MLB DFS action on Friday, April 2, starts at 7:10 p.m. ET with giant contests on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Before locking in lineups, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy baseball top stacks, picks, rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some MLB DFS and daily fantasy baseball stacks including the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
Don’t forget to head over to the Awesemo MLB DFS HOME PAGE for more great written daily fantasy baseball content, including FREE daily article series: Spotlight Pitchers, MLB DFS Tournament Strategy and MLB Cheat Sheets for all the major DFS sites.
Also, Yahoo is offering a massive $30K MLB Baller contest with a $5K Vegas Getaway bonus to first. With a $15 entry fee and fewer than 3,000 entries to compete with, it’s the best bang for your buck across the daily fantasy industry on Friday.
***Enter HERE now for your chance to win!***
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Friday, April 2nd
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Houston Astros at LHP Jesus Luzardo — 4.4 implied runs
In an interesting twist, the Astros are somehow escaping the wrath of MLB fans for their sign-stealing scandal during their recent success. Yes, while they appear to have cheated, they have several batsmen that are above average against southpaws. Keep in mind, as distasteful as it may be to employ Houston hitters, this is hard-earned money being put forth into contests. This is a judgement-free zone.
Fireballer Jesus Luzardo looks like he is on his way to a very promising career, but he is still learning how to harness his talent. Against the last 225 opposite-handed hitters he has faced, he has allowed a 1.52 HR/9 and an 18.4% fly ball rate. On the positive side of the ledger, he has a 24.9% strikeout rate, which is the variable in his favor.
While Houston has changed out a few players, they still have plenty of hitters with sustained success against southpaws. Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman clearly lead the way, but if looking for some differentiation on the late slate or wanting to be daring on the main slate, then fellow lefties Yordan Alvarez, Michael Brantley and Kyle Tucker are very much in play.
[JOINMLB+]
Coors Field Stack
Los Angeles Dodgers at RHP Antonio Senzatela — 7.6 implied runs
The plan is to generally avoid writing up the teams playing in Coors Field in this article series. Everyone knows that the ball flies much further at altitude and the hope is to uses this platform to provide teachable moments. However, on Friday there are half a dozen games and the Rockies are rolling out Antonio Senzatela as their second-best pitcher.
While Senzatela is not completely horrible, at best he would be the No. 3 or 4 bullpen option on most teams. Yet, here he is playing a prominent role in the Rockies rotation. Regardless of whether he is on the road or at home, Senzatela has been susceptible to power from both sides of the plate, and his sub-14% strikeout rate over the last two-plus seasons has done him no favors.
Focus on hitters with power from either side of the plate for the Dodgers, which essentially means everyone up to and including the bat boy on Friday night. The preferred primary plays will be Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Will Smith.
Late Slate
San Diego Padres vs. RHP Merrill Kelly — 4.9 implied runs
It seems crazy that the Opening Day Yahoo recommendation Padres somehow disappointed after plating seven runs, yet here we are staring back into the abyss. If San Diego catcher Victor Caratini and teammate Jake Cronenworth were not in your lineup on Thursday, you were not happy with your San Diego stack. That duo unexpectedly had a 4-for-6 day with three runs scored and most importantly five RBIs. Everyone is in agreement that Madison Bumgarner was a great pitcher to target against, and that was true. However, controlling who produces against him when he falters is apparently an impossible task.
Friday is a new day, and the Padre batters facing Merrill Kelly are going to be at the top of target lists. It is going to be around 70 degrees at first pitch, which makes this game one of the more favorable weather options. In a fun twist, Kelly has been decent over his last 411 left-handed batters faced. However, hiding within those results are an 11.5% HR/FB rate and a 43.9% hard-hit rate. The big reveal is that Kelly has been hammered by same-handed hitters. Across his last 491 righty/righty matchups, Kelly has allowed 1.74 HR/9 and a 41.7% hard-hit rate.
While the right-handed batsmen for the Padres disappointed on Thursday, go right back to Tommy Pham, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado on Friday night as MLB DFS picks.
Final Thoughts for the Friday, April 2nd MLB DFS Slate
Gamers will be flocking to the Dodgers, but do not lose sight of the Padres, who could easily upset the applecart tonight. Finally, keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
