Full Slate Breakdown for MLB DFS 4/25:

Get your MLB DFS research started with DFS Army’s Full Count! Pitching advice, stack strategy, home run calls, and everything you need.

Welcome to another year of the DFS Army MLB Full Count! You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Mike aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article out on Twitter as well as inside our coaching forums.  With that said, let’s get it started!

My Take on a Consistent MLB DFS Process – Looking at Pitchers

I always start an MLB slate by looking at pitching, not only do you get a grasp on who the pitchers are that you want to target, but gives you a holistic look at the slate as well. Breaking down pitching also gives you an idea of what offenses are in good spots against bad/vulnerable pitchers. I start my research by going straight to the  MLB Carnage Report this is where we can analyze all the pitchers on the slate in a compact, yet detailed manner. Below are the three pitchers that jumped out to me at first glance, good or bad.

• Brandon Woodruff – Woodruff comes in as the highest-priced pitcher on DraftKings, and number two behind Hyun Jin Ryu on FanDuel. He’ll get a matchup with the Cubs that he’s gone on record to say this isn’t just another start… it sounds like he’ll be out for some revenge after getting thrown behind last time he faced this team. The wind will be blowing in at Wrigley and he has a 30.8% strikeout rate on the season. The Cubs have hit the ball a bit better as of late, but I’m firing Woody up in all formats.
• Eduardo Rodriguez – I was pretty heavy on Eovaldi in this same matchup yesterday and it backfired a bit, but I’m willing to go right back at it today. Rodriguez has looked really good to start the season, he has at least 33 FanDuel points in each start and gives you a mid-range option on this slate. He gets a matchup with the Mariners who come in with an implied run total of 3.6. The one issue here may be weather, so keep an eye on the Weather Station to make sure this one won’t be delayed after the first pitch.
• Taijuan Walker  – Let’s go dumpster diving a bit and get us a cheap pitcher for FanDuel and an SP2 option on DraftKings. Walker has looked really good to start the season, he comes in with a 24.1% strikeout rate and just a 30.1% hard contact rate on the season. This Nationals lineup is watered down to make things better since Juan Soto hit the IL. There’s a good deal of strikeouts in it as well. The Nats come in with an implied run total of just 3.4 here, Walker is a guy I’ll get a good amount of on this slate as a cheaper option.

We have a BRAND NEW update to our MLB Domination Station lineup optimizer with advanced user-controlled scoring systems inside.  You control how the lineups are built from three main uses of our projections: Points-based, DFSA Grades, or the unique blend of Hybrid Scoring!  The Domination Station will help you create 150 of the highest projected lineups in a matter of minutes. With features that allow you to Like  Love  or Dislike  a player, you can create a fully unique pool of players to generate your lineups from every day. Combine the power of the Domination Station with our VIP Only Articles and the MLB Research Station to really take your game to the next level.

Main Slate:

Oakland Athletics (-141) @ Baltimore Orioles (+130)

Implied Run Totals:

Athletics – 4.4 IRT

Orioles – 3.7 IRT

Rundown:

We’ll kick off the day with Jesus Luzardo taking the mound against the Orioles. Luzardo is actually priced really nice on both sites but he hasn’t gone over 65 pitches in either of his last two starts. That being said, he looked great last game going 5.1 innings and striking out 6 against the Twins. The Orioles are no stranger to striking out either, so I think you can get to Luzardo here. John Means will take the mound for the O’s and he has looked incredible this season. He carries a 24.3% strikeout rate and a 31.9% hard contact rate into this one. Due to the pitching in this game, I’m not sure I’ll find a whole lot of bats I love, but both of these pitchers are in play here.

OAK 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Matt Chapman, Mark Canha, Jed Lowrie, Ramon Laureano, Matt Olson

GPP Note: More of a GPP stack if you think Means is due for some regression, but I think he’s a legit pitcher, so just one-offs for me.

BAL 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Austin Hays, Trey Mancini, Maikel Franco

GPP Note: You can make a bit more of a case for this stack than the A’s, but I still don’t love it.

