Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Targets, Values for April 8

There’s plenty of Major League Baseball ready to fill up your Saturday with all 30 teams scheduled to be in action. There are six games on the main slate Saturday night, which gets underway on DraftKings gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET.

As always, make sure to keep a close eye on pregame lineups and the latest player news by installing the DK Live app and following DK Live on Twitter (@dklive). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the season continues.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]

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

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PITCHER

Stud

Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($8,700) – Anderson dominated in his first start with the Angels after moving from the crosstown Dodgers this past offseason. He had the best year of his career with the Dodgers, with a 15-5 record, 2.57 ERA, 3.40 FIP and 6.95 K/9.

He looks ready to follow up that breakthrough with another strong season after dominating in Spring Training, with a 1.35 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 13 1/3 innings. He continued to effectively limit damage in his first start of the regular season, holding the Athletics to four hits in six shutout innings. He struck out four and finished with 21.3 DKFP. The competition will be tougher this turn, and he doesn’t bring top-shelf strikeout potential of some stud options. Still, he’s the best play of the available options on Saturday night and should be fired up to deliver in his first home start for his new squad.

Other Options – Charlie Morton ($9,000), Jordan Montgomery ($8,300)

Value

Noah Syndergaard, Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks ($7,600) – Moving the other direction from the Angels to the Dodgers (with a stop in Philadelphia along the way), Syndergaard had a good start to the season as well. He faced these same DBacks and held them to one run on four hits in six innings. He didn’t get the win but still managed 21.1 DKFP since he had six strikeouts in that span.

Splitting time between the Angels and the Phillies, Syndergaard went 10-10 in 25 starts with a 3.94 ERA and 3.83 FIP. His strikeout rate slipped to just 6.35 K/9 after never dipping below 9.0 K/9 in his previous six seasons. After battling blister issues earlier this spring, it was good to see his strong command return in his first outing. Of the available options under $8K on this slate, Thor is the most established and reliable option. There is upside with Yankees’ rookie Jhony Brito ($7,000) and Rockies starter Austin Gomber ($6,100), but both of them come with major risk factors as well. Even without an elite strikeout ceiling, Syndergaard seems the smart play at this price Saturday night. The Dodgers are the heaviest favorite of the evening slate on DraftKings Sportsbook, so he has a good shot to get his first win in Dodger blue as well.

Other Option – Jhony Brito ($7,000), Austin Gomber ($6,100)

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INFIELD

Stud

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($6,200) – Ohtani has reached base safely in all seven of his games this season, going 8-for-25 (.320) with two home runs, a double and four walks. His robust .425 wOBA and .280 ISO are the result of his impressive 70.6% hard-hit rate, per Statcast. Ohtani and the Angles will continue their series against the Blue Jays Saturday night and face José Berríos ($8,200) who struggled in his first start of the season. Ohtani will look to continue that trend and has crushed Berríos in their past encounters, going 6-for-14 (.429) with three home runs, three walks and six RBI.

Stud

Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles ($4,900) – Torres has started the season in a nice rhythm and has already picked up two home runs and five stolen bases over his first seven games while going 9-for-22 (.409) with a .538 wOBA and .318 ISO. His power and speed potential give him a high ceiling in every individual contest and have helped him average 15.1 DKFP per game so far this season.

Other Options – Manny Machado ($5,900), Nolan Arenado ($5,000)

Value

Brian Anderson, Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($3,000) – Anderson has been a great addition to the Brew Crew so far this season. He’s hit safely in each of his seven games and gone 10-for-20. Four of those hits have been for extra bases including three home runs, so Anderson sports an impressive .627 wOBA coming into this matchup with lefty Jordan Montgomery ($8,300). He hit lefties very well last season, including a .323 wOBA and 111 wRC+. At only $3K, Anderson is a great play at the hot corner and can also flex into the outfield if it helps your roster construction.

Value

Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals ($2,700) – There are a few nice young values at shortstop on this slate led by the two options playing at Coors Field in Tovar and CJ Abrams ($2,600). Tovar started the season just 2-for-15 in his first four games but has picked things up since then, going 3-for-10 with two doubles in his three most recent games. The 21-year-old doesn’t have a home run or stolen base yet, but for this price he still brings good upside in the game with the highest run total of the night.

Other Options – Whit Merrifield ($3,300), Elehuris Montero ($3,100), Anthony Volpe ($2,900)

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OUTFIELD

Stud

Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres ($6,300) – Look out fantasy world, Acuña may be set free on the basepaths. He stole two bases on Friday and now has four steals on the season to go with two homers. He has averaged 13.6 DKFP per game with at least 9.0 DKFP in each of his past five games. In his eight games, he is 11-for-35 (.314) with a .409 wOBA and a 48.3% hard-hit rate. He has a maxEV of at least 100 mph in seven of those eight games and is a good pay-up option in this matchup with contact-prone Michael Wacha ($7,900).

Stud

Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals ($5,300) – Bryant has also hit safely in each of his eight games to start the season. He’s still looking for his first home run at Coors Field as a member of the Rockies, but he has gone 11-for-32 (.344) with three doubles and three RBI. The 31-year-old is healthy and looking to have a bounceback year in his second season with Colorado.

Other Options – Cedric Mullins ($5,600), Tyler O’Neill ($4,200)

Value

James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks ($3,400) – Outman has brought great value so far in his first full season in the Majors, going 7-for-20 (.350) with a .551 wOBA with a pair of triples and a pair of home runs. He’s also added a stolen base to average 11.3 DKFP. His home run on Friday powered him to his third double-digit DKFP performance in his past four contests.

Value

Stone Garrett, Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies ($2,900) – Garrett could get a start for the Nats since they’ll be taking on lefty Austin Gomber. Garrett went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and 9 DKFP in his first start of the year. Last season with the Dbacks, Garrett hit .276 with eight doubles and four homers. Against southpaws, he hit .304 with a .369 wOBA and 138 wRC+. Especially at this price, he has good power potential while playing at Coors Field.

Other Options – Jurickson Profar ($3,800), Garrett Mitchell ($2,500), Alek Thomas ($2,100)

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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.