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We have a five-game main slate today, which makes it a little on the smaller side. Still, we have some interesting pitchers for various reasons, and no games in Cincinnati or Coors. We do have a threat of rain in Wrigley, but as of now, it's not expected to shut the game down completely. Hell, they played after a tornado warning last year. Cubs fans are tough!
This article contains my picks for the five-game main slate on Thursday, April 20, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel which locks at 6:35 PM ET.
The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Michael Wacha, SD at ARI ($8,600 DK, $8,700 FD)
You're welcome to pay up for Senga if you would like, but there are already a couple of warning signs with him. He issues quite a few free passes and just gave up two homers to the A's. Yikes. Not that Wacha has been much better, but it is worth noting that his two poor outings have both come at home this year.
This incarnation of Arizona hasn't hit Wacha well at all. They only have five hits in 32 tries off of him with nine strikeouts. Before you scoff, realize that Wacha racked up 10 Ks on the Braves in his second start of the season. There is potential here if you don't want to gamble on Senga against a pesky Giants team.
Matt Strahm, PHI vs. COL ($7,000 DK, $9,000 FD)
His price is tough to swallow on FD, especially considering he is more expensive than Wacha. It's the strikeouts. They make more noise on FD. It's easy to get lost in his bashing at the hands of the Reds last week, but it was in Cincinnati. Now he gets the Rockies coming down from the mountains. Coors effect is a real thing, folks. Pitches break harder when you haven't seen them break in a while. Strahm still recorded six of his eight outs against the Reds via strikeout. I love the upside against the road Rockies here.
Others to consider: Kodai Senga vs. SF
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Pete Alonso - 1B, NYM at SF ($5,800 DK, $4,300 FD)
As per usual, Alonso is wrecking lefties this year. He has four homers in just 32 at-bats against southpaws in 2023 with a .321 average and seven RBI. We just saw Sean Manaea struggle with his location against the toothless Tigers. If he misses his pitches again against a team like the Mets, he's in for an early shower.
Nico Hoerner - 2B, CHC vs. LAD ($4,500 DK, $3,700 FD)
Horner is coming off of a series in Oakland in which he notched six hits and three runs scored leading off for the Cubbies. He has no power to speak of, but the .347 average is a language that speaks to DFS players nonetheless. Michael Grove has struggled for the Dodgers and Hoerner is getting on base. He has reached base in every game since April 1. There is no downside here besides the lack of power. On a short slate, I can live with that.
Trea Turner - SS, PHI vs. COL ($6,300 DK, $3,500 FD)
Turner finally hit his first homer of 2023 last night, so he could be settling in as a member of the Phillies. He has two three-hit games this week, including last night's. This is a FD-only play for me thanks to Tommy Chong setting his price on DraftKings...I know it's 4/20 and all, but that's just ridiculous.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Juan Soto - OF, SD at ARI ($5,000 DK, $3,500 FD)
I can think of several reasons not to use Soto tonight, not the least of which is his paltry .175 average on the season. Hey, at least he's drawing walks. Soto has reached base in six straight and he hit .429 with one of his three homers on the season in the two-game set against Arizona earlier this year...which basically accounts for all of his home stats on the season. Yuck.
Now the good news: Soto's average is 108 points higher on the road so far this year and both of his career hits off of Ryne Nelson are home runs. This could be the spot where Soto starts coming around.
Brandon Marsh - OF, PHI vs. COL ($4,900 DK, $3,700 FD)
Is Brandon Marsh becoming a star? It's easy to forget that he is only 25 since he has been on top-prospect lists for a half-dozen years or so. He got out of L.A. and he is just punishing the ball in the early going. Marsh's hot hitting against both righties and lefties has him entrenched in the five-slot in a potent Philly lineup. He has responded with a modest four-game hitting streak and a robust .438 average in six home games so far. I have no problem paying this for a hot bat against the hot mess that is the Rockies' pitching staff.
Tommy Pham - OF, NYM at SF ($3,400 DK, $2,700 FD)
Pham is another guy that requires a bit of a leap of faith. He has pedestrian stats on the season despite the relative success of the Mets. My leap of faith is mostly BvP based on this one. Pham is 5-for-9 in his career against Sean Manaea with a pair of homers. This feels like a reasonable price to pay for that kind of past success.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Ryan Feltner
Feltner has allowed 13 runs in three starts and has only made it through five innings once. He has walked 11 batters already, but the Rockies really have nothing better. The Phillies are really expensive on DK, but since we're not going nuts on pitching, it's doable with a few value bats from Pittsburgh and the Cubs.
Any Philly stack needs to include Stott batting leadoff and the heart of the order with Scwarber/Castellanos/Marsh. I can see leaving Turner off on DraftKings, but there's no excuse for doing so on FD. I'm also not paying the crazy price for Realmuto on DK, so I'm hoping Josh Harrison draws the start so I can get some salary relief. If not, I might leave this as a four-player stack.
Also consider: Chicago Cubs vs. Michael Grove
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