---

New York Yankees (-126) @ Cleveland Indians (+116)

Implied Run Totals:

Yankees – 4.3 IRT

Indians – 3.8 IRT

Rundown:

This game features a pretty intriguing pitching matchup as well as Jameson Tailon and Triston McKenzie will square off. Tailon is probably the better option due to the matchup, the Indians aren’t exactly the Bronx Bombers, but there are a few bats like Jose Ramirez and Eddie Rosario that can give pitchers trouble. I do like McKenzie for GPP’s though, he carries a 33.1% strikeout rate into this game against a Yankees team that has struck out a ton to start the season. Another thing to like with McKenzie is it seems like the leash is getting longer on him, he’s thrown more pitches in each progressive start, throwing 87 last time out… maybe they let him get in that 85-100 pitch range more consistently going forward?

NYY 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres

GPP Note: The Yankees are probably more of a mini-stack for me if you want to chase some home runs. There have been so many strikeouts in this lineup that it’s hard for them to string together a big inning.

CLE 5-star plays: Jose Ramirez

4-star plays: Eddie Rosario, Franmil Reyes

GPP Note: Same thing here, more of a mini-stack due to how soft the bottom of the lineup gets.

---

Kansas City Royals (-116) @ Detroit Tigers (+107)

Implied Run Totals:

Royals – 4.2  IRT

Tigers – 3.9 IRT

Rundown:

Danny Duffy will take the mound for the Royals in a great matchup with a not-so-great Tigers lineup. The price for Duffy is pretty fair on both sites, but he has looked great to start the season. He has at least 22.1 DraftKings points in each of his starts and has a quality start in all of them. It’s pretty hard not to like him again here in this spot. Michael Fulmer will be on the other side of this one and he hasn’t been so fortunate. He has a 37.4% hard contact rate on the season, which isn’t terrible but it’s not exactly what you want either. I like the Royals as a nice GPP stack (tell me if you’ve heard that before), but as always, I like the speed and power upside they can bring to the table here.

KCR 5-star plays: Whit Merrifield

4-star plays: Ryan O’Hearn, Hunter Dozier, Jorge Soler, Salvador Perez

GPP Note: I have a soft spot for stacking this team and I don’t exactly know why, but I like them again here against Fulmer and that Tigers bullpen.

DET 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Wilson Ramos, Niko Goodrum

GPP Note: I’ll have much more interest in Duffy than this Tigers offense, just one-offs for me.

---

Seattle Mariners (+169) @ Boston Red Sox (-185)

Implied Run Totals:

Mariners – 3.6 IRT

Red Sox – 5.0 IRT

Rundown:

I touched on Eduardo Rodriguez at the beginning of this article and if the rain can hold off I think he makes for a nice pitching option on this slate. The Mariners offense looked good yesterday, but I think they’ll struggle with consistency this season and Rodriguez has looked great to start off the year. Nick Margevicius will get the start for the Mariners and I like me a good ole Red Sox stack against him. His hard contact rate isn’t terrible at 38% this season, but this Sox offense has been one of the best in the league early on. You’ll be paying through the nose if you’re full stacking them, but the prices are well warranted on these guys.

SEA 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Kyle Lewis, Mitch Haniger

GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in Rodriguez than the Mariners but there are a few cheap one-offs you can get to here, particularly in the top of the order.

BOS 5-star plays: JD Martinez

4-star plays: Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez, Alex Verdugo, Rafael Devers

GPP Note: Anytime this Red Sox team gets a matchup with a lefty I’ll have interest simply due to some hard hitters in Martinez, Bogaerts, and Kike to start the lineup off.

Watching the weather is half the battle when it comes to MLB DFS. The DFS Army Weather Station has you covered, from games that have delay and postponement potential, to games that could have significant winds that will play a roll in selecting a team to stack or a pitcher to use.

---

Washington Nationals (+136) @ New York Mets (-148)

Implied Run Totals:

Nationals – 3.4 IRT

Mets – 4.2 IRT

Rundown:

Taijuan Walker is another guy I touched on at the beginning of the article, I probably wouldn’t like this matchup quite as much if Soto didn’t just hit the IL, but without him in there, this Nats lineup looks a lot worse. Patrick Corbin will get the ball for the Nats and he bounced back in a big way last time out against the Cardinals. I’m still not 100% convinced that he’s healthy, so a Mets stack makes a lot of sense here, especially those hard-hitting righties.

WAS 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Trea Turner, Josh Bell

GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in Walker against this team than I will a Nats stack in this one.

