We got off to a great start last weekend and want to carry that momentum over here. What’s going to be frustrating about this slate is the weather. We’ve had some blizzards in the Midwest, leading to numerous games being postponed on Thursday. We’re praying we don’t get too much of that here, but the weather can wreak havoc in the opening month of the MLB season.
We got off to a great start last weekend and want to carry that momentum over here. What’s going to be frustrating about this slate is the weather. We’ve had some blizzards in the Midwest, leading to numerous games being postponed on Thursday. We’re praying we don’t get too much of that here, but the weather can wreak havoc in the opening month of the MLB season.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
This is an interesting slate from a pitching perspective. We don’t really have any household names toeing the rubber, but it’s full of great starters who could be by the end of the season. Our top guy was the best performer from the opening week and has the best matchup in baseball. Let’s start there!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Jeffrey Springs (TB) vs. OAK
Springs broke out last season with a 2.46 ERA and 1.07 WHIP but looks even better this year. The lefty picked up 12 Ks across six scoreless innings in his debut. We couldn’t ask for anything more, but it’s no surprise since he had one of the best K rates in spring training. Another gem should be in play against Oakland, with the A’s ranked dead-last in OBP, OPS, wOBA, and runs scored last season. That’s why Springs is a -280 favorite, with the A’s projected for just three runs.
Nestor Cortes (NYY) at BAL
Cortes was amazing last season, providing a 2.44 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. This guy doesn’t have the greatest stuff, but he’s simply one of the smartest pitchers in baseball. That intelligence should bode well against Baltimore, with the O’s ranked 24th in runs scored last year. They also had one of the most pitcher-friendly parks around, which is awesome since Cortes threw 18.1 scoreless innings against them last year while striking out 31 batters!
GPP Recommendations:
Kodai Senga (NYM) vs. MIA
Senga has some nasty stuff, and if the opener is any indication, this guy should be a stud. The righty struck out eight batters across 5.1 innings in his MLB debut, allowing just three hits. That was ironically against this same Marlins team, who ranked bottom-five in almost every offensive category last season. The oddsmakers certainly love him, making Senga a -160 favorite in a game with a seven-run total.
Noah Syndergaard (LAD) at ARI
Thor used to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, and we’re hoping a move to LA will revive his career. His first start is a good sign, with Syndergaard allowing one run across six innings. He also struck out six batters and did that damage against this same D’Backs team. Arizona is expected to have one of the worst offenses in baseball, and if Noah recaptures the form we saw in the past, he’ll be $2,000 more on each site this time next month.
Top Lineup Stacks
The Rockies don’t have a great lineup, but they’re impossible to fade in Coors Field. That hitter-friendly park has been the highest-scoring ballpark in baseball for two decades, and it’s a cheat code from a DFS perspective. Trevor Williams is not the sort of guy who will succeed there either, with T-Will totaling a 4.75 ERA and 1.41 WHIP since 2019. He’s simply a fill-in for this nightmarish rotation, and it’ll have Colorado as the highest-projected offense on this slate.
Washington Nationals (vs. Austin Gomber)
The Nats have one of the worst lineups in baseball, but they will be an immense value in Coors. We already talked about how inducive this ballpark is to offense, and it has the Nats projected for five runs. That’s huge with how cheap many of these guys are, and it’s not like Gomber has had any success there. The southpaw had a 5.25 ERA and 1.40 WHIP at home last year, which isn’t far off his three-year averages.
The Rays are always one of the sneakiest stacks on the board because they consistently produce, and their players are always way too cheap. That alone makes them an immense value, but facing this rookie makes them one of the most enticing lineups on the board. Fujinami allowed eight runs across 2.1 innings in his debut and clearly looks like a stop-gap for this tanking Oakland team.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Aaron Judge (NYY) |
$6,500 |
$4,300 |
| SS/3B |
Wander Franco (TB) |
$5,400 |
$4,000 |
| OF |
Charlie Blackmon (COL) |
$4,600 |
$3,900 |
| DH |
Shohei Ohtani (LAA) |
$6,200 |
$4,200 |
| 1B |
Paul Goldschmidt (STL) |
$5,600 |
$4,000 |
- Judge could in this article every day. The 2022 MVP was the leading scorer in fantasy last year and has gotten off to a hot start this year. The big man has a .434 OBP and 1.032 OPS. He’s also got the platoon advantage against Cole Irvin, who allowed 10 baserunners and six runs in his debut.
- Franco was one of the highest touted prospects when he was called up, and we genuinely believe he could be in for an All-star season. The infielder has a .481 OBP and 1.373 OPS this year and did that for months in the minors. We already discussed how bad Fujinami was in his debut, and it also gives Wander the platoon advantage.
- Blackmon is always an elite choice when he faces a righty at Coors Field. Throughout his career, Charlie has his OPS above .900 when he faces a righty in the friendly confines of Coors Field. This is a righty he can rock, too, because Kuhl couldn’t get anything done for Colorado last year.
- Ohtani is another guy who could be in here every day. The superstar is especially good when he faces righties, registering a .379 OBP and .935 OPS against them over the last three years. Jose Berrios used to be a scary matchup, but he allowed eight runs in his debut and pitched to a 5.23 ERA last year.
- Goldy took down NL MVP honors last year, and he’s made a career of slaughtering southpaws. The big first baseman has a career OBP north of .400 against left-handers and was just shy of a 1.200 OPS against them over the last three years. Eric Lauer has been solid for Milwaukee but hitting in Miller Park is beneficial for any hitter.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B/OF |
Joey Meneses (WAS) |
$4,900 |
$3,600 |
| 2B/3B |
Max Muncy (LAD) |
$4,800 |
$3,100 |
| 2B |
Brandon Lowe (TB) |
$3,300 |
$2,800 |
| OF |
Tommy Pham (NYM) |
$3,800 |
$2,400 |
| C/OF |
MJ Melendez (KC) |
$4,500 |
$2,900 |
- The Nationals don’t have many trustworthy bats, but Meneses is their best hitter. While he’s gotten off to a slow start, he had a .324 AVG and .930 OPS in a breakout 2022 season. Those numbers should carry over in Coors, particularly since he faces a lefty who had a 5.56 ERA last year.
- Muncy has gotten off to a terrible start, but this guy has been great since joining LA. What makes Muncy so menacing are his splits, falling just shy of a .400 OBP against righties since joining the Dodgers. That makes him enticing here because he faces Zach Davies, who has one of the worst K rates while generating a 5.07 ERA over the last two years.
- Lowe has developed into a platoon player in Tampa, but this diminished price tag has made him way too cheap. This guy was an All-Star just two years ago and still has some of the best power from the left side. That’s scary against a southpaw like Fuhinami, with Lowe amassing a .354 OBP and .850 OPS against right-handers since 2021.
- Pham was a sneaky pickup for the Mets, and it looks like he’ll be in the heart of their order whenever they face left-handers. That’s no surprise when looking at his sensational splits, posting a .795 OPS against them since the start of last year. Trevor Rogers is not a concerning matchup, compiling a 5,61 ERA since the beginning of last year.
- Melendez has done a nice job stepping in as KC’s leadoff hitter. The reason we love him here is the matchup with Ross Stripling. The righty had an ERA north of 7.00 ERA in spring training and has a 7.20 ERA after his opener.
Hitter Strategy
This weekend is a great time to play DFS. The Colorad-Washington series in Coors Field is expected to be high-scoring, and it features some extremely cheap stacks. That’s massive because Tampa is affordable as well. That means we can stack those three teams in a multitude of ways and mix them with numerous superstars. That will be our strategy because we can save some salary with the pitchers as well.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
