Thursday brings the “official” Opening Day for MLB, with the various DFS sites offering different lock times for their featured offerings. Be sure you understand how your favorite sites like DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo are approaching their respective dockets on Thursday. Nonetheless, it’s time to bring back our MLB DFS picks series! Today we’re exploring the MLB DFS projections with Stokastic’s industry-leading tools to uncover how to build MLB DFS stacks, identify top pitchers and craft optimal daily fantasy baseball lineups. Budding superstar Paul Skenes is the ace, with several secondary options across the various DFS sites. According to the Stokastic MLB DFS Top Stacks Tool, the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox are key targets for MLB DFS picks. MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks | Mar. 27 Editor’s note: Limited Time Offer From now until April 3, for merely a dollar (less than a cup of coffee), you can sign up for ANY of our MLB DFS packages while using the promo code CYCLE. It is a deal that will only last for a very short period of time, so DFS fanatics should get in on the action while we’re offering what will easily be our best MLB DFS deal of the season. Don’t miss out on this deal as the sports action heats up! MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers Main Slate Primary Pitching Target: RHP Paul Skenes (PIT at MIA) Pirates at Marlins – 3.0 implied runsFirst Pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET$10,000 at DraftKings $11,000 at FanDuel$58 at Yahoo The Stokastic MLB DFS Top Pitchers tool is of course enamored with RHP Paul Skenes, as is most of the fantasy and regular baseball world. Advanced metrics adore him, traditional statistics have him with few rivals and of course the last handful of old-timer scouts know he is brimming with confidence, since he has a pretty girlfriend. DFS gamers of course love that Skenes has an Opening Day matchup against the hapless Miami team, that is putting forth a roster card that looks more like a split-squad spring training crew, rather than a real MLB lineup. Jesus Sanchez and Connor Norby are already on the injured reserve, with Jake Burger no longer a Marlin. Plus there were the various trades last year that saw Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell shipped out of town. The projected lineup for the Marlins cobbled together a woeful 124 ISO against right-handed hurlers, though at least the 22.9% strikeout rate was not a complete embarrassment. Of course, Skenes was a strikeout artist, with a 33.5% rate against righties and a 32.6% rate against opposite-handed batsmen. Opposing hitters had a .097 ISO off him, helped by his 52.3% groundball rate, which limited those that the 22-year-old didn’t handle himself at the plate. Adding in a matchup in a mostly hitting-neutral park and we have an easy click for the ace of the day. There will be ample time this season to dive deeply into matchups, pitching styles and skillsets, however, with the best pitchers on the bump over the next two days, that is not an immediate necessity. The two hitters of any concern are Jonah Bride, who produced All-Star numbers in same-handed matchups last season, with a .387 wOBA and a .248 ISO, buoyed by an 8.7% walk rate. The next best numbers were posted by second-generation Marlin Griffin Conine who has a .339 wOBA and .194 ISO in 68 plate appearances against opposite-handed hurlers. Even with his pedigree, Conine was a late-bloomer, not making it to The Show, until his age-26 season last year and even then it was almost more of a nod to his father Jeff, that he got a cup of coffee. Main Slate Secondary Pitching Target: RHP Hunter Greene (LAA at CHW) Reds vs. Giants – 3.9 implied runsFirst Pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET$7,400 at DraftKings $9,700 at FanDuel$51 at Yahoo The salary disparity for RHP Hunter Greene is rather comical, when looking across the three main DFS sites. If we can even consider Yahoo a “main” site anymore with the tiny Opening Day contests. The main reason in keeping them in this article series, is to provide a comparison to DraftKings, which also requires two starting pitchers, as well as a catcher. FanDuel only has one pitcher and the blue site turned the catcher slot into a utility position a couple of seasons ago, while