NYM 5-star plays: Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor

4-star plays: Dom Smith, JD Davis, James McCann

GPP Note: I think they’ll come in lower owned than they should because of the name recognition on Corbin, but I like the full stack a good deal here.

The MLB DFS Research Station is my #1 source for research every single day and is one of the VIP Only tools our members have access to daily. The info in the MLB ReSearch Station includes today’s  DFS Army Projection, Adjusted BVP matchups and much more. This tool will cut your daily research time in half. If you’re familiar with Ben you already know the time they’ve put into the “Sheets” and are extremely happy to provide them as apart of your DFS Army VIP Membership this year.

 

Toronto Blue Jays (-123) @ Tampa Bay Rays (+114)

Implied Run Totals:

Jays – 4.0 IRT

Rays – 3.6 IRT

Rundown:

Hyun-jin Ryu is the highest-priced pitcher on FanDuel, but coming off a start against the Red Sox where he got hit around pretty good. If we got back to that start of last season he’s giving up a hard contact rate of just 23.6% which is pretty tough to beat. If you’re looking for some safety in your lineup, I think you can feel pretty comfortable with Ryu. Luis Patino gets the start for the Rays, but he won’t stick around for long as Josh Fleming is expected to come in shortly after. Fleming looked pretty good last time out but I don’t love the upside he brings, he hasn’t had more than three strikeouts in either of his appearances this season.

TOR 5-star plays: Vlad Guerrero

4-star plays: Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio

GPP Note: I think the Jays are a pretty solid mini-stack option, their not my favorite team on the slate, but you can also do worse than them, so no issue here.

TBR 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Austin Meadows, Randy Arozarena

GPP Note: Just one-offs here, I have a hard time stacking against a guy that gives up such little hard contact.

---

Arizona Diamondbacks (+115) @ Atlanta Braves (-125)

Implied Run Totals: 

Dbacks – 3.1 IRT

Braves – 3.5 IRT

Rundown:

Zac Gallen will get his third start of the season here and has looked pretty solid in both starts although got hit around a little bit last time out. Gallen brings a nice 28.7% strikeout rate to the table which gives him some solid upside. The Braves lineup is scary especially at the top of the order, otherwise, I would have some interest in cash games. Bryse Wilson gets the start for the Braves, he hat hit around pretty good in his last start against the Cubs, so no interest here, I also don’t really want to stack against him with this ugly Dbacks lineup.

ARI 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Kole Calhoun, David Peralta

GPP Note: You can make a case to mini-stack the Diamondbacks, but the bottom of the order gets ugly quick which takes the full stack out of play for me.

ATL 5-star plays: Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman

4-star plays: Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna

GPP Note: This lineup can go nuclear at any point, which is why I don’t have more interest in Gallen. If you’re MMEing, I would make sure to get some exposure.

MLB season is upon us! DFSArmy VIP Members had a big season last year and are in for some big things again this season! We will have cheat sheets, breakdowns, and many other tools to help make you successful in one of the more volatile fantasy sports.

---

Los Angeles Angels (+125) @ Houston Astros (-136)

Implied Run Totals: 

Angels – 4.0 IRT

Astros – 4.6 IRT

Rundown:

Dylan Bundy will get the ball for the Angels here, he has looked really good this season up until his last start where the Rangers got to him. He’s going to have a few blow-up games which is why I think you can stack the Astros in GPP, but he’s shown some good stuff this season if you want a high upside pitching option for tournaments. Lance McCullers will get the start for the Astros, and he’s coming off a really bad outing against the Tigers where he gave up 6 earned runs. I wouldn’t expect that again here, but if you think his stuff isn’t there right now I have no issue getting to an unowned Angels stack to get some leverage.

LAA 5-star plays: Mike Trout

4-star plays: Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh

GPP Note: Just a mini-stack with these three big boppers for tournaments for me, you can make a case for a full-stack but I don’t know that I can pull the trigger.

HOU 5-star plays: Alex Bregman

4-star plays: Yordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel, Michael Brantley

GPP Note: This was the winning stack yesterday, so if you think the bats are hot and you want to ride it out, go for it!

