This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We filled it on Saturday and had one of our best articles of the season. All our pitchers performed well and Max Muncy went off as our highlight player. That's the type of momentum we want to build off of. I have a great feeling about this slate as well. Three pitchers stood out like sore thumbs, so let's go ahead and get started there.
Pitching
Luis Castillo, SEA at MIN ($9,600)
Castillo got off to a nightmarish start when he allowed four runs in each of his first three starts, but he's recaptured the form that made him an American League Cy Young candidate last season. Castillo has allowed just four runs in four starts since then, compiling a 1.38 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 10.7 K/9 rate in that span. He also scored at least 22 DraftKings points in all of those and should be able to tame this torrid Twins lineup. Despite having a 13-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, Minnesota still ranks 14th in runs scored and 21st in strikeout rate. That was clear when Castillo collected 25 DraftKings points in both matchups last year.
Andrew Heaney, TEX at OAK ($6,600)
This was one of the most surprising salaries on this slate. Heaney has been cruising the last two weeks, totaling a 4.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 8.0 K/9 rate across his last three starts. That form should carry over well against the A's, with Oakland ranked 28th in OBP, 26th in strikeout rate and 27th in runs scored. In their three matchups last year, Heaney had a 1.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 rate while scoring 21 DraftKings points per game.
Bryse Wilson, MIL at KC ($6,300)
This one is risky, but it's hard to believe Wilson is this cheap when looking at his numbers. The right-hander has a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 24 innings. A converted reliever is usually scary from a DFS standpoint, but he threw 91 pitches and six innings in his most recent start. That workload and form are hard to overlook at just $6,300, especially against Kansas City. The Royals rank 22nd in OBP and are projected to score just four runs in this game.
Top Targets
Shohei Ohtani, LAD (vs. Roddery Munoz) $6,500
Ohtani is on another planet right now. The American League MVP had four hits and two dingers on Sunday. He now leads all position players with 13 DraftKings points per game. He's got at least 21 DraftKings points in three straight fixtures, posting a .464 OBP and 1.255 OPS across his last 27 games. Shohei is also flirting with a .500 on-base percentage (OBP) and 1.400 OPS against right-handers this year. He shouldn't have any issues against a pitcher making his third career start after amassing a 6.39 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in two years at Triple-A. We don't mind a full-on Dodgers stack as well, with Mookie Betts ($6,400), Freddie Freeman ($5,800) and Max Muncy ($4,600) all in play.
Francisco Lindor, NYM (vs. Kyle Gibson) $5,000
Lindor got off to a terrible start this season, but the All-Star is starting to find it now. He hit another homer on Sunday, tallying a .962 OPS across his last 11 outings. He's also got three steals in that span and looks well on his way to another 25-25 season. We love the BvP numbers as well, with Lindor posting a .417 OBP in 60 at-bats against Gibson. It's not like Gibson is a scary pitcher, generating a 4.53 ERA and 1.37 WHIP throughout his 11-year career.
Bargain Bats
Josh Rojas, SEA (vs. Simeon Woods Richardson) $3,400
Rojas has quietly been rolling all season, batting leadoff whenever the Mariners face a right-hander. It's easy to understand why when evaluating his numbers – a .377 batting average (AVG), .463 OBP, and 1.086 OPS against righties this year. We don't expect him to maintain those absurd averages but it makes him impossible to fade at just $3,400 in this matchup.
Dylan Carlson, STL (vs. Sean Manaea) $2,400
Carlson made his season debut on Sunday, but we always love to use him when the Cardinals face a lefty. That's what they have here, facing Sean Manaea and his 4.76 xFIP and 1.43 WHIP. We love that when peeking into Carlson's splits, sporting a .368 OBP and .811 OPS against southpaws since 2021. This could be a sneaky St. Louis stack as well, with Willson Contreras ($5,600), Nolan Arenado ($5,200) and Paul Goldschmidt ($4,900) all having the platoon advantage against Manaea.
Stacks to Consider
Texas Rangers at Oakland A's (Alex Wood): Adolis Garcia ($5,900), Marcus Semien ($5,500), Jonah Heim ($4,200)
Texas was the highest-scoring team in baseball last season, and they're simply one of the best stacks on every slate. They rank in the top 10 in OBP and runs scored this year, and it's just a matter of time before they creep up to the top five. It could start this week, facing Oakland and Colorado. Their first matchup of the week is Wood, accruing a 6.32 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in a horrendous start to the year.
Garcia is one of the most expensive players on the slate, but he's one of the best options out there. He's got a .372 OBP and .925 OPS across his last 22 games while providing a .395 OBP and .985 OPS against left-handers. Semien also gets the platoon advantage, which is awesome since he averaged 33 dingers and 18 steals over the last three years. Heim is the cheap option of the stack, sporting a .347 OBP and .825 OPS against southpaws since 2022.
Seattle Mariners vs. Minnesota Twins (Simeon Woods Richardson): Julio Rodriguez ($5,000), Cal Raleigh ($4,000), Josh Rojas ($3,400)
It was difficult finding a second stack, but the Mariners are a sneaky option against Woods Richardson. The right-hander has been solid through three starts this year, but he still has a 4.07 ERA and 1.44 WHIP throughout his MLB career. He also had a 5.03 ERA and 1.50 WHIP at Triple-A over the last two years and could get hit by some negative regression here.
We already talked about Rojas as one of the best values on the board, but Rodriguez is one of the most expensive options. He was the second-highest-scoring player in DFS in the second half of last season and is starting to get going. He has a .338 AVG and .373 OBP across his last 17 games, swiping five steals in that span. Raleigh is the guy who should be driving him in in the cleanup spot, homering in the last two games. He had 27 and 30 dingers in the last two years, totaling a .487 slugging percentage (SLG) against right-handers in that span.