also allowing backstops to be rostered with the first basemen. Greene is known for his strikeouts, though his power pitching ways have resulted in a few injury stints, including Tommy John surgery in 2019, arm fatigue and hip issues and other assorted maladies. Strikeouts of course are the currency of the realm for MLB DFS and as mentioned, that is an area where Greene excels. He also has control issues on occasion, which can force him to burn through his pitch count. He finished spring training with an 84 pitch effort, which is a good sign of his readiness. Last year, he had 98 or more pitches in 14 of his first 15 starts, averaging just over 102 per outing, which is wild. There is no reason to expect triple-digits on Thursday, but 90 is very much in play. Prior to his injury, he closed out the sixth inning in 19 of 24 (79%) starts, which is key on FanDuel, since the blue site awards bonus points for a quality start, which is defined by pitching at least six innings, with three or fewer earned runs. There is a bit of a misnomer that San Francisco doesn’t strike out a lot, though that has not been the case over the last three seasons, with the Giants ranking among the 10 most K-happy teams in each campaign. Willy Adames was the big bat acquired this offseason and he had a 25.5% strikeout rate in same-handed matchups last year with the Milwaukee Brewers. Six players in the projected San Francisco lineup struck out at least 24% of the time against righties last year, so keep Greene in mind for tournaments. Looking for discount dandies, RHP Logan Webb is just $38 on Yahoo, which is ridiculous, since his groundball tendencies and cooler weather should help him survive in the Great American SMALLpark. Another options would be RHP Clay Holmes, who is making his debut for New York’s other team. He has a tough matchup in Houston, but at the $25 Yahoo minimum pitching salary, he has a chance to handily outproduce that cap hit. This duo is in play on FanDuel as well, though saving salary at the pitching slot is not particularly necessary, with ample hitting options listed at $2,700 or cheaper. Veteran LHP Yusei Kikuchi is going to be a popular SP2 on DraftKings, with a stellar $6,900 salary in a road matchup against the Chicago White Sox. The Pale Hose were anemic last year, with a 75 wRC+ which was well below the other teams in the bottom five. For reference, those were Cincinnati 87, Miami 86, Pittsburgh 86 and Colorado 82. Keep in mind, weighted runs created plus is an advanced metric that neutralizes ballpark factors, among other variables, creating a leaguewide scoring efficiency baseline of 100. That is how the Reds and Rockies end up on this list, even though those teams score actual runs. It also highlights that the ChiSox were 25% worse than league average. The fires sale cut deep last year for the Southsiders, with Luis Robert and Andrew Vaughn the main offensive holdovers. Robert was a mess last year, with a .270 wOBA, .075 ISO and a 31.1% strikeout rate WITH the platoon-advantage. Vaughn, Lenyn Sosa (.157) and journeyman Michael A. Taylor (.152) were the only hitters who compiled an ISO above .115 when facing southpaws, among the projected starting lineup. Yikes! MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks Main Slate Primary Target: Los Angels Angels Angels at White Sox – 4.5 implied runsFirst Pitch: 4:10 p.m. ETOpposing Starter: RHP Sean BurkeDK Top Stack %: 7.7 Top Stack %: 7.8% The Stokastic MLB DFS Top Stacks Tool is liking the Angels on Thursday, with the addition of Jorge Soler bringing much needed power and Mike Trout being healthy, for now. Taylor Ward is an unsung hero, who can be employed up and down the batting order, depending on team need. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe strikes out a lot, but he has solid power and decent contact otherwise. Nolan Schanuel and Luis Regnifo also have above average contact and if he is in the lineup, Jo Adell has power upside, though his role has not been defined. Tim Anderson seemed to lose the ability to hit against southpaws, so it will be interesting to see if he plays or if it is Kevin Newman for his glove. Seeing RHP Sean Burke as the Opening Day starter was a bit of a surprise, though in looking at the rest of the rotation (Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, Martin Perez and Shane Smith) it makes sense. At