---

Texas Rangers (+176) @ Chicago White Sox (-193)

Implied Run Totals: 

Rangers – 3.1 IRT

White Sox – 4.4 IRT

Rundown:

I really want to have some interest in Michael Kopech in this spot but I just don’t think they’re going to let him get too deep into the game. He hasn’t thrown more than 41 pitches this season, so the odds that they just let him free to throw 6 innings is pretty minimal which takes him out of play for me. Kohei Arihara gets the start for the Rangers and has actually looked really good going for at least 25 DraftKings points in each of his last two starts. That said, I’ll be stacking against him here every way that I can, he’s given up a 44.1% hard contact rate and this White Sox team can hit with the best of ’em.

TEX 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Joey Gallo, Nate Lowe, Adolis Garcia

GPP Note: Just the hard-hitting home run bats as one-offs here for me.

CHW 5-star plays: Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Jose Abreu

4-star plays: Yasmani Grandal, Yermin Mercedes, Andrew Vaughn

GPP Note: Absolutely love the White Sox here, I’ll have interest in pretty much everyone in this lineup.

---

Pittsburgh Pirates (+182) @ Minnesota Twins (-201)

Implied Run Totals: 

Pirates – 3.5 IRT

Twins – 5.1 IRT

Rundown:

I would have some interest in Matt Shoemaker here but I think we’re going to get hit with some weather issues in this one. Keep an eye on the Weather Station and if it looks clear for pitchers go ahead and fire up a cheap Shoemaker against a weak Pirates lineup. Wil Crowe gets the start for the Pirates and I’d be lying if I said I’ve ever heard of this guy before… but judging by his major league stats, let’s fire up these Twins bats. He’s thrown 9 innings in the majors and has given up 12 earned runs, 15 hits, and 10 walks… that ain’t good.

PIT 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Bryan Reynolds, Colin Moran

GPP Note: With the weather risk in this one I don’t see the need to take a chance on the Pirates.

MIN 5-star plays: Nelson Cruz, Byron Buxton, Josh Donaldson

4-star plays: Luis Arraez, Alex Kirilloff, Mitch Garver

GPP Note: I’m going to trust the small sample size on Crowe and assume he’s a gas can, I’m willing to take the weather risk on this Twins stack.

---

Milwaukee Brewers (-120) @ Chicago Cubs (+111)

Implied Run Totals: 

Brewers – 3.4 IRT

Cubs – 3.2 IRT

Rundown:

Brandon Woodruff is my top spend-up pitcher on the slate as I mentioned at the top of this article, the strikeout rate looks great, the wind is blowing in at Wrigley, and he’s got revenge on the mind. Jake Arrieta will get the start for the Cubs and I think he’s in play here as a cheaper SP on FanDuel and an SP2 on DraftKings. He’s looked pretty solid this season and the Brewers have some strikeouts in their lineup, and as I mentioned that wind will be swirling in. I like both the pitchers in this game quite a bit so probably just one-off bats for me.

MIL 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Travis Shaw, Keston Hiura, Avisail Garcia

GPP Note: It’s worth noting that Hiura had a three-hit day yesterday, if this is the start of a hot streak for him I want to jump on now.

CHC 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant

GPP Note: Just one-offs here, love me some Woodruff in this spot

---

Late Games:

Philadelphia Phillies (+103) @ Colorado Rockies (-111)

Implied Run Totals: 

Phillies – 5.7 IRT

Rockies – 5.9 IRT

Rundown:

Coors not on the main slate is kind of nice! Both of these teams come in with implied totals over 5.5 here which means we’ll be looking heavy at the bats. Neither Chase Anderson or Jon Gray are good enough pitchers to consistently hold down an offense in Coors, so let’s stack up those bats. If I had to choose a side in this one it would be the Phillies just because I think it’s a better offense but the Rockies have the higher implied total. I don’t think you can go wrong with either, so whatever works best for your lineup, go with it!

PHI 5-star plays: Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper

4-star plays: Andrew McCutchen, JT Realmuto, Alec Bohm, Didi Gregorius

GPP Note: A full-stack is firmly in play here, the bottom of the lineup has some nice cheap options to make the full-stack work. McCutchen is too cheap hitting lead-off as well.

COL 5-star plays: Trevor Story, Ryan McMahon, Charlie Blackmon

4-star plays: Raimel Tapia, CJ Cron

GPP Note: No issue with the Rockies side of this one either, Chase Anderson isn’t exactly a Cy Young candidate.

