Monday’s MLB DFS main slates on DraftKings and FanDuel feature eight games, starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Underdog pick’em selections are also from those eight games. Let’s dive into today’s MLB DFS picks.
Monday’s Top MLB DFS Picks & Player Props
Monday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings (4/20)
Bryce Elder is cooking with gas this season. Sure, his 0.77 ERA through four starts spanning 23.1 innings overstates how well he’s pitched. Nevertheless, Elder has pitched well, as evidenced by his following stats via FanGraphs:
- 2 wins
- 2 quality starts
- 2.29 xERA (lowest among tonight’s probable starters)
- 3.42 xFIP
- 3.47 SIERA
- 1.03 WHIP
- 7.7% walk rate
- 25.3% strikeout rate
- 10.1% SwStr%
- 28.1% CSW%
- 86 stuff+
- 105 location+
- 94 pitching+
Elder has a favorable matchup against Washington’s unimpressive projected lineup, and his betting info is also desirable. The Braves are -170 favorites, and the game’s total is eight runs.
Reid Detmers‘ return to the rotation after a season in the bullpen has gone swimmingly. In four starts across 22.2 innings, the lefty has spun a 3.57 ERA, 2.53 xERA, 3.41 xFIP, 3.16 SIERA, 1.06 WHIP, 6.4% walk rate and 27.7% strikeout. Detmers’ juicy strikeout rate is supported by his 13.6% SwStr%, 29.7% CSW%, 107 stuff+, 110 location+ and 114 pitching+.
The Angels are slight underdogs (+105). Still, the game’s total is a pitcher-friendly 7.5 runs. Detmers is a stellar GPP pick at FanDuel and the best SP2 option in all game types at DraftKings.
Kyle Bradish‘s 5.49 ERA doesn’t stand out as DFS-friendly. However, his 3.06 xERA, 3.77 xFIP and 4.03 SIERA indicate he is a regression candidate and was unlucky through four starts.
Bradish also has a 23.9% strikeout rate, which will play in DFS. The righty’s betting info is mixed tonight. The Orioles are -120 favorites, but the game’s total is nine runs. All in all, Bradish is an intriguing GPP pick to get ahead of his pitching regressing to his ERA estimators.
Suggested Lineup Stacks
Jake Irvin has been a punching bag this season. The righty’s 6.16 ERA through four starts this season is the highest among tonight’s probable pitchers, and his 5.09 xERA, 4.62 xFIP and 4.40 SIERA are enticing numbers to stack against as well. Irvin has allowed a .379 wOBA to lefties and a .315 wOBA to righties since last season.
Behind Irvin, Washington’s relievers have the sixth-highest ERA (5.37) and are tied for the fourth-highest xFIP (4.80) this season. The Braves have a dreamy matchup from the start of tonight’s game to the finish.
Seth Lugo‘s 1.48 ERA through four starts suggests he’s a lousy pitcher to stack against. However, his 3.72 xERA, 3.33 xFIP and 3.62 SIERA, while rock-solid, aren’t nearly as terrifying to stack against.
The veteran righty is tough on right-handed batters, holding them to a .257 wOBA since last season. He’s coughed up a .358 wOBA to left-handed batters since last year, though. Five of Baltimore’s projected batters are left-handed hitters. Lugo should give Baltimore’s lefties a lift, and three of their top hitters are righties, which could pose some problems for him if he can’t navigate the team’s left-handed batters.
Core Studs
- Matt Olson has ripped five round-trippers with 18 runs, 16 RBI, a .374 on-base percentage (OBP), .291 ISO, .409 wOBA and 158 wRC+ in 99 plate appearances this season.
- Gunnar Henderson has hit 48 homers with a .364 OBP, .235 ISO, .378 wOBA and 149 wRC+ in 1,023 plate appearances against righties since 2024.
- Drake Baldwin has drilled five dingers with 21 runs, 19 RBI, a .366 OBP, .196 ISO, .386 wOBA and 143 wRC+ in 101 plate appearances this season.
Value Plays/Punts
- Jeremiah Jackson doesn’t have the platoon advantage against Lugo, but he’s mashed eight taters with a .309 OBP, .205 ISO, .340 wOBA and 119 wRC+ in 181 plate appearances against righties since reaching the Majors last season.
- Dominic Smith has resurfaced as a reliable platoon hitter. In 501 plate appearances against righties since 2024, Smith has hit 14 homers with a .337 OBP, .160 ISO, .336 wOBA and 116 wRC+.
- Luke Raley is a handful for righties, belting 29 bombs with a .341 OBP, .220 ISO, .355 wOBA and 138 wRC+ in 626 plate appearances against them since 2024.
Monday’s Top 3 Underdog Player Props
Check out our best picks on the MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet 
Gunnar Henderson sits atop Baltimore’s lineup. He’s tallied 19 hits, 14 runs and 15 RBIs in 22 games across 104 plate appearances this season. He’s exceeded a combined 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs in nine of his previous 13 games.
Luke Raley has gone nuclear this season in his 73 plate appearances:
- 21 hits
- 5 home runs
- 11 runs
- 13 RBI
- .313 batting average
- .370 OBP
- .627 slugging rate
- .313 ISO
- .433 wOBA
- 186 wRC+
Raley has logged a hit, run or RBI in 12 out of 17 starts this season.
J.T. Ginn made three relief appearances to begin the year before making two starts in his two most recent appearances. He cleared 15.5 outs in one of those starts. Ginn has exceeded 15.5 outs in only six of his 18 starts since last season.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