least the bullpen is old, without upside and with nobody projected for an ERA lower than 4.20. Oh, adding to the embarrassing roster, former starter Mike Clevinger is likely to get the first crack at any saves, which is just wild. MLB is here, but don’t forget about the best NBA DFS sims and tools on the planet! Since winning the World Series in 2005, the White Sox have been to the postseason only three times in the last two decades. Fortunately, flags fly forever. Main Slate Secondary Target: Boston Red Sox Red Sox at Rangers – 3.9 implied runsFirst Pitch: 4:05 p.m. ETOpposing Starter: RHP Nathan EovaldiDK Top Stack %: 5.5 Top Stack %: 5.6% What’s old is new again and that would be RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who began his major league journey right around the same time as FanDuel started to gain the attention of diehard fantasy baseball enthusiasts. He has spent time with the Dodgers, Marlins, Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and this is his third season with the Rangers. Eovaldi also was the Opening Day starter for Texas last year, having held that honor in Boston three times between 2020-2022. The 35-year-old is still steady, though not spectacular, as he tries to induce more groundballs, to counter his declining strikeout rate. Similar to the Angels recommendation, the Red Sox are more about what has changed from last year. The addition of Alex Bregman is key, with him breaking up the left-handed hitters at the top of the order, consisting of Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers and Tristan Casas. Trevor Story being healthy is a revelation and he actually had a few moments in his limited at bats last year. Wilyer Abreu is a budding star against right-handed pitchers and Thursday will be only his 160th MLB game. Expect him to keep moving up in the order, particularly when the brittle batsmen ahead of him end up on the injured reserve. Other potential stacks include the Philadelphia Phillies, in Washington against LHP MacKenzie Gore. The southpaw is a budding talent, though this is again a loaded lineup from the City of Brotherly Love, with several players also having a strong history against Gore. Depending on how popular Kikuchi ends up on DraftKings, focusing on a mini-stack of White Sox bats is an interesting tournament differentiator. Put trust that Robert and Anderson have not lost all their mojo, with Vaughn, Sosa and Taylor potential plays. Austin Slater is a pinch hit risk, but he should see two at bats against Kikuchi. Again, this does not need to be a full-stack, more of a savvy surgical strategy. Finally the Astros do not have to worry about any weather in Houston, plus there is a chance that Holmes may be susceptible to extra-base hits. Isaac Paredes is a great add for the ‘Stros, as is Christian Walker. Each is solid against same-handed hurlers, with production and potential lineup production, intermixed with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz. Featured MLB Bet of the Day | MLB DFS Picks Today RHP Sean Burke has been covered above as a pitcher to target with Angels in the DFS world. We can also consider going against him for the under on his 4.5 strikeouts. The Portfolio EV model has the 25-year-old hurler for around 4.3 strikeouts on Thursday, which is a in line with the 4.5 offering at most books. Currently, this opportunity stands out on BetRivers where it is available at +100 odds. Portfolio EV shows this wager has -106 “true odds,” and while that is a steady 3.0% expected ROI, the “plus” money aspect is nice. We can see that Pinnacle has a punitive -135 line, which works out to NEGATIVE 10% ROI. Be a savvy shopper! Burke ramped up from 54, to 69 and finally 84 pitches in his last spring training start. However, in these three games, despite logging 10 innings and facing 51 batters, he recorded only six strikeouts, with eight walks and a trio of taters. With new wagers frequently appearing and disappearing as lineups are announced, having a Portfolio EV subscription is essential to seize every opportunity. Final Thoughts for Today’s MLB DFS Picks and Action There is some precipitation risk in Kansas City, so make sure to visit the top MLB Weather Report page for the latest updates as game time nears. Also keep in mind it is cooler at most of the outdoor venues, which is a bonus for pitchers. [embedded content]

