DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday, 4/26/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW!   Pitchers Corbin Burnes FD - P 11100 DK - RP 10400 Opponent - MIA (Trevor Rogers) Park - MILFD - 41.03 DK - 22.21 I hate to be over the top with this, but Burnes is sort of redefining "ace" to start this season. In 24.1 innings he has 40 strikeouts against 0 walks and has allowed a single earned run. This is a terrific match-up as well, with Miami ranking in the bottom 4 in wOBA and the top 10 in strikeout rate so far this season. Burnes is expensive, but expensive for a reason, and as the only thing resembling an ace on this slate you can expect to see huge ownership in cash games. Charlie Morton FD - P 8600 DK - SP 8000 Opponent - CHC (Zach Davies) Park - ATLFD - 35.5 DK - 19.04 Some say Morton has lost a step or two, but he's still out there dealing. With 6 IP and 6+ Ks in each of his last two starts, he's bringing reliability that can be tough to find this early in the season (particularly on small slates like this). The Cubs can hit, but they also strike out a lot, ranking fourth in strikeout rate so far this season. The Braves are among the biggest favorites on the slate, and if Morton can keep the ball in the park, he could be a great cash game option. Also considered: Zack Wheeler. For big tournaments Trevor Rogers is a great play against Milwaukee. It's not great to go up against Burnes, but Milwaukee's lineup is even worse than Miami's, and Rogers has plenty of strikeout stuff for big tourneys. Catcher/First Base Freddie Freeman FD - 1B 3900 DK - 1B 6000 Opponent - CHC (Zach Davies) Park - ATLFD - 13.84 DK - 10.36 Freeman is an incredible buy-low opportunity right now. He's got an .800+ OPS in spite of a .170 BABIP. He's walking 19% of the time against a 10% BB rate, and he's under $4,000. Things are turning in very short order for Freeman. As for the match-up, prepare yourself to see a few Braves in today's article. Things have gone pear-shaped for Davies early in the 2021 season. He's walking an astounding 6.46 batters per nine innings, while striking out fewer than 6 per nine. Last year's ERA looks like a total fluke, and the Braves should eat...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 4/25/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez FD 8300 DK 8200 Opponent - SEA (Nick Margevicius) Park - SEAFD - 35.43 DK - 18.93 E-Rod has been excellent to start this season, really dialing up the K’s in a way we haven’t seen from the guy since 2018. He’s putting down more than 10 batters per nine and has a 2.86 xFIP for his efforts. He’s throwing his cutter more which is, in part, responsible for the gains he’s making on the mound. But the big news is that he’s really limited the walks in a way we haven’t seen before from the guy. If he’s truly put together the command like this then he’s an ace plain and simple. Jack Flaherty FD 8600 DK 8400 Opponent - CIN (Luis Castillo) Park - CINFD - 39.11 DK - 21.39 Flattery hasn’t started the season that strongly with a K/9 under nine so far and xFIp sitting in the low 4’s. And this is a good matchup against a Reds team that’s come out really swinging this season. But we are simply buying really low on Flaherty’s projected peripherals and anticipating a return to the 10.5 K/9 rate he’s had for most of his career. This is having a little faith for sure and not everyone is going to see it this way, but I think the risk is worth the reward on a day that's light on pitching. Drew Smyly FD 0 DK 8200 Opponent - ARI (Zac Gallen) Park - ARIFD - 35.77 DK - 19.42 This game was postponed from yesterday so some of the same writeups are going to apply. Here’s what I had to say about him before: Smyly is coming way too cheap on this slate and should be a very popular option on both sites. Smyly has only start two games this season but this guy has been excellent for his last 37 innings or so. The xFIP is in the low 3’s over that stretch and is striking out close to ten batters per nine as well. And this season he’s been able to limit the walks really well. The matchup is great against a Diamondbacks team that’s been middle of the pack this season but isn’t projected to have much pop over the long term. The price is too low for the peripherals and there should be more of a price correction on what Smyly has done...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 4/24/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Nathan Eovaldi FD - P 8500 DK - SP 8900 Opponent - SEA (Chris Flexen) Park - BOSFD - 37.75 DK - 20.35 Eovaldi isn’t the first name that might jump out for cash games, but he’s in an excellent spot on Saturday. He comes in as a -190 home favorite against the Seattle Mariners. He’s had an excellent start to the season, striking out more than 9.5 batters per nine and rocking a 2.65 xFIP. Meanwhile, the Mariners have the fourth-worst team wOBA this season and are striking out almost 27% of the time. Eovaldi’s price hasn’t really corrected for how good he’s been this season and this is such a good matchup that he’s got to be in contention for the cash game option on the day. Drew Smyly FD - P 6700 DK - SP 8200 Opponent - ARI (Madison Bumgarner) Park - ATLFD - 38.2 DK - 20.79 Smyly is coming way too cheap on this slate and should be a very popular option on both sites. Smyly has only started two games this season but this guy has been excellent for his last 37 innings or so. The