MLB DFS Slate Preview: Monday, April 10
Erik Wardenburg previews the Monday, April 10th slate, breaking down his favorite MLB DFS picks, the top stacks, and some optimizer values at DraftKings & FanDuel. Sign up for MLB Premium to build DFS lineups like a pro!
We’re starting the week with an eight-game main slate that will see pretty nice weather overall. The Rockies are hosting a series with the Cardinals, and with the warmest temps of any game today, it will be a popular one to stack. The only other team with a comparable projected run total to STL currently is the Angels, so if you want to get away from Coors Field, they’re an offense that could go bonkers at home against Corbin. Let’s get to today’s news, notes, and some MLB DFS picks!
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel & DraftKings
This daily article highlights some of RG’s most helpful MLB DFS tools, including our industry-leading MLB DFS projections and MLB DFS optimizer, with some picks and analysis along the way. I will focus on the main slate of the day, but you can still find plenty of other tools, content, and analysis on RG for other slates. Let’s get to it!
MLB DFS Weather Check
Before we look at the projected lineups and MLB DFS picks for the day, it’s important to get a feel for how the weather will impact the slate. Then we can get a better idea if we want to target certain games with ideal hitting conditions, for example, and possibly avoid games that are at risk of delay or postponement. Two tools to use are the MLB Weather Report and MLB WeatherEdge, which are both managed by RG’s Chief Meteorologist, Kevin Roth. You should also be following Roth on Twitter for his important weather news and updates.
- No rain to worry about today, and most games will have wind under 10mph. LAD/SF will see the most wind of around 15mph out to center but still cool temps of mid-50s. SD/NYM is next with approximately 10mph wind out to left and temps in the low 50s.
- STL/COL will start with temps in the mid-70s with a slight cross breeze, and WSH/LAA is the next warmest game with temps in the mid-60s and 7mph wind out to left.
- The dome games are KC/TEX & MIL/ARI.
MLB Projected Lineups – Analysis & Top Stacks
There are ways to get edges in MLB DFS, such as stacking a lineup or targeting guys higher in the order (since they are more likely to see an extra at-bat). We should always look for value bats that arise each slate. They allow us to fit those extra one or two players into our lineup who are likelier to hit home runs and get us those ceiling games we need to win tournaments.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at MLB Starting Lineups to see what the likely batting orders are for this slate, which teams I’m looking to stack, and any other interesting notes. Going forward, the projected lineups will usually be pretty consistent daily, with the main changes being based on the opposing pitcher being a righty or lefty. Also, certain players are more likely than others to get a day off if playing a day game after a night game.
- Travis d’Arnaud went on the IL, so Murphy will catch Elder today and hit cleanup. Pillar and White are starting over Ozuna and Hillard.
- Seattle will go righty heavy against Smyly with Pollock and Haggerty in for Kelenic and Wong. Murphy will catch Castillo with Raleigh getting a breather, and Hummel will DH.
- CJ Cron is back from his illness that kept him out over the weekend, and Elias Diaz is up to 5th in the order after a three hit game Sunday. Ryan McMahon is getting a day off against the lefty Matz, with Trejo taking his spot at 2B and hitting 8th.
- KC is sitting Reyes against a lefty which is weird, and hitting Pasquantino 3rd. Matt Duffy is up to 5th in the order and Melendez is getting a day off.
- Mitch Garver is going on the IL, so Jonah Heim will likely catch Heaney today, while Sandy Leon will be called up to help at catcher too.
- For WSH, Stone Garrett is out of the lineup even against a lefty as they’re sticking with Dom Smith, Lane Thomas is up to 2nd in the order, and Chavis will continue to start at 2B with Garcia getting another day off with his hamstring injury.
- Kyle Lewis landed on the IL, so we won’t see him vs the lefty Miley. Perdomo will likely make the lineup for another righty bat.
- SF should go with a similar lineup as yesterday against another lefty, with newly called up Heliot Ramos likely in again, along with all of their other righty bats. Joey Bart is back so Wynns won’t be in the lineup.
- My favorite stacks are the Cardinals and Angels, with the Rockies right behind them. TEX, SEA, and KC are some GPP stacks I like today.
