Sunday’s MLB DFS action brings a 10-game featured slate beginning at 1:10 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. Yahoo is electing to roll with a five-game slate that includes all of the matchups after 4:07 p.m. ET. Now onto our MLB DFS picks.
Before you lock in lineups, there are several Stokastic tools that can help identify daily MLB DFS Top Stacks, key pitchers and MLB DFS picks player projections and popularity for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Jeffrey Springs and the Tampa Bay offense in their matchup against young lefty Joey Wentz.
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks
Spotlight Pitchers
Main Slate Pitching Target: LHP Jeffrey Springs vs. Detroit Tigers — 3.1 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,800 | FanDuel $9,500 | Yahoo $48
Jeffrey Springs looks like a strong option across the MLB DFS sites on Sunday in a delightful matchup against the Detroit Tigers. Springs was locked in during training camp, and he recorded an eye-popping 24 strikeouts in 14 innings while allowing a mere seven baserunners. Of course, that is no guarantee of a sterling performance this afternoon. However, it would appear that the 30-year-old late-bloomer may be able to maintain his baseline production of last season that saw him with a career-best 2.46 ERA, 1.071 WHIP and a 147 ERA+ across 135.1 innings in 25 starts and eight relief appearances.
Today’s projected lineup for the Motor City Kitties saw only Javy Baez (.206 ISO) and Eric Haase (.167 ISO) with any sort of power against southpaws. Overall, this less-than-nifty nine posted a sub-.100 ISO and a strikeout rate approaching 28% against lefties.
Secondary Targets (SP2s on DraftKings and Lottery Tickets on FanDuel)
RHP Jared Shuster: Great matchup against a pathetic Nationals squad.
RHP Graham Ashcraft: Showed some flashes in his rookie campaign and gets a nice landing spot against the anemic Pirates offense.
RHP Jhony Brito: Career minor leaguer for the Yankees since 2016; gets his first cup of coffee in his age-25 season versus a pedestrian Giants lineup.
Mid-Afternoon Pitching Target: RHP Joe Ryan at Kansas City Royals — 3.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $8,600 | FanDuel $10,000 | Yahoo $46
The four afternoon games have decent pitchers; however, Chris Bassitt (17.2 innings, 5.60 ERA) and Eric Lauer (11.2 innings, 11.57 ERA) were gobsmacked during the spring, and Luis Garcia is a little behind in his preparation, with just 9.2 practice innings. Any of these pitchers could reel off a strong showing; it is just hard to endorse them with any fervor.
Joe Ryan, on the other hand, was excellent this spring, with a 2.16 ERA and 20 punchouts in 16.2 innings. He was a bright spot for the Twins last year, making 27 starts spanning 147 innings and posting a 3.55 ERA, 1.102 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The Kansas City lineup is very top heavy, with the back half of the order barely being replacement level. There are enough strikeouts available to offset the tricky 15 to 20 mph wind out to left-center field, and Ryan looks to be the hurler to anchor DFS rosters on this sub-slate.
Late Slate Pitching Target: LHP Tyler Anderson at Oakland Athletics — 3.7 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $9,100 | FanDuel $9,800 | Yahoo $44
Last year everything came together for Tyler Anderson, and he ended up making his first All-Star squad as a 32-year-old. Overall, he had career highs of 15 wins, 178.2 innings and just over one baserunner per inning. The strikeouts are never going to jump off the page, but he should be in line for a quality start against Oakland and a strong probability of corralling the win if his offense can back him with a couple of runs. If you want a good laugh, check out the Athletics projected lineup, which is peppered with unrecognizable names.
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Top Stacks
Main Slate Target: Tampa Bay Rays vs. LHP Joey Wentz — 4.6 implied runs
Rather than write up the Atlanta stack yet again against another weak Washington pitcher, let’s take a look at the Tampa Bay offense. The Rays should be running out a full set of nine hitters swinging the stick from the right side of the plate. That in turn should lead to a long — or short — afternoon for lefty Joey Wentz, depending on your perspective.
Wentz had a long and winding path to The Show that started back in 2016 when he was drafted by Atlanta with the 40th overall selection out of high school. It took until last year for him to break into the big league, and he made seven respectable starts. Wentz projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter who lacks any above-average pitches that he can lean on. Only once since 2018 has he logged more than 100 combined innings, so he may be best utilized as a three- to four-inning starter or long reliever.
Wander Franco, Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz should be our primary focus, and even better, this quartet should be at the top of the lineup, which will provide maximum stacking synergy. Paredes is particularly intriguing, as he does not have the most flashy background and tools, but when given a chance, all he does is produce.
Mid-Afternoon Slate Target: Houston Astros vs. RHP Mike Clevinger — 5.2 implied runs
Last year was a rough one for Mike Clevinger after he missed all of 2021 rehabilitating from his second Tommy John surgery. This spring was rocky as well, with the 31-year-old ceding five home runs in just 15.2 innings, leading to a 6.89 ERA. The silver lining is that he did have 14 strikeouts, but squaring off against the Astros with anything less than peak readiness is asking for trouble.
Even without Jose Altuve, Houston has a power-laden offense that has plenty of boppers who can produce against right-handed pitching. Lefties Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker are two of the best mashers in the game, particularly when they have the platoon advantage. Jeremy Pena is filling in at the top of the order for Altuve, and the second-year shortstop showed that he has the makings of an All-Star last season. Finally, veteran Alex Bregman is a top-end option at the hot corner, and former White Sox slugger Jose Abreu is a strong first base selection.
Late Slate Target: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. RHP Zach Davies — 5.2 implied runs
The best way to describe Zach Davies’ pitching style is that he survives. The strikeouts are few and far between, with a career 6.44 per nine innings, and he has seen his ground ball rate drop to the low-40% over the last three seasons. Though he is not exactly homer-prone for his career, over his last 59 starts he has allowed 1.47 per nine innings.
The Dodgers do not have as deep of a lineup as they typically have run out over the last few seasons. However, they are still loaded at the top with a pair of MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Will Smith had a day off on Saturday with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, and Austin Barnes serving as his personal caddy. Smith should be back in the heart of the order, and he is a strong option since he is a backstop who has more power than most first basemen and designated hitters.
Max Muncy has been dinged up, but if his name is on the lineup card, we will want to sprinkle him across our late-afternoon player portfolio. J.D. Martinez is on the downslope of his career but can still get it done, and former Diamondback David Peralta is a fine discount dandy.
Final Thoughts for Sunday, April 2
Today there is one lonely game at 1:10 p.m. ET, with the remainder of the games starting 25 or more minutes later. If you are enjoying family time or perhaps some other early Sunday social functions, be sure to set your placeholder lineups, with the four games in the 2 o’clock hour to provide a bit of a buffer against “dead” lineups.
Be sure to get all the updated information on the Stokastic MLB Live Before Lock Show, at 12 p.m. ET, brought to you by Bet365.
