MLB DFS: 4/14 Main Slate - Studs and Value Plays

After giving you some arms, bats, and stacks for the early slate, I am back for more! For the main slate, I will give some studs and value plays. The main slate is seven games and has a lot of good options.

*All prices are from DraftKings*

Pitchers

Stud: Lance McCullers Jr. ($9,900)

McCullers was strong in his two starts this season, both coming against the Oakland Athletics. He went five innings in both starts while surrendering two hits and one run in each. The right-hander struck out a total of 13 in the starts, seven in the first and six in the second. His opponent in the Detroit Tigers has the seventh-highest strikeout rate thus far (27 percent) and he should be able to sit them down.

Value: Jon Gray ($7,200)

You probably think I’m crazy for picking a pitcher going against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But this same pitcher has been dominant in his first two starts, including a seven strikeout performance against LA in his season debut. The righty then held the Arizona Diamondbacks to one run on two hits and four walks with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings last week. Gray will get close to no run support, but he is a solid leverage play as his ownership should be fairly low.

Catcher

Stud: Yasmani Grandal ($5,000)

Grandal has yet to get it going this season as he is batting just .154 through eight games played. But a matchup versus Zach Plesac is favorable, as the Indians’ pitcher hasn’t looked as sharp this season. His first two starts came against the Detroit Tigers, where the numbers looked good. But against a much better team in the White Sox, his stuff will be far more exposed. That gives Grandal ample opportunity to breakout. The switch-hitter has hit the ball hard (52.6 percent hard-hit rate) and is in the top 1 percent in the league in walk rate (25.7 percent).

Value: Wilson Ramos ($3,330)

While McCullers could be the top performer on this slate, Ramos has been on a tear. He is still somehow this cheap after mashing his fifth and sixth taters on Tuesday. His six homers currently lead the league and there’s no reason not to continue to buy in until he slows down.

Infield

Stud: Freddie Freeman ($5,400)

A Braves stack looks to be something to target as they face the pitch-to-contact right-hander Nick Neidert. Freeman is a sure pick as one of the anchors as he has started to get hot in the early season. He had two hits last night along with one RBI and two runs scored. Four of his seven hits on the season went over the wall and he looks to start relying on more than just the long ball soon.

Stud: Carlos Correa ($5,000)

Correa smashed his third homer of the season on Monday which extended his hitting streak to eight games. His hitting streak ended on Tuesday with an 0-for-4 performance. He should pick it back up in a very favorable matchup against Michael Fulmer and the very shaky Tigers’ bullpen. During the hit streak, Correa slashed .375/.412/.750 with six extra-base hits and six RBIs.

Value: Jazz Chisholm ($3,600)

The young Chisholm is off to a solid rookie campaign. He picked up his first homer of the season on Saturday, smashing a pitch from Jacob deGrom to the second deck. So far, he is only 5-for-23, but he has a good strikeout to walk rate of 8:6. His six walks already match his total in 21 games last season. In a platoon matchup against right-hander Charlie Morton, look for Chisholm to play some Jazz on Wednesday night in Atlanta.

Value: Dansby Swanson ($4,100)

Swanson is off to a very rough start with just seven hits in 42 at-bats so far. One of those hits was a home run and three were for doubles. He has walked just once against 17 strikeouts. He is long overdue to break out against a pitch-to-contact pitcher and has still hit the ball hard with a 52 percent hard-hit rate.

*Home run call: Why not?*

Outfield

Stud: Ronald Acuna Jr. ($6,100)

To keep with the Braves stack, let’s roll with one of the hottest hitters on the planet right now. Acuna has gotten at least one hit in all but three of his 11 games. He has four homers and eight RBI, including his two-homer game against the Washington Nationals. His OPS currently sits at 1.371 and he is averaging 14.9 fantasy points. I mean, just look at his percentile rankings thus far, he sits in the 95th percentile and above in eight categories. Keep it rolling.

Stud: Randy Arozarena ($5,300)

Value: Marcell Ozuna ($4,200)


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