first start against the Tigers and only threw 74 pitches in that outing  as they were up 10-1 and there was no real reason for him to go deep into that game. The A's are another team where the Rays should put some early runs on the board to give Eflin the lead and he has the strikeout upside on FanDuel to gain some points in this spot. Hopefully we can get six innings for the QS bonus there as well but he has one of the better win bets on the board.

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

This slate isn't exactly flush with great pitching so I expect most to be in on Kershaw here this evening in his matchup against the Diamondbacks. He has the second highest implied strikeout total on the slate and the Dodgers are one of the biggest favorites on the board. Kershaw himself is -120 to pick up a win today, the only pitcher on the slate as a favorite to get the actual win. Kershaw faced this same Diamondbacks team in his first start this season and allowed one run over six innings while striking out nine.

MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals

There are a lot of things going against Gore in this matchup. First, he is pitching in Coors Field. Second, this game has an implied run total run now of 11 expected runs. Third, he is a lefty facing the Rockies which is generally the better matchup for the Colorado lineup. So, with all of that said, I also think he is an interesting DFS dart. Gore has some electric stuff with high strikeout potential. He is a former 10-top prospect that was the key piece in the trade that saw Juan Soto go from the Nationals to the Padres. In his season debut he tossed 5.1 innings of one run baseball while striking out six against a really tough Braves lineup that is also notorious for hammering southpaws. If Gore turns into the pitcher that many believe he can be then maybe he can be the value play we can count on today. 

Recommended DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals

Washington Nationals vs Colorado Rockies - 11.0 Runs

San Diego Padres vs Atlanta Braves - 9.5 Runs

Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels - 9.5 Runs

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks 9.0 Runs

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Favorite Hitters to use for DFS Lineups

Trayce Thompson, OF Los Angeles Dodgers

Hard not to go back to Thompson in this matchup as he hit three home runs against the Diamondbacks back on April 1st, his only three hits of the season to this point. One of those home runs was a grand slam off of Madison Bumgarner. The Dodgers figure to be one of the chalkier plays on the slate and you get some cheap exposure here playing Thompson.

Jesse Winker, OF Milwaukee Brewers

I was pretty happy to see Winker get back into the NL Central after struggling in the AL West last season. His career years came playing for the Reds in this division and a move back to a favorable hitting environment in Milwaukee made him one of my favorite sleeper picks of the fantasy season. That has extended into the DFS realm as well with Winker hitting .333 with seven RBI to begin the season. He faces Jack Flaherty who did not allow a hit in his debut but walked seven. I'll look for that lack of control to come back and bite Flaherty here in this start.

Dominic Smith, 1B Washington Nationals 

Lefties last season hit .329 with an OPS of .861 off Jose Urena last season. Add in the Coors Field impact and the fact that Urena just isn't all that good to begin with an I think we have another strong value play for this slate today.

CJ Abrams, SS Washington Nationals

This isn't meant to be a value play section but it's just working out that way today since the top price guys are all too obvious for me so let's go with another value option at shortstop in CJ Abrams. One of the better prospects in the game, Abrams was another piece that came over in that Soto trade and though he is off to a slow start with the bat he does have two multi-hit games over the last three. He has a little bit of pop and some stolen base potential. He also is a lefty that gets to face Jose Urena today.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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