---

Miami Marlins (-) @ San Francisco Giants (-)

Implied Run Totals: 

Marlins – N/A IRT

Giants – N/A IRT

Rundown:

We’re still waiting for the Marlins to name a starter but it looks like all signs point to John Curtiss who is allowing a 43.5% hard contact rate on the season, so those Giants bats should look pretty good in this one. Logan Webb gets the ball for the Giants and has looked less than impressive, so those Marlins bats are in play as well. The only issue with the Marlins is the lineup is pretty weak without Anderson and Marte in there. Webb is allowing a 27.4% hard contact rate, so he may have some positive regression coming his way if he can keep hitters from squaring up his pitches. He’s a solid pitching option on any sort of late slate.

MIA 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Jesus Aguilar, Jazz Chisholm, Jon Berti

GPP Note: I’ll probably end up having more interest in Logan Webb here over the Marlins bats, but I do like getting a one-off or two.

SFG 5-star plays: Mike Yastrzemski

4-star plays: Brandon Belt, Alex Dickerson, Buster Posey

GPP Note: I like a mini-stack here to pair with your Coors stack on a late slate.

---

San Diego Padres (+111) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (-120)

Implied Run Totals: 

Padres – 3.6 IRT

Dodgers – 3.9 IRT

Rundown:

Does it get any better than Padres and Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball with two young studs on the mound? Joe Musgrove will get the ball for the Padres in this one, he’s coming off a 13 strikeout outing against the Brewers and is probably a guy you want to jam into your showdown lineups. He has a 35.5% strikeout rate on the season and just a 31% hard contact rate. Dustin May will take the mound for the Dodgers and he’s been pretty dang good as well. He has a 22.8% strikeout rate and a 29.4% hard contact rate going all the way back to the start of last season. All signs point to a pitchers duel here, so do what you can do jam them into those showdown lineups.

SDP 5-star plays: Fernando Tatis Jr.

4-star plays: Wil Myers, Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado

GPP Note: As much as I like May, Tatis is smoking hot right now so he has to warrant some attention.

LAD 5-star plays: Mookie Betts

4-star plays: Corey Seager, Max Muncy, Lucas Raley

GPP Note: There should be some cheap bats at the bottom of this lineup to make the two pitchers work, but if you have the money go get those studs at the top.

Stacks of the Day: Main Slate

1. Chicago White Sox: I touched on this when breaking down this game but Arihara is giving up hard contact at a 44.1% rate on the season. He’s coming off two really solid games which I hope keep people off this stack, but this is an elite spot given the firepower in this Sox lineup. They have an implied run total of 4.4 which seems low, but if it’s going to be unowned, more money for us.
2. Minnesota Twins: The biggest issue here will be if the weather holds off enough for this game to play through. Keep an eye on that Weather Station for updates, but I’m willing to take the risk. As I mentioned in this breakdown, Wil Crowe has thrown 9 innings in the majors and has given up 12 earned runs, 15 hits, and 10 walks. The Twins have some big upside in their lineup as well, I love this spot for them.
3. New York Mets: Could this finally be the breakout spot for the Mets? They get a matchup with Patrick Corbin, who I’m not convinced is fully healthy even coming off a nice start last time out. He’s giving up a 37.6% hard contact on the season and this Mets lineup has some untapped potential this season. I’m hoping the name recognition of Corbin keeps people off them here, but I love this spot as well to round out the top stacks!

---

MLB Dinger of the Day – Jose Abreu (DK – $5.7k; FD – $3.5k)

He’s expensive yes, but he’s going to homer today (at least I think so). I like this stack quite a bit for a reason, and he’s one of those reasons. He’s clobbering opposing righties this season with a 0.589 SLG and a 0.405 wOBA. Not to mention Arihara’s 44% hard contact rate. Tweet me (@MadnessDFS) your dong predictions and if you’re right I’ll give you a shoutout on Twitter, let’s have some fun with this!

As always I appreciate everyone who gave the article a read! Feel free to mix it up with me in our coaching forums as news breaks and lock approaches.

The only thing you are missing at this point is the key to unlock the next level of your game.  Come inside and check us out!!  We have experts sharing their secrets and experience on a daily basis.  Combine that with the actual ability to ask them questions and get quick answers in return gives you a recipe for success that puts our army hats on leaderboards all over the face of DFS.

When you sign up, don’t forget to use promo code MADNESS to save 10% on your membership each and every month!

–> Join the Winning Team Now! <–