MLB DFS Picks, Spotlight Pitchers & Top Stacks

With new wagers frequently appearing and disappearing as lineups are announced, having a Portfolio EV subscription is essential to seize every opportunity. RHP Sean Burke has been covered above as a pitcher to target with Angels in the DFS world. We can also consider going against him for the under on his 4.5 strikeouts. MLB […]

With new wagers frequently appearing and disappearing as lineups are announced, having a Portfolio EV subscription is essential to seize every opportunity.

RHP Sean Burke has been covered above as a pitcher to target with Angels in the DFS world. We can also consider going against him for the under on his 4.5 strikeouts.

MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks | Mar. 27

Portfolio EV shows this wager has -106 “true odds,” and while that is a steady 3.0% expected ROI, the “plus” money aspect is nice.

Reds vs. Giants – 3.9 implied runs
First Pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
,400 at DraftKings
,700 at FanDuel
at Yahoo

Thursday brings the “official” Opening Day for MLB, with the various DFS sites offering different lock times for their featured offerings. Be sure you understand how your favorite sites like DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo are approaching their respective dockets on Thursday. Nonetheless, it’s time to bring back our MLB DFS picks series!

Don’t miss out on this deal as the sports action heats up!

MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers

Main Slate Primary Pitching Target: RHP Paul Skenes (PIT at MIA)

DFS gamers of course love that Skenes has an Opening Day matchup against the hapless Miami team, that is putting forth a roster card that looks more like a split-squad spring training crew, rather than a real MLB lineup. Jesus Sanchez and Connor Norby are already on the injured reserve, with Jake Burger no longer a Marlin. Plus there were the various trades last year that saw Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell shipped out of town.

Greene is known for his strikeouts, though his power pitching ways have resulted in a few injury stints, including Tommy John surgery in 2019, arm fatigue and hip issues and other assorted maladies. Strikeouts of course are the currency of the realm for MLB DFS and as mentioned, that is an area where Greene excels. He also has control issues on occasion, which can force him to burn through his pitch count. He finished spring training with an 84 pitch effort, which is a good sign of his readiness.

The Stokastic MLB DFS Top Pitchers tool is of course enamored with RHP Paul Skenes, as is most of the fantasy and regular baseball world. Advanced metrics adore him, traditional statistics have him with few rivals and of course the last handful of old-timer scouts know he is brimming with confidence, since he has a pretty girlfriend.

From now until April 3, for merely a dollar (less than a cup of coffee), you can sign up for ANY of our MLB DFS packages while using the promo code CYCLE.

Since winning the World Series in 2005, the White Sox have been to the postseason only three times in the last two decades. Fortunately, flags fly forever.

Main Slate Secondary Pitching Target: RHP Hunter Greene (LAA at CHW)

There is some precipitation risk in Kansas City, so make sure to visit the top MLB Weather Report page for the latest updates as game time nears. Also keep in mind it is cooler at most of the outdoor venues, which is a bonus for pitchers.

Last year, he had 98 or more pitches in 14 of his first 15 starts, averaging just over 102 per outing, which is wild. There is no reason to expect triple-digits on Thursday, but 90 is very much in play. Prior to his injury, he closed out the sixth inning in 19 of 24 (79%) starts, which is key on FanDuel, since the blue site awards bonus points for a quality start, which is defined by pitching at least six innings, with three or fewer earned runs.

The salary disparity for RHP Hunter Greene is rather comical, when looking across the three main DFS sites. If we can even consider Yahoo a “main” site anymore with the tiny Opening Day contests. The main reason in keeping them in this article series, is to provide a comparison to DraftKings, which also requires two starting pitchers, as well as a catcher. FanDuel only has one pitcher and the blue site turned the catcher slot into a utility position a couple of seasons ago, while also allowing backstops to be rostered with the first basemen.

The Portfolio EV model has the 25-year-old hurler for around 4.3 strikeouts on Thursday, which is a in line with the 4.5 offering at most books.

