Happy Sunday! Both FanDuel and DraftKings feature 10 game main slates starting at 1:05. There’s no rain expected in any of our games and also, no Coors on the slate. Let’s dive into the plays!
Top SP: Cristian Javier, HOU ($9,200 DK, $9,100 FD) at TEX
The last time I picked on the Rangers in Globe Life Park, the result was a no-hitter by Corey Kluber, so I’m going back to the well. For his part, Cristian Javier has been good to start the year. His strikeout rate currently sits above 30%. The only worry for this matchup, in particular, is that he’s gotten touched up by the long ball of late. The Rangers have some pop from the left side of the plate, but they make up for it with a 27% strikeout rate. With strikeouts being king in DFS I’m hoping that Javier can rack up the strikeouts while Globe Life Park does us lots of favors by keeping the balls in play.
Honorable Mentions: Max Fried, ATL ($8,600 DK, $8,500 FD) vs PIT; Hyun-Jin Ryu, TOR ($9,700 DK, $8,900 FD) vs TB.
Value SP: Patrick Corbin, WAS ($7,600 DK, $8,000) vs BAL
I’m not as eloquent as our fearless leader, so pulling from the Top 100 List, Nick wrote the following, “Patrick Corbin, who featured a heater at 92.6 mph and had 13 whiffs against the Phillies. It’s the man we’ve been waiting seven weeks for and now that he’s expressed the ability, it’s awfully convincing that he can keep this up moving forward. I can see Corbin continuing to climb if he’s able to sit 92 mph with this slider in future weeks as it’s reminiscent of his 2018 and 2019 self.”
If we’re getting vintage Corbin at a discounted price in a decent matchup, then Corbin will likely be the first player I lock into my lineups.
Honorable Mention: Luis Castillo, CIN ($6,500 DK, $6,800 FD) vs MIL; Kris Bubic, KC ($5,000 DK, $7,000 FD) vs DET.
1B Freddie Freeman, ATL ($5,800 DK, $3,800 FD) vs PIT
JT Brubaker started off the year pitching pretty decently, albeit while being a little wild. However, Brubaker was able to avoid allowing a lot of damage, until his last start against the Cardinals. The walks/long balls finally caught up to him as he allowed five earned runs over 5.2 innings thrown. Today’s matchup against the Braves causes more complications as the Braves lead the league in isolated slugging against right-handed pitchers. In steps one of my favorite players to watch, Freddie Freeman. The Braves first baseman is just a professional hitter and is my top hitter in the Braves’ stack.
Honorable Mentions: Whit Merrifield, KC ($5,400 DK, $3,200 FD) vs DET; Vlad Guerrero, Jr., TOR ($5,600 DK, $4,300 FD) vs TB.
OF Juan Soto, WAS ($5,800 DK, $3,900 FD) vs BAL
Matt Harvey started off the year pitching adequately but returned to form in his last two starts, allowing 13 earned runs over six innings thrown. That makes me love Juan Soto, who’s going streaking. Soto has multi-hit games in four of his last five games and finally looks fully healthy. As for stacking the Nationals, the bats I like are priced up pretty good with Trea Turner sitting over $6k on DraftKings, so you might have to get creative to fit a Nats’ stack in.
Honorable Mentions: Teoscar Hernández, TOR ($4,700 DK, $3,100 FD) vs TB; Yordan Alvarez, HOU ($5,700 DK, $3,300 FD) at TEX.
Value Batter: 3B Jonathan Villar, NYM ($3,500 DK, $2,800 FD) at MIA
With the Mets dealing with a myriad of injuries, Jonathan Villar has had the opportunity to lead off. Over his last three games, Villar has popped two homers and stolen a base. Starting for the Marlins today is Cody Poteet, who has been decent in the first two starts of his career. Poteet has allowed just two runs over 10 innings thrown. However, the Marlins’ righty has also allowed a 50% fly-ball rate, which makes him primed to allow the long ball. Any time I can get a lead-off man at a cheap price against an unproven starter, I’m looking to take advantage.
Honorable Mentions: Andrew Benintendi, KC ($3,500 DK, $2,400 FD) vs DET; Jordan Luplow, CLE ($3,600 DK, $2,300 FD) vs MIN; Lourdes Gurriel, TOR ($3,100 DK, $2,300 FD) vs TB.
Top Stack: Blue Jays vs TB (RHP Michael Wacha)
Michael Wacha returns from the IL to a tough matchup with the Blue Jays. For his career, Wacha sports reverse splits which favors the Blue Jays’ righty-heavy lineup. The bats at the top that we want – Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., and Teoscar Hernández – are all priced up pretty good. However, as we travel down some, you can find some value in Randal Grichuk, who is top five in the league in RBIs, Lourdes Gurriel, and Danny Jansen.
Good luck today!
Honorable Mentions: ATL vs PIT (Brubaker); WAS vs BAL (Harvey); HOU at TEX (Foltynewicz); KC vs DET (Mize).
Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)