This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's the second weekend of the MLB season and the wheels are starting to churn on the campaign. Why, I'm even occasionally looking at numbers from this season when making my DFS decisions. Of course, track record is still quite relevant, because we haven't even seen 10 percent of this season yet. There are 11 MLB games on the DFS docket, and the first pitches arrive at 1:35 p.m. ET. Here are my recommendations built upon those DFS decisions.
Pitching
Tyler Glasnow, LAD at PHI ($10,300): On Sunday there are some great pitchers going, and there are some great matchups, but there is only one instance wherein those two things intersect. No, not here, but Corbin Burnes pitching against the Nationals. So, I'm starting with a recommendation of an ace-quality pitcher and an accepting the tougher matchup even if I am not embracing it with enthusiasm. Glasnow's only issue is durability. Over the prior six seasons he's only had a FIP over 3.00 once, and he's never struck out fewer than 11 batters per nine innings. He held both lefties and righties below the Mendoza line last season. If you want to bet on talent, bet on Glasnow.
Jackson Jobe, DET vs. CWS ($8,800): This is a bet on promise, upside, and not freaking out over a single start. Jobe is the best pitching prospect in baseball. He struggled against the Mariners in his first career MLB start, and that is a concern. Seattle is nobody's idea of a murderer's row as far as lineups go. Of course, I'm not going to write Jobe off just because he may need some time to adjust. The White Sox were barely a step above a Triple-A team last season anyway. Arizona led MLB with a .337 OBP in 2024. Chicago had a .340…slugging percentage.
Grant Holmes, ATL vs. MIA ($6,800): Here is a case of a matchup being the driving force behind my recommendation. Holmes' first start of the season went poorly, but it was against the Dodgers. The Marlins are not the Dodgers, and I'm predicting they finish 29th in runs scored and team OPS when all is said and done. They finished 27th in runs scored last year with a better roster, after all. There is legitimate pause to be given over Holmes largely pitching in relief since 2019, both in the minors and majors. That being said, seven of his 26 appearances last year were starts, and he finished the campaign with a 3.19 FIP.
Top Targets
Last year, Fernando Tatis ($4,300) reminded us that, when healthy and not hitting the PEDs, he's still an upper-echelon MLB player. He hit .276 and in only 102 games had 21 homers and 11 stolen bases. Tatis has started 2025 with a .462 OBP and, perhaps owing to feeling healthier than in a long time, has stolen five bases already. Ben Brown has a 5.87 ERA through 7.2 innings this season, but last year he had a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings, which is not imposing given Tatis' skill set.
Be patient with Yordan Alvarez ($4,200). He hasn't forgotten how to hit, and he hasn't lost his power. The southpaw has slugged .579 in his career and had over 30 home runs in each of the last four campaigns. Facing the righty Chris Paddack could help Alvarez showcase his remarkable power at the plate. He has a career 4.53 ERA and 1.48 HR/9 rate.
Bargain Bats
In 35 games at Triple-A last year, Matt Shaw ($2,300) had a .929 in Triple-A. Given that it was his age-22 season, that's impressive. While he's off to a slow start in the majors, in his limited opportunities to face lefties he has an 1.390 OPS. Kyle Hart is a left-handed pitcher. He made four appearances with the Red Sox in 2020, posted a 15.55 ERA, and was then relegated to the minors and the KBO until 2025. In his first start as a Padre, he allowed two homers in five innings at home against the Guardians.
There is no power in the bat of Adam Frazier ($2,300) back with the Pirates after a few years bouncing around MLB. He'd be a utility backup if not for Nick Gonzalez's injury, but he's a second baseman with a low salary that could be a, well, bargain bat if he even picks up a single or two. Will Warren, a righty, had a 10.32 ERA in MLB last season. On top of that, he had a 5.91 ERA in Triple-A in 2024 as well.
Stacks to Consider
Royals vs. Orioles (Cade Povich): Bobby Witt ($4,100), Jonathan India ($3,000), Maikel Garcia ($3,000)
After one start this season, Povich has a 6.23 ERA and 0.61 FIP. I mention that because it's a fun statistical quirk, not because I think Povich's ERA after one start misrepresents him. In 16 starts as a rookie in 2024 he had a 5.20 ERA and 4.78 FIP. That includes a 7.89 ERA on the road. Since he is a lefty, I have three right-handed hitters for the Royals.
Witt is off to a slow start, but I'm not sweating that from a guy with back-to-back 30/30 seasons. Additionally, since 2023 he has an .990 OPS at home. In each of his final two seasons with the Reds, India had double-digit homers and stolen bases. The second baseman also posted an .397 OBP versus lefties in 2024. Garcia is scorching to start this season, having batted .320 and slugged .680. He doesn't have proven power, but he does have proven skill on the base paths. Last year he had five triples and 37 stolen bases.
Yankees at Pirates (Andrew Heaney): Aaron Judge ($5,100), Paul Goldschmidt ($3,200), Anthony Volpe ($3,100)
I'm not taking much from Heaney's first start as a Pirate, given that he was facing the Marlins. The 34-year-old has a career 4.44 ERA. Also, only once in his career has he finished a season with a HR/9 rate below 1.22, and that was all the way back in 2015. Yeah, a team with right-handed power is primed to knock Heaney around. I was looking for a stack not including Judge, just to save you some salary of course, but I didn't find a viable one so here we are.
Then again, even at his lofty salary Judge tends to deliver such that it is worth it to have to find bargains on the margins to fill out your roster. He seems primed to finish with an OPS over 1.000 for the fourth season in a row, and since 2023 he's slugged .777 versus southpaws. That's absolutely staggering. Goldschmidt's struggles last year, such as they were, boiled down to losing his ability to it his fellow righties. He still had an .838 OPS versus lefties, and he had 20/10 campaigns in each of the prior two years as well.
Volpe has had over 20 stolen bases in each of his MLB seasons. While he hasn't been running a ton to start this season, his power has appeared. The shortstop has four home runs, and in his career he's slugged .426 against southpaws.