Red Sox at Rangers – 3.9 implied runs
First Pitch: 4:05 p.m. ET
Opposing Starter: RHP Nathan Eovaldi
DK Top Stack %: 5.5%
FD Top Stack %: 5.6%

At least the bullpen is old, without upside and with nobody projected for an ERA lower than 4.20. Oh, adding to the embarrassing roster, former starter Mike Clevinger is likely to get the first crack at any saves, which is just wild.

Finally the Astros do not have to worry about any weather in Houston, plus there is a chance that Holmes may be susceptible to extra-base hits. Isaac Paredes is a great add for the ‘Stros, as is Christian Walker. Each is solid against same-handed hurlers, with production and potential lineup production, intermixed with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz.

Burke ramped up from 54, to 69 and finally 84 pitches in his last spring training start. However, in these three games, despite logging 10 innings and facing 51 batters, he recorded only six strikeouts, with eight walks and a trio of taters.

MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks

Main Slate Primary Target: Los Angels Angels

Other potential stacks include the Philadelphia Phillies, in Washington against LHP MacKenzie Gore. The southpaw is a budding talent, though this is again a loaded lineup from the City of Brotherly Love, with several players also having a strong history against Gore.

Veteran LHP Yusei Kikuchi is going to be a popular SP2 on DraftKings, with a stellar ,900 salary in a road matchup against the Chicago White Sox. The Pale Hose were anemic last year, with a 75 wRC+ which was well below the other teams in the bottom five. For reference, those were Cincinnati 87, Miami 86, Pittsburgh 86 and Colorado 82. Keep in mind, weighted runs created plus is an advanced metric that neutralizes ballpark factors, among other variables, creating a leaguewide scoring efficiency baseline of 100. That is how the Reds and Rockies end up on this list, even though those teams score actual runs. It also highlights that the ChiSox were 25% worse than league average.

The Stokastic MLB DFS Top Stacks Tool is liking the Angels on Thursday, with the addition of Jorge Soler bringing much needed power and Mike Trout being healthy, for now. Taylor Ward is an unsung hero, who can be employed up and down the batting order, depending on team need. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe strikes out a lot, but he has solid power and decent contact otherwise.

Currently, this opportunity stands out on BetRivers where it is available at +100 odds.

Looking for discount dandies, RHP Logan Webb is just on Yahoo, which is ridiculous, since his groundball tendencies and cooler weather should help him survive in the Great American SMALLpark. Another options would be RHP Clay Holmes, who is making his debut for New York’s other team. He has a tough matchup in Houston, but at the Yahoo minimum pitching salary, he has a chance to handily outproduce that cap hit. This duo is in play on FanDuel as well, though saving salary at the pitching slot is not particularly necessary, with ample hitting options listed at ,700 or cheaper.

MLB is here, but don’t forget about the best NBA DFS sims and tools on the planet!

Trevor Story being healthy is a revelation and he actually had a few moments in his limited at bats last year. Wilyer Abreu is a budding star against right-handed pitchers and Thursday will be only his 160th MLB game. Expect him to keep moving up in the order, particularly when the brittle batsmen ahead of him end up on the injured reserve.

Main Slate Secondary Target: Boston Red Sox

Depending on how popular Kikuchi ends up on DraftKings, focusing on a mini-stack of White Sox bats is an interesting tournament differentiator. Put trust that Robert and Anderson have not lost all their mojo, with Vaughn, Sosa and Taylor potential plays. Austin Slater is a pinch hit risk, but he should see two at bats against Kikuchi. Again, this does not need to be a full-stack, more of a savvy surgical strategy.

Pirates at Marlins – 3.0 implied runs
First Pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
,000 at DraftKings
,000 at FanDuel
at Yahoo

We can see that Pinnacle has a punitive -135 line, which works out to NEGATIVE 10% ROI. Be a savvy shopper!