Make sure to follow the RG MLB Twitter feed for confirmed lineups, as well as our DFS Alerts page for important news and analysis.
MLB DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Optimizer Picks
With a good feel for the projected lineups, weather, and strong stacks to consider, let’s check out the RotoGrinders MLB DFS optimizer, LineupHQ. With this tool, you can create up to 300 MLB DFS lineups in seconds, all of which will adhere to the custom settings you input. For insight into how one of the best MLB DFS players uses LineupHQ, be sure to read this article and watch the embedded videos from the GOAT himself, CheeseIsGood.
If we click on the “P/$” column header in the LineupHQ grid, it will rank all of the available players from highest to lowest based on their expected fantasy points per dollar of salary on the specific DFS site you have selected — this is one of the best starting points for finding value on every slate. Let’s do that now and see what stands out on FanDuel and DraftKings.
- I’m expecting a wide range of SPs in cash game lineups today, as you can make a case for the three $10k+ SPs in Urias, Castillo, and Scherzer, while cheaper options like Elder ($8,300), Darvish ($9,300), and even Suarez ($6,800) will all help fit in more of the high-priced Coors Field bats. Right now, Julio Urias ($10,900) is my SP1 as I like his matchup and ballpark more than anyone today, and Bryce Elder ($8,300) would be the cheapest SP I’d consider in cash games.
- Stacking Coors is pretty easy, even with the most expensive SP, and I’d expect most lineups to have at least 4-6 bats from that game. Burleson ($3,200), Contreras ($3,100), and O’Neill ($3,100) are my favorite value bats from STL, while Profar ($2,800), Montero ($3,000) and Diaz ($2,700) are great value options from COL.
- The Angels are an offense I definitely want exposure to in my main build, as they’re projected for 6+ runs today against Corbin. Hunter Renfroe ($2,800) is my cash game lock of the slate as his price didn’t increase at all after going 5 for 9 with 2 HRs over the weekend, and now he draws another fantastic matchup today. Mike Trout ($4,600) is also a must-play for me, and if I’m choosing between him or an expensive Coors Field bat, I’m going with Trout today. Rendon ($2,800) and Drury ($2,600) are a couple of other fine value bats from the Angels.
- Teoscar Hernandez ($2,800), Eugenio Suarez ($3,000), AJ Pollock ($2,800), Corey Seager ($3,000), Bobby Witt ($3,100), Christian Walker ($2,800), and Ketel Marte ($2,500) are some of my favorite value bats with platoon advantages today, and all make for great fill-in bats if you have a position available after getting in the STL/LAA/COL bats you like most.
- Right now, I’m going with Urias ($9,400) and Castillo ($9,600) as my cash game SPs, but if I need the salary for another expensive bat, I may go with Elder ($6,600) over Castillo.
- Alec Burleson ($2,900), Nolan Gorman ($3,400), and Jordan Walker ($3,000) are top values from STL, while COL has some nice value in Profar ($3,700), Montero ($3,100), Tovar ($2,900), and Diaz ($3,600).
- Trout ($6,100) is still a priority if you can fit him, while Renfroe ($4,700), Drury ($3,600), and Rendon ($3,900) are all fine options for cheaper LAA exposure.
- Other cheap bats to consider in cash games are Alex Call ($3,000), Rowdy Tellez ($3,500), AJ Pollock ($3,400), Nick Ahmed ($2,300), Gabriel Moreno ($2,500), and Corbin Carroll ($3,100).
MLB Premium subscribers will have access to all of this data in LineupHQ, so be sure to keep checking there as we start getting the confirmed lineups and projections update. The very best P/$ plays tend to be pretty consistent throughout the day for MLB. That being said, projections can always change if someone is hitting higher in the order than initially projected or if a player with a low salary gets a spot start for an injured/resting player.
MLB DFS – RotoGrinders Premium Tools Pre-Lock
If you have any tough last-minute decisions or need some quick MLB DFS picks, our MLB Premium package also contains Consensus Value Rankings, an Expert Survey, and daily LineupHQ Premium tags from our MLB DFS experts.
And for up-to-the-minute news and analysis leading right up to lock, make sure to watch MLB Crunch Time later in the day.
Good luck today!