MLB DFS Picks & Underdog Player Props: Saturday (3/29)

The first Saturday of the MLB regular season is also the first day every team plays. That means different DFS contests throughout the day on both FanDuel and DraftKings. For the sake of this article, I’m going to try to overlap the slates, but it doesn’t line up perfectly. DraftKings has a nine-game slate that begins at 1:05 p.m. ET. On FanDuel, those same games are broken into two slates beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET and 4:05 p.m. ET.

Today’s MLB DFS & Player Props Picks

Saturday’s Starting Pitchers Rankings (3/29)

PLAYER	DK Salary	FD Salary
Joe Ryan	$8,800	$10,500
Gavin Williams	$8,400	$7,700
Jose Soriano	$7,100	$8,500

With many of the aces having pitched the last few days, there are not as many high-priced options as typical. The high-priced option I’ll recommend is Joe Ryan. When Ryan is at his best, he generates strikeouts and limits home runs allowed. He is taking on a St. Louis team that finished in the bottom 10 of the league last season in home runs.
I was hoping for a bit more of a discount on Gavin Williams’ first start, but alas, we don’t always get what we want. Williams was dominant throughout spring training, with 26 strikeouts in only 17 innings. In many cases, spring training stats don’t matter, but when a former top prospect starts to show he may deliver on his promise, you pay attention.
A lower-priced option for the DraftKings slate is Jose Soriano. The White Sox erupted for eight earned runs on Opening Day. But remember, this was a historically bad offense last season, averaging only 3.1 runs per game. It’s been over two seasons due to injury, but Soriano has a career 123 ERA+ over 155 career innings.

Suggested Lineup Stacks

Philadelphia Phillies Projected Lineup (3/29)

POS	PLAYER	DK Salary	FD Salary
1B	Kyle Schwarber	$5,800	$3,900
SS	Trea Turner	$5,600	$3,700
1B	Bryce Harper	$5,400	$4,000
3B	Alec Bohm	$4,900	$3,000
LF	Max Kepler	$4,000	$2,600
C	J.T. Realmuto	$4,500	$3,000
RF	Nick Castellanos	$4,700	$3,000
2B/SS (FD)	Bryson Stott	$4,000	$2,800
CF	Brandon Marsh	$3,400	$2,700

You will have to pay up for Phillies hitters, but it’s with good cause. To begin, they take on right-hander Jake Irvin. He struggled with control and home runs throughout spring training, allowing eight walks and four home runs in 16 innings.

Then, there is the Phillies’ offense itself. Even though they were dominated for the first six innings by MacKenzie Gore on Opening Day, they still got going against the Nationals’ bullpen, ending with five extra-base hits. The three stars at the top are always in play, with Bryce Harper being the preferred option simply because he is the cheapest. If you are looking for a more affordable way to get exposure to the Phillies lineup, check out Max Kepler at $4,000. He is batting in the middle third of the best lineup he has ever been in.

Tampa Bay Rays Projected Lineup (3/29)

POS	PLAYER	DK Salary	FD Salary
1B	Yandy Diaz	$4,600	$3,000
1B/2B	Jonathan Aranda	$2,600	$2,500
2B	Brandon Lowe	$4,200	$3,100
3B	Junior Caminero	$5,200	$2,800
OF/2B (FD)/3B (FD)	Christopher Morel	$3,800	$2,700
C	Danny Jansen	$3,200	$2,500
OF	Jonny DeLuca	$3,100	$2,400
SS	Taylor Walls	$3,000	$2,500
OF	Kameron Misner	$2,100	$2,000

A lot was made in the offseason of the Rays playing their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field. It’s a park with the same short dimensions as Yankee Stadium, but also has much warmer temperatures that should help the ball carry.

Then there is opposing pitcher Antonio Senzatela. Imagine if you combined the health of Jacob deGrom with the effectiveness of Austin Gomber over the past few seasons. That would give you Senzatela. He has pitched just 112 innings over the last three seasons combined with an ERA of 5.21. You may think it is just the Coors Field effect, but he has pitched better at home. Take advantage of the matchup with some affordable Rays bats in Brandon Lowe, Junior Caminero, Christopher Morel or Jonathan Aranda. It should be noted that this lineup is a true projection because we are not yet sure how the Rays will replace Josh Lowe with an oblique injury.

Core Studs

POS	PLAYER	DK Salary	FD Salary
OF	Mike Trout	$5,600	$4,000
1B	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	$5,700	$3,900
OF	Jackson Chourio	$5,500	$3,000

Mike Trout didn’t get a hit in his first game of the season. He is always someone to target when he is healthy against right-handed pitching. He has hit 25 home runs in his last 107 games against right-handers.
After a hitless Opening Day, Vladimir Guerrero got back on track in his second game with two hits and an RBI. Today, he takes on right-handed pitcher Dean Kremer. He is 10-for-26 in his career against Kremer with five home runs.
Jackson Chourio had an Opening Day to forget, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts. That is called a Platinum Sombrero, which I was unaware of. The thing is that Chourio had a 1.224 OPS in spring training with only seven strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. If a bad Opening Night drops his price even a little, take advantage of it.

Value Plays/Punts

POS	PLAYER	DK Salary	FD Salary
OF	Heliot Ramos	$3,500	$3,300
OF	Trevor Larnach	$3,200	$2,800
3B/OF (FD)	Miguel Vargas	$3,200	$2,600

Heliot Ramos already hit a home run on Opening Day versus a right-handed pitcher. For his career, his OPS against right-handed pitchers is only .662. Against left-handed pitchers, that number jumps to .956. The Giants are taking on the Reds, who are using left-hander Nick Lodolo.
Trevor Larnach batted cleanup for the Twins in the first game, finishing 2-3 with a run scored. He is likely to bat in the same lineup spot since the Twins are against right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde. In his career, Larnach’s OPS is nearly 200 points higher against right-handed pitching.
Another player who has seemingly found a spot atop a lineup is Miguel Vargas with the Chicago White Sox. The higher you are in the lineup, the more potential for at-bats. The more at-bats, the more potential for points. Vargas delivered a double, two RBI and a run scored in his first game of the season.

Saturday’s Top 3 Underdog Player Props

Kyle Manzardo: 0.5 Total Bases – Higher (Underdog)

Kyle Manzardo was a single away from the cycle on Opening Day. All of those hits came against left-handed pitchers, which we were unsure he would even play against. This game is against right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo. FantasyPros’ daily projections have him at 1.15 hits, which would exceed this mark easily.

Juan Soto: 0.5 RBI – Higher (Underdog)

It’s not that Juan Soto struggles against anyone, but he destroys right-handed pitching. He has a career 1.001 OPS against right-handers. He faces right-handed pitcher Spencer Arrighetti today. I prefer the RBI pick’em, but you could choose to go with the 1.5 total bases or the 0.5 runs pick’ems instead.

Corey Seager: 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI – Higher (Underdog)

The Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox game has the highest implied total of the day. When a game has a high total, I always check out the runs and RBI pick’ems. Corey Seager stands out. Seager has a career OPS over .900 against right-handed pitching. Today, he’ll take on his old teammate Walker Buehler. While they have only opposed each other two times, Seager already has a home run against Buehler.