The fires sale cut deep last year for the Southsiders, with Luis Robert and Andrew Vaughn the main offensive holdovers. Robert was a mess last year, with a .270 wOBA, .075 ISO and a 31.1% strikeout rate WITH the platoon-advantage. Vaughn, Lenyn Sosa (.157) and journeyman Michael A. Taylor (.152) were the only hitters who compiled an ISO above .115 when facing southpaws, among the projected starting lineup. Yikes!

What’s old is new again and that would be RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who began his major league journey right around the same time as FanDuel started to gain the attention of diehard fantasy baseball enthusiasts. He has spent time with the Dodgers, Marlins, Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and this is his third season with the Rangers. Eovaldi also was the Opening Day starter for Texas last year, having held that honor in Boston three times between 2020-2022.

Editor’s note: Limited Time Offer

The 35-year-old is still steady, though not spectacular, as he tries to induce more groundballs, to counter his declining strikeout rate. Similar to the Angels recommendation, the Red Sox are more about what has changed from last year. The addition of Alex Bregman is key, with him breaking up the left-handed hitters at the top of the order, consisting of Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers and Tristan Casas.

Featured MLB Bet of the Day | MLB DFS Picks Today

Seeing RHP Sean Burke as the Opening Day starter was a bit of a surprise, though in looking at the rest of the rotation (Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, Martin Perez and Shane Smith) it makes sense.

The projected lineup for the Marlins cobbled together a woeful 124 ISO against right-handed hurlers, though at least the 22.9% strikeout rate was not a complete embarrassment. Of course, Skenes was a strikeout artist, with a 33.5% rate against righties and a 32.6% rate against opposite-handed batsmen. Opposing hitters had a .097 ISO off him, helped by his 52.3% groundball rate, which limited those that the 22-year-old didn’t handle himself at the plate.

Angels at White Sox – 4.5 implied runs
First Pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
Opposing Starter: RHP Sean Burke
DK Top Stack %: 7.7%
FD Top Stack %: 7.8%

Adding in a matchup in a mostly hitting-neutral park and we have an easy click for the ace of the day. There will be ample time this season to dive deeply into matchups, pitching styles and skillsets, however, with the best pitchers on the bump over the next two days, that is not an immediate necessity. The two hitters of any concern are Jonah Bride, who produced All-Star numbers in same-handed matchups last season, with a .387 wOBA and a .248 ISO, buoyed by an 8.7% walk rate. The next best numbers were posted by second-generation Marlin Griffin Conine who has a .339 wOBA and .194 ISO in 68 plate appearances against opposite-handed hurlers. Even with his pedigree, Conine was a late-bloomer, not making it to The Show, until his age-26 season last year and even then it was almost more of a nod to his father Jeff, that he got a cup of coffee.

It is a deal that will only last for a very short period of time, so DFS fanatics should get in on the action while we’re offering what will easily be our best MLB DFS deal of the season.

Nolan Schanuel and Luis Regnifo also have above average contact and if he is in the lineup, Jo Adell has power upside, though his role has not been defined. Tim Anderson seemed to lose the ability to hit against southpaws, so it will be interesting to see if he plays or if it is Kevin Newman for his glove.

Today we’re exploring the MLB DFS projections with Stokastic’s industry-leading tools to uncover how to build MLB DFS stacks, identify top pitchers and craft optimal daily fantasy baseball lineups. Budding superstar Paul Skenes is the ace, with several secondary options across the various DFS sites. According to the Stokastic MLB DFS Top Stacks Tool, the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox are key targets for MLB DFS picks.

Final Thoughts for Today’s MLB DFS Picks and Action

There is a bit of a misnomer that San Francisco doesn’t strike out a lot, though that has not been the case over the last three seasons, with the Giants ranking among the 10 most K-happy teams in each campaign. Willy Adames was the big bat acquired this offseason and he had a 25.5% strikeout rate in same-handed matchups last year with the Milwaukee Brewers. Six players in the projected San Francisco lineup struck out at least 24% of the time against righties last year, so keep Greene in mind for tournaments.

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