Monday, April 11, kicks off the week with split-slate action across Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups. As always, you can head over to the Awesemo MLB DFS & Fantasy Baseball home page for all the fantasy baseball content you need for any given slate.
MLB DFS Picks Today: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks | Monday, April 11
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Atlanta Braves vs. LHP Josh Rogers — 5.1 implied runs
Once upon a time, Josh Rogers was a prospect of note until 2019 when he underwent Tommy John surgery. Last year Rodgers was so miserable with Triple-A Norfolk — posting a 7.79 ERA — that Baltimore granted him his outright release. Washington was in need of pitching depth, so it took a chance on Rogers, who made six starts for Nationals down the stretch. Do not be fooled by the sterling 3.28 ERA last year. In 35.2 innings, the 26-year-old southpaw allowed seven home runs and 14 walks. Of his six starts, two were against an anemic Marlins squad, one was against the Pirates and one against the depleted Mets. Those three teams would be hard-pressed to put together a combined lineup that would be as potent as the lineup Atlanta will be taking the field tonight.
In three of its four games so far this season, Atlanta has plated three or fewer runs. Hopefully that keeps its popularity in check, at least until the bats heat up. Marcell Ozuna, Adam Duvall, Austin Riley and switch-hitting Ozzie Albies are the core four to target against lefties. Separately, Matt Olson is one of the best power bats against southpaws, and we know that most MLB DFS players tend to avoid hitters in lefty-lefty matchups.
Late Slate
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. RHP Elieser Hernandez — 5.2 implied runs
For the two-game late slate tonight, Elieser Hernandez is in an interesting situation since he is arguably one of the two best pitchers in action, along with Alex Wood. However, gamers may be somewhat hesitant to use him even on Yahoo and DraftKings, where two pitchers are required for each lineup. Do not be afraid to take two or three hitters against your starter in these situations, especially this early in the season when most starters are pulled at the first sign of trouble or upon completion of the fifth inning.
Hernandez is a solid pitcher, though he benefited from pitching in Marlins Park, as well as not having to deal with National League designated hitters other than during the pandemic-shortened season. Tonight he is in Anaheim, where game-time temperatures will be in the mid-60s and he will be facing a fully healthy Halos squad. Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh are as good as most top fours across the league, and the mix of power from both sides of the plate is one heck of a gauntlet for Hernandez. Lefties have given Hernandez fits throughout his young career, and both Trout and Rendon are two of the best in the game against same-handed hurlers.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Huascar Ynoa vs. Washington Nationals — 4.0 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $35 | FanDuel $8,600 | DraftKings $8,600
Terrifying is the best word that can be used to describe the pitching options on the main slate. We are four days into the regular season, so most teams are rolling with the back-end rotation guys. Tonight the goal will be to find a few pitchers who can avoid being shelled and letting the bats carry the load.
Washington has looked somewhat listless on offense this season, scoring one, three, zero and four runs through its four-game homestand against the Mets. Huascar Ynoa is not exactly a world-beater, though he would easily be a serviceable member of most rotations in the league. The Nationals offense falls off quickly after Juan Soto, a resurgent Josh Bell and Nelson Cruz, who turns 42 in July. Again, looking at the matchups and lack of quality options, all we need is for our pitchers to not spontaneously combust on the mound and we will be ahead of the field.
Secondary MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Dylan Bundy vs. Seattle Mariners — 4.6 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $29 | FanDuel $6,300 | DraftKings $5,600
Tonight, Dylan Bundy is coming in at a bargain salary, and even if he is just mediocre across four innings, this is a worthwhile risk. This spring, Bundy is looking to erase the memory of his awful one-year stop in Anaheim where he was roasted with a 6.06 ERA across 90.2 innings while allowing 1.99 home runs per nine innings. The Seattle lineup is filled with unproven characters or players beyond their prime aside from Mitch Haniger and Jesse Winker. The weather in Minnesota continues to be cool, which is a bonus for pitchers.
Wild Card MLB DFS Picks Target: LHP Luis Patino vs. Oakland Athletics — 3.5 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo N/A | FanDuel $6,800 | DraftKings $7,800
The Tampa Bay vs. Oakland game is not available on Yahoo, but it is leading off the main slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which elected to include the 6:40 p.m. ET game for a larger player pool.
While Luis Patino is likely to be capped around 50 pitches after tossing just 38 in his final spring training appearance, there is a chance the Rays put an “opener” in front of him to take care of the top half of the Oakland order. Ideally, we get three or so innings from Patino with a couple strikeouts and he avoids an implosion.
Final MLB DFS Thoughts for the Monday, April 11 Fantasy Baseball Slate
For the early slate, there is some heavy precipitation risk in St. Louis, though if the game is moved to an evening start, there is a window to play. The main slate of games should be good to go, other than chilly temperatures in the Midwest and East Coast venues.
