clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Targets, Values for April 13

Steve Buchanan gives his top studs and value plays for Thursday’s fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings, which starts at 6:40 p.m. ET.

MLB: San Diego Padres at New York Mets John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a fairly light slate in MLB tonight, as only five games are scheduled, starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. It limits the options we have to choose from, but you know we’re going to get you the best options. Let’s get into it.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]

For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Live on Twitter @dklive.


PITCHER

Stud

Nick Lodolo, Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies, $9,400 - Lodolo is the top option tonight and it quite honestly isn’t even close. The strikeout machine is taking on the Phillies for the second time already, a team he struck out 12 his last time out. Lodolo earned a ridiculous 36.8 DKFP in that game in which he went for seven innings while scattering three hits. Lodolo by far has the biggest upside in strikeouts on this slate and it’s hard for me to truly consider the SP1 on this slate. Just keep in mind, almost everyone else is going to have the same idea, so his ownership is going to be high. Nonetheless, it’s hard to ignore someone with 8+ strikeout upside on a small slate like this one.

Value

Johnny Brito, New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins $7,700 - Brito has the luxury of facing off against a very beat-up Twins lineup. Injuries have completely decimated them in the early going and we can potentially add Byron Buxton to that list as well. Through his first two starts, Brito has looked stellar against the Orioles and Giants, allowing just one run on five hits through 10 innings combined. He’s striking out under a batter an inning in the early going but that’s not much of an issue when he’s under the $8K salary range. When you look at the Twins lineup tonight, you’ll understand why Brito will be an easy click as an SP2 on this six-game slate.


INFIELD

Stud

Jonathan India, Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies, $4,900 - India is currently riding a four-game hitting streak as he’ll set to face Bailey Falter ($7,000). The Phillies left-hander has not fared well against righties, and enters this game with a career .340 wOBA with 19 of the 23 home runs allowed against them. Falter has also been giving up a ton of hard contact in his first two starts, as opposing hitters have registered a 46% rate against him. While India hasn’t been hitting for a ton of power yet, we’ve seen that from him before. I think he’s one of the best infield options going tonight.

Stud

Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Detroit Tigers, $5,800 -Bichette is one of the most expensive hitters going but he’s been stellar to start the year. He’s already clubbed four home runs to go with two doubles and nine RBI. He’s in a great position to pad those numbers against Spencer Turnbull ($5,800). Turnbull has been hammered (not in a good way) in his first two games, allowing a total of 12 runs on 13 hits through just 8.1 innings pitched! His command has been shaky as well, which is something the righty is usually fairly good at. With the Jays swinging the bat well, as they rank fourth in runs scored, Bichette should have plenty of opportunities to knock in some runs against one of the worst pitching staffs in the league.

Value

Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals, $3,700 - It’s easy to forget that Hayes was one of the top prospects in the Pirates system a few years ago. Injuries have derailed him a bit but despite some low numbers, I liked what I’ve seen from him at the plate. His hard-hit rate currently sits at 44% and his line drive rate is at 13.5%. He goes against the lefty Jordan Montgomery ($8,500) which is a matchup that Hayes has good potential in. His career numbers against lefties boast a .339 wOBA and a 115 wRC+. As one of the cheaper options in the infield, I’m willing to take a shot on him to save some salary.


OUTFIELD

Stud

Juan Soto, San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers, $5,600 - I think it’s safe to say that Soto is back. After a sluggish start, Soto is now averaging 10 DKFP over his last 10 games, which includes three home runs, three doubles, five RBI and nine walks. He has a fantastic matchup against Brewers Bryce Wilson ($8,000) who will not include “facing left-handed hitters” as an activity he enjoys on his resume. Wilson has posted a career .376 wOBA with a 5.95 FIP and 23 of the 42 home runs he’s allowed in his career. Any and all lefty bats in the Padres lineup should be considered tonight.

Stud

Dalton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Detroit Tigers, $4,100 - I’m still not used to putting Varhso in the outfield position. He’s a natural catcher, dammit, but whatever. Anywho, Varsho has gotten off to a solid start in this Blue Jays lineup, averaging 8.7 DKFP over his last 10 games. As I mentioned earlier, he has a great matchup against Turnbull, which we talked about in the Bichette piece. Varsho has quickly collected a .411 wOBA and a .240 ISO against righties through 31 plate appearances in the early going. For $4,100, Varsho has seen prime real estate in the Blue Jays lineup, hitting either cleanup for fifth. Either way, if Turnbull doesn’t have his command early, Varsho should have some good opportunities for RBI in this one.

Value

Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals vs.Pittsburgh Pirates, $3,200 - This is simply an absurd price for someone that is not only hitting atop the Cardinals lineup but as well as he has. Burleson seems to be the preferred option against righties over Dylan Carlson and has logged 30 at-bats already. He’s been hitting for a ton of power, with five of his nine hits going for extra bases. He has one of the best matchups against Vincent Velasquez ($6,400), who has never figure out how to get left-handed hitters out. I expect the Cardinals to be one of the most popular stacks on this slate and Burleson at the second spot in the order is an easy click.

Value

Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays, $2,900 - I don’t have many nice things to say about the Tigers and my mother always told me to keep it to myself. So, I’ll do that. I will say nice things about Carpenter, however. While his numbers overall don’t look great, the power he’s hit for early has been a bright spot. I mean, when you have six total hits and four of them are for extra bases, you’ll get some attention. The jury is still out on Chris Bassitt ($8,200) who has been shelled in two straight starts and he’s been as bad as advertised. His 10.61 ERA is accompanied by a 12.29 xERA. Five home runs allowed through 9.1 innings? Yeah, I’ll take a show with Carpenter at $2,900.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]


Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.