Markus “Mookie” Betts filled up the stat line Friday night with his first…and second…bomb of the season, along with two walks and a SB for good measure. For those counting at home, that’s 52.6 points in FanDuel. Did you have him in a lineup? He’s been maintaining a DFS salary more indicative of his history than his early season struggles so if you answer “NO” to that question, you make a solid pre-game decision. Does this mean the Mookie Betts we know and love is truly back or are we still going to be cautious after watching him hop-scotch back-and-forth around the Mendoza Line all month? How many season-long fantasy players do you suppose were kicking themselves Saturday morning with Mookie on the bench? That number is probably high as well. This is exactly why we LOVE and HATE fantasy baseball sometimes. We’ve all been there!. The only remedy is to stick to your game plan and keep making solid decisions. The question at hand remains, do we start paying Betts’ hefty DFS price tag now? I may regret it in the long run, but I need to see him string a few of these games together before I’m truly back on the bandwagon. If you’ve already purchased your ticket, I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing each other again somewhere along the journey. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at some other affordable DFS options on today’s slate.
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Tylor Megill, SP: DK: $9,400 / FD: $9,000 – Despite giving up 4 ER in his last outing, Tylor Megill should still be a popular SP option today against the Diamondbacks. Even with the setback versus the Giants on Tuesday, his trend remains to stay out of danger by limiting walks and missing enough bats, which should come in handy versus a D-Backs squad with one of the worst K/game rate. His first 3 outings have seen a pitch-count buildup that should give confidence of 6+ IP if he continues to stay out of trouble. The Mets have the best record in baseball and there’s no reason to think that run hits a wall today.
Robbie Ray, SP: DK: $9,000 / FD: $9,800 – Robbie Ray is the Razzball Streamonator’s top SP on the slate today. Known as a strikeout pitcher, his early season K% indicates part of his game may still be loitering in extended preseason. A deeper look at his analytics indicates a direct correlation with his fastball velocity, which is down a couple ticks from a career high in 2021. He’s pitched into or beyond the 6th inning in each of his turns so there’s little worry of an injury. Today, he matches up with a Royals squad which sports a right-handed heavy lineup with one of the lowest team K-rates in baseball. The Royals best bat should get the day off today though after Salvy departed Saturday’s game following a ball off his hand. Even if the K’s continue to be suppressed, the Mariners offense should give enough run support to ensure Ray leaves with a W on his ledger.
Willson Contreras, C/1B: DK: $5,200 / FD: $3,300 – Willson Contreras has almost become a forgotten man in Chicago after all the 2021 trades and off-season signing of Seiya Suzuki. He hasn’t exactly lit it up in the early going either, generating a .220/.333/.439 triple slash so far in April. That said, he continues to hit in the top third of the order with success against RHP and JT Brubaker doesn’t exactly intimidate an opposing lineup. I’ll take a shot.
Brandon Belt, C/1B: DK: $5,400 / FD: $3,800 – Brandon Belt destroys RHP (1.021 OPS versus RHP since 2020) and draws another favorable matchup versus the Nationals youngster Josiah Gray. We all know Belt is a streaky hitter who can deliver a 30+ DFS day as easily as a 0-fer day. While I’ll certainly hope for the former, I suspect he’ll be somewhere in between and earn his salary for you today.
Michael Chavis, 2B: DK: $3,400/ FD: $3,000 – Dealt to the Pirates last summer after an unfulfilling start to his MLB career in Boston, Chavis is carving out a role in the Pirates rebuild. Chavis generally splits time between 1B and 2B but we’ll include him here for today’s matchups. The early season returns show a marked improvement in his BB% and contact rates while reducing his K%, leading to a doubling of his wOBA. He has some tough matchups next week vs MIL and SD but I’ll ride with him today in the favorable matchup against Cubs LHP Justin Steele. If you want to pay up a bit at the keystone, dig out your Bose headphones and enjoy some cool Jazz (DK: $5,100 / FD: $3,900) for another day. My colleague, Mitch Staniger, nailed this call yesterday in his DFS column with a 4-6, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB game line. I say, if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!
Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B: DK: $5,100 / FD: $3,100 – The Pirates phenom received a day off yesterday after running into the left field wall on Friday. All indications point to a return to the lineup today versus the aforementioned Justin Steele. Like Chavis, Hayes excels against southpaws to the tune of a .324/.361/.481 triple slash since 2020. Keep an eye on his status just in case he needs another day of rest but I fully expect him to man one of the top 3 spots in the order when lineups are posted.
Brandon Crawford, SS: DK: $4,800 / FD: $2,800 – Last week, I included Brandon Crawford in my Easter DFS column as a value play. All he’s done since is average 10.4 per game in FanDuel. You’d expect his salary to start moving up then, right? NOPE! His salary remains a great value and I’ll have him in my lineup again today.
Tyler O’Neill, OF: DK: $4,800 / FD: $3,400 – Where is the 2021 Tyler O’Neill who crushed LHP with HRs in over 7% of his at bats? Perhaps his first day off yesterday is just what the Doctor ordered for Popeye to spend some quality time with Olive Oil and tear open a can of spinach. This is hardly a safe play but if you have an urge to go off-road today, the return could be as massive as those forearms!
Jesus Sanchez, OF: DK: $3,500 / FD: $3,500 – If Jazz Chisholm has been hot for the Marlins, Jesus Sanchez has been an absolute inferno. With multiple hits in 8 of his 13 games and a wOBA of .442 coming into the day, this budding star has already delivered three 28+ point days in Fanduel this season. Sanchez is primed to take advantage of Bryce Elder today, perhaps we should too.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Looks like a great day of baseball is in store for us today. I don’t see any major weather issues to concern ourselves with.
Doing Lines In Vegas
The Red Sox (+165) and the Marlins (+115) are intriguing moneyline bets today. I’m also going fishing in the player prop pond by doubling-down on HR props (Over) for Jazz Chisholm (+500) and Jesus Aguilar (+390).
