Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Sunday 4/20

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2025-04-20 13:37:52 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder, Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84), is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Cards has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks.

Happy Sunday, Grinders, and Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate. I am powering through a nasty upper respiratory illness that started to hit me hard yesterday, so I apologize in advance if I am a little less wordy than usual today. I have a pretty high tolerance for not feeling well, but this one is knocking me back quite a bit. Maybe winning some money this afternoon will help me feel better!

My first Saturday article was filled with a whole lot of fun to discuss, but I just don’t see that today. Maybe it’s because I’m not feeling well, but this just looks like a “meh” slate with thin dividing lines among a lot of things, especially with bats. Alas, everyone is playing with the same player pool, so there is no whining allowed! This may be a hectic day for a lot of you, so be sure to check our MLB starting lineups page as the lineups start to trickle in. There are often a few surprises on Sundays, and we’ll keep you covered.

We have 12 games available on the main DK slate today, and we have a whopping 13 available on FD with the typical Sunday approach of FD adding the Coors Field game into the mix. FD has added Game 1 of that doubleheader onto their slate. Let’s get to work and see what today has in store!

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Sunday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on FanDuel & DraftKings

TOP TIER PITCHING

Tarik Skubal vs. Royals
Jesus Luzardo vs. Marlins
Max Fried vs. Rays
Sonny Gray vs. Mets
Tyler Glasnow vs. Rangers
Luis Castillo vs. Blue Jays
Joe Ryan vs. Braves

This may not be quite as strong as the “ace” group that we had yesterday, but it’s not too far behind. These are the #1/#2 starters for a lot of teams, and we certainly have some upside potential to chase. Let’s start with a peek at the 2025 data:

Skubal – 2.66 ERA, 2.95 xFIP, 26.6% K, 4.3% BB
Luzardo – 2.31 ERA, 3.00 xFIP, 31.9% K, 7.7% BB
Fried – 1.88 ERA, 3.14 xFIP, 26.7% K, 4.4% BB
Gray – 3.13 ERA, 3.32 xFIP, 27.1% K, 3.5% BB
Glasnow – 4.85 ERA, 4.17 xFIP, 30.4% K, 16.1% BB
Castillo – 4.22 ERA, 4.65 xFIP, 19.1% K, 10.6% BB
Ryan – 2.45 ERA, 3.67 xFIP, 27.4% K, 2.4% BB

I will actually start the conversation today with Jesus Luzardo. He has looked healthy through his first four starts as a member of the Phillies, and he has posted strong numbers with a 2.31 ERA and 3.00 xFIP in his four outings. That also comes with a massive 31.9% strikeout rate, and he is going to thrive for his new team. He gets a revenge matchup against the feeble Marlins offense, and the savings down from Skubal is important on DK. It’s a closer call on FD where Luzardo is a little more expensive than Skubal, but I am still a believer there. Luzardo is my SP1 this afternoon.

An interesting thing to note with Skubal and Fried is that they have basically the same strikeout rate this year despite Skubal having a 16.0% swinging strike rate and Fried having a 10.2% mark. This shows that Skubal’s strikeouts are likely going to rise in the long run, while Fried’s are going to dip. That would jive with expectations after having watched these pitchers for years. I still prefer Luzardo over both, but Skubal is the clear choice ahead of Fried if you are debating between paying up for one of them.

The top trio is Luzardo > Skubal > Fried for me, and I feel comfortable with that.

The rest of this tier gives us two pitchers who have looked exactly like their old selves (Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan) and two pitchers who have really struggled with command in the early going (Tyler Glasnow and Luis Castillo). With so many strong top pitchers available, I really don’t see a need to play any of these four unless you are throwing MME darts in GPP builds. Gray and Ryan have tough matchups, while I just need to see some improvement before I want to target Glasnow and Castillo in anything other than an elite matchup, which neither has today. I’ll side with Gray and Ryan if choosing among this tier, as both have elite control and sub-4% walk rates this season, but they are clearly a step down from Luzardo and Skubal at the top.

SECONDARY PITCHING OPTIONS

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