As is the case with most baseball Sundays, the schedule today only has one primetime game. Therefore, we are going to target the early slate of games since that is when we have the most games to choose from.
For Draftkings, the slate begins at 1:35 p.m. ET and includes 10 games. Those same 10 games are available on FanDuel’s main slate.
As is the case with most baseball Sundays, the schedule today only has one primetime game. Therefore, we are going to target the early slate of games since that is when we have the most games to choose from.
For Draftkings, the slate begins at 1:35 p.m. ET and includes 10 games. Those same 10 games are available on FanDuel’s main slate.
Sunday’s Top MLB DFS Picks & Player Props
Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings (3/30)
- Tanner Bibee has recovered from the food poisoning that cost him his Opening Day start. Among the more expensive options, he offers the best combination of floor and ceiling. He had a 26.3% strikeout rate last season while averaging over 5.5 innings per start. The Royals can be a tough team to strike out, but it’s also a good opportunity for a win.
- In the mid-tier range, check out the mystery box that is Tomoyuki Sugano. It wasn’t until his last spring training outing that he allowed his first run. Over 15 spring training innings, he struck out 15 batters with only five walks. Right now, every team has little to no scouting report on Sugano. It could be a recipe for immediate success.
- Richard Fitts came out throwing noticeably harder this season in spring training. After striking out four batters per nine innings in his rookie season, that jumped to nearly nine per nine in spring training. He was also able to get groundballs over 50% of the time. The Rangers are a difficult matchup, but if you are looking for a cheaper option, Fitts has the upside for strikeouts and a win.
Suggested Lineup Stacks
Cincinnati Reds Projected Lineup (3/30)
| POS |
PLAYER |
DraftKings Salary |
FanDuel Salary |
| OF |
TJ Friedl |
$4,200 |
$2,900 |
| 2B/SS (FD) |
Matt McLain |
$5,000 |
$3,000 |
| SS |
Elly De La Cruz |
$6,000 |
$4,200 |
| 1B |
Christian Encarnacion-Strand |
$2,400 |
$2,500 |
| 3B/1B (FD) |
Jeimer Candelario |
$4,300 |
$2,700 |
| OF/1B/2B (FD) |
Spencer Steer |
$4,000 |
$3,000 |
| OF |
Blake Dunn |
$2,400 |
$2,200 |
| OF/3B (DK)/2B (FD) |
Santiago Espinal |
$2,500 |
$2,300 |
| C |
Jose Trevino |
$2,500 |
$2,300 |
- The order for the Cincinnati Reds lineup is unclear because this will be their first time opposing a left-handed pitcher this season. That left-hander is Robbie Ray, who was excellent in spring training. However, the Reds were top three in OPS against left-handers last season at .673.
- It’s not the same team as last season, but there are still bats in this lineup who can take advantage of left-handers. One is the returning Matt McLain. He hit a home run yesterday off a right-hander. When we last saw McLain healthy, he had a .995 OPS versus lefties.
- A sneakier (and cheaper) option is Santiago Espinal, who has a .777 career OPS versus left-handers as compared to a .636 versus a right-handed pitcher. He is also 3-for-5 in his career against Ray with a home run.
Baltimore Orioles Projected Lineup (3/30)
| POS |
PLAYER |
DraftKings Salary |
FanDuel Salary |
| OF |
Colton Cowser |
$4,800 |
$3,100 |
| C |
Adley Rutschman |
$4,900 |
$3,300 |
| 2B/3B |
Jordan Westburg |
$4,600 |
$3,400 |
| 1B |
Ryan O’Hearn |
$3,700 |
$2,600 |
| OF |
Tyler O’Neill |
$5,000 |
$3,300 |
| OF |
Cedric Mullins |
$4,000 |
$2,900 |
| 1B |
Ryan Mountcastle |
$3,900 |
$2,600 |
| 2B/SS |
Jackson Holliday |
$4,100 |
$2,600 |
| 3B/2B/1B (FD) |
Ramon Urias |
$2,600 |
$2,400 |
- This will be the fourth straight game the Toronto Blue Jays send out a right-handed starting pitcher against the Baltimore Orioles. In the first three games, the Orioles have combined to score 23 runs. They have already hit 10 home runs as a team, with Cedric Mullins, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg hitting multiple dingers. Any of those players is a strong option, but if you want to save some salary, so is Ryan O’Hearn. He sits in a prime spot in the lineup and is always a threat against right-handed pitchers.
- Plus, the Orioles face Chris Bassitt, who has struggled against Baltimore the past two seasons. Bassitt has made four starts covering 20 innings against the Orioles over the last two seasons. In those 20 innings, he has allowed 19 earned runs.
Core Studs
- I have no idea why Vinnie Pasquantino is second and third base eligible on DraftKings, considering he has never played either spot in his Major League career. For fantasy purposes, we’re going to take advantage of it. He is 6-for-8 with two home runs in his career against Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee.
- Hopefully, you had some exposure to the Yankees’ lineup yesterday. The scoring started on the first pitch of the game when Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run. He’ll likely be back in the middle of the order against right-hander Aaron Civale. Goldschmidt has had success against Civale in his career with three extra-base hits in only five at-bats.
- It’s difficult to recommend a left-handed batter versus a left-handed pitcher, but Bryce Harper isn’t like most batters. The Phillies’ offense is off to a scorching start with 18 runs in the first two games. Harper has had hits in both games, including a home run. Plus, he has never been retired by Mitchell Parker, albeit it’s only been two at-bats.
Value Plays/Punts
- It was only one game, but Dylan Crews is 3-for-3 with a triple against Aaron Nola. In the first game of the season, Crews batted in the eighth spot against a right-handed pitcher before moving to the second spot yesterday against a left-handed pitcher. For DFS purposes, we prefer the higher spot where he can use his power and his speed.
- After an offseason of questions about where Nolan Arenado will play this season, he is back with the Cardinals and off to a strong start — 4-for-8 with a double, home run and a couple of RBI. He is anchored in the cleanup spot in the Cardinals’ lineup, which always helps with counting statistics.
- After taking a seat against a left-handed starting pitcher yesterday, Luis Garcia should be back in the lineup against Nola. Garcia had two hits on Opening Day. He has had success against Nola in his career — 9-for-33 with a home run and five RBI.
Sunday’s Top 3 Underdog Player Props
Xavier Edwards: 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI – Higher
Xavier Edwards has already exceeded this mark in every game of this season. He also exceeded that mark in the last six games of the 2024 season. When you have a leadoff hitter with the contact ability Edwards has, he always has a good chance at either multiple hits or a run scored.
Garrett Mitchell has started the season 2-for-6. That is with the New York Yankees starting two different left-handed pitchers in Carlos Rodon and Max Fried. It was surprising to see him in the lineup against those two because he had only 48 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers before this season.
The Yankees are starting right-hander Marcus Stroman today. Mitchell has a .816 career OPS against right-handed pitchers.
It has been a struggle for the Atlanta Braves to score runs. They have scored seven runs total in three games, including being shut out yesterday. It’s not because they haven’t had baserunners aboard. Rather, they’ve started 1-1for-6 with runners in scoring position. As the cleanup hitter in every game, Ozuna has reached base in eight out of 13 plate appearances. He should record an RBI today.
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