xFIP is in the low 3’s over that stretch and is striking out close to ten batters per nine as well. And this season he’s been able to limit the walks really well. The matchup is great against a Diamondbacks team that’s been middle of the pack this season but isn’t projected to have much pop over the long term. The price is too low for the peripherals and there should be more of a price correction on what Smyly has done lately. I don’t mind Kevin Gausman (FD $9400 DK $7600) at these prices in a matchup against the Marlins. Catcher/First Base Paul Goldschmidt FD - 1B 3200 DK - 1B 4800 Opponent - CIN (Wade Miley) Park - STLFD - 11.85 DK - 8.92 This isn’t a great matchup to target Goldschmidt mostly because Miley, while a lefty, has shown excellent control so far this season and is getting a lot ground balls to start the year. That’s not a great thing, but this is Goldie in a matchup against a southpaw and that has to perk your ears up at least some. This is a guy with a career 1.014 OPS and .423 wOBA in this split for his career. And sure, a lot...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 4/19/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW!   Pitchers Joe Musgrove FD - P 10500 DK - SP 10200 Opponent - MIL (Brandon Woodruff) Park - SD FD - 37.33 DK - 20.01 It's a short slate on Monday, and with so many games with tight money lines we are in a bit of a bind. If you're looking for electric upside, you don't have to look a lot further than Joe Musgrove. The Padres' burgeoning ace has built upon 2020's break out with a bang, compiling a 1.93 xFIP (and a no-hitter!) through three starts in this young season. Musgrove had big prospect pedigree before being tainted by the Pirates, and appears ready to lean into being an ace in his first season in San Diego. Milwaukee is a fantastic match-up, with the 2nd worst wOBA in the Majors and the 6th highest K rate. Musgrove is a little pricey but should be worth it here. Dustin May FD - P 9300 DK - SP 9700 Opponent - SEA (Justus Sheffield) Park - SEA FD - 33.94 DK - 18.22 Speaking of young pitchers realizing their prospect pedigree, I present to you Dustin May. He hasn't been super-efficient thus far this season, but he's combining his characteristically great ground-ball rate with the best strikeout numbers of his career. It's just 10 innings, but the signs have been there in the past, and he doesn't need to be this good in order to justify these prices. The Dodgers are the biggest favorites on the day against a Seattle team with a top 10 strikeout rate, and on a slate like today that might be enough for cash games. Also considered: Kevin Gausman, if you need some savings. Catcher/First Base Brandon Belt FD - 1B 2300 DK - 1B 3400 Opponent - PHI (Chase Anderson) Park - PHI FD - 9.92 DK - 7.42 People were probably overly enthusiastic about last year's performance from Belt, and they are probably overly pessimistic based on this year's slow start. The truth probably lies somewhere between, with Belt projecting out as a high .700s OPS guy. He's been .080 OPS points better against righties for his career, and Anderson has to be considered below average at this point in his career. It's a reasonable hitters' park as well, and Belt is just so cheap that he helps you pay up for pricier options elsewhere. Carlos Santana FD - 1B 2600 DK -...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 4/19/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Shane Bieber FD - P 11500 DK - SP 10000 Opponent - CIN (Wade Miley) Park - CINFD - 46.81 DK - 26.73 Bieber is *only* a -155 road favorite against the Reds on Sunday, but rings in with the highest projection of the early games. That’s what happens when you put up video game stats for your last 100 innings pitched. In that span, Bieber is averaging 14.5 strikeouts per nine with an xFIP in the low 2’s. He’s one of, if not the, best pitchers in baseball. The Reds have been a very good offense to start the season so this isn’t a total layup for Bieber, but the strikeout upside is nearly in a class of its own. Aaron Nola FD - P 8500 DK - SP 8800 Opponent - STL (John Gant) Park - PHIFD - 40.95 DK - 22.28 Nola comes at a price point a bit cheaper than some of the other stud arms on this slate, but he’s also one of the better pitchers in the league. The righty has a 6:1 K:BB ratio to start the season and has been in command of the strike zone for the better part of two seasons now. He’s a -170 home favorite against the Cardinals who’ve been a bottom-third offense to start the season and are striking out 25% of the time as a team. Freddy Peralta (FD $8500 DK $9500) could be a great cash option against the Pirates. He’s a big, -195 home favorite. Catcher/First Base Rhys Hoskins FD - 1B 3400 DK - 1B 4600 Opponent - STL (John Gant) Park - PHIFD - 12.38 DK - 9.1 Gant has been a reliever for most of his career but shifted to a starter this season. The ERA is fine but the 4.85 xFIP and six walks through nine innings show a guy struggling some with control. Hoskins meanwhile has been very patient for his career but has barely drawn any walks to start the season. Something has to give here and I’m leaning Hoskins in this matchup. He could round out to a .900 OPS guy again if the peripherals tick up some and this is a matchup to get going with. Keston Hiura FD - 1B 2500 DK - 1B/2B 4400 Opponent - PIT (Chad Kuhl) Park - MILFD - 10.74 DK - 8.13 Chad Kuhl has been pretty terrible this...