DraftKings Main MLB Picks March 29: Happy Opening Day!

NEW YORK – APRIL 16: Fans watch opening ceremonies during the opening day game between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees at the new Yankee Stadium on April 16, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. This is the first regular season MLB game being played at the new venue which replaced the old Yankee Stadium as the Yankees home field. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks March 29: Happy Opening Day!

We have nine games in the main tournament on Opening Day. This does start at 3:05 eastern, but it’s all of the afternoon games. The thing I don’t like is that DraftKings didn’t include the night games in the main tournament. That means we have a night tournament for those three games. The all day does include all but the Cubs-Marlins game, so that’s another option for us.

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We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

I just want to thank the Reds for calling a rainout far in advance. This is great! It does move most of the players to Sale though.

For you first time players, if you would like a bonus of $20 DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 09: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox throws a pitch in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros during game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Chris Sale ($12,200): Sale does give up quite a few gopher balls, but they don’t hurt because he doesn’t allow much for baserunners. The Rays are only hitting .196 against Sale in 92 at bats, but they do have four homers and 10 RBI. So why is he still the top option? 29 strikeouts in those 92 at bats. That’s almost a strikeout every three at bats. You wont find that kind of strikeout upside anywhere else, even when so many aces are taking the mound.

Justin Verlander ($11,600): Verlander isn’t the best option out there, but his numbers against the Rangers are still pretty good. The current Texas roster is hitting a respectable .242 against Verlander in 231 at bats, but they only have eight homers and 20 runs to go with the 67 strikeouts. The collective .296 wOBA of Texas shows that they haven’t been able to hit Verlander very hard either.

Middle Tier:

Chris Archer ($8,500): The matchup with Chris Sale is a tough one, and the Red Sox are hitting a robust .271 against off of Archer, but when you dig deeper, there is potential here. The Red Sox have only taken Archer deep six times in 255 at bats. Therefore, the run total is pretty low at 25, but the thing that may surprise you is that Archer has 71 strikeouts against current Red Sox. That is about one every 3.5 batters. There is very good strikeout potential in Archer here.

Chase Anderson ($8,100): Anyone playing the Padres is worth a look. It’s even better when the career numbers support it. The Padres are only hitting .220 in 59 at bats against Anderson with one homer, five runs, and 11 strikeouts. The numbers are pretty average across the board, but the win potential is very big, and Anderson isn’t as volatile as others in this tier.

Danny Duffy ($7,700): This one is tough. The White Sox aren’t going to be very good. That we know. We also know that the Royals have hit former teammate James Shields hard. However, the White Sox are hitting a blistering .337 against Duffy in 172 at bats! So why even consider him? Duffy has done a great job limiting damage. The White Sox have only taken him deep twice and scored only 13 runs. The 31 strikeouts is much lower than we would like, but the win potential is high and Duffy has proven adept at getting out of jams against these guys.

Julio Teheran ($7,600): Teheran has had a lot of ups and downs in his career so far, and at first glance, this doesn’t look like a great matchup. However, the Braves have hit Aaron Nola pretty hard, and the Phillies have barely touched Teheran. The current Phillies are only hitting .211 in 123 at bats against Teheran with just two homers and nine runs to go with 31 strikeouts. The Phillies are young and a work in progress. It can be tough to trust Teheran, but this looks like a good time to do it.

Bargain Pitchers:

Garrett Richards ($6,800): Richards only pitched in six games last year, and two were against Oakland. He held them to a .203 average in 59 at bats with just one homer and six runs to go with 11 strikeouts. There is also huge win potential here against Kendall Graveman. Graveman has struggled against the Angels. There is no word of limitations on Richards, but the Angels likely wont have him go more than six innings no matter how well he pitches. Still, his price looks low for the potential here.

J.A. Happ ($5,700): Believe it or not, the Yankees have not hit Happ very well. The current roster is only hitting .233 off of him in 150 at bats with just five homers and 14 runs. Happ only has 30 strikeouts, but he has been able to get these guys out. Another bonus: the Jays have hit Luis Severino hard. They own a .296 average with four homers and 13 runs in just 71 at bats, and that’s without Bautista! There is good win potential for Happ here.

SARASOTA, FL – FEBRUARY 20: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles poses for a photo during photo days at Ed Smith Stadium on February 20, 2018 in Sarasota, FL. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Manny Machado and Chris Davis are very familiar with Jake Odorizzi from his Rays days. Manny is 12-43(.279) with two walks, a double, four homers, five runs scored, and a whopping 11 RBI off of Odorizzi. Chris Davis is only 7-33(.212), but he has walked seven times, doubled twice, homered three times, scored six times, and driven in four. And he is only $3,700! If you are looking for a cheap catcher, Caleb Joseph has homered off of Odorizzi.

Gary Sanchez is priced as elite with good reason. First off, Happ is a junkballing lefty, and Sanchez crushes lefties. Sanchez is 2-9 with three walks, a homer, and two RBI off of Happ so far.

Freddie Freeman is 6-16(.375) with two walks, two doubles, a homer, three runs scored, and four RBI against Aaron Nola. And we all know how friendly SunTrust Park is for lefties.

Jose Abreu is 15-43(.349) with four walks, two doubles, a homer, four runs scored, and three RBI against Danny Duffy.

Middle Tier:

New Twin Logan Morrison has two of the three team homers off of Dylan Bundy. Eduardo Escobar went 2-3 with a two run triple in his game against Bundy.

Do you trust Adrian Beltre? If you do, he is 15-53(.283) with two walks, two doubles, a homer, five runs scored, and five RBI against Verlander. Robinson Chirinos is a nice cheap catcher. He is 3-5 with a double, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI against Verlander.

The only Blue Jay I’m really thinking about against Severino is Justin Smoak. Smoak is 5-12 with a walk, two homers, three runs scored, and five RBI against Severino. Josh Donaldson has homered off of Severino as well, but he is just 2-10 overall.

I’m not going to go out of my way to use Red Sox against Archer, but Rafael Devers was perfect against him last year with a single, a double, and a RBI.

Does Albert Pujols have anything left? If he does, it could come out on Opening Day. Pujols is 13-30(.433) with two walks, a double, three homers, six runs scored, and ten RBI off of Graveman. Luis Valbuena is a solid bargain option. He is 6-18 with four walks, a double, a triple, a homer, four runs scored, and two RBI against Graveman.

Wil Myers is a lot cheaper in DFS circles than he is in fantasy drafts. Myers is 5-12 with a walk, two doubles, three runs scored, and a solo homer against Chase Anderson. He is the only Padre I would consider today.

Mike Moustakas could get off to a hot start. He is 5-10 with two walks, a double, two runs scored, and a solo homer against James Shields. New Royal Lucas Duda is 3-9 with a double, a homer, and two RBI off of Shields.

Bargain Shoppers:

How about this. Both Evan Gattis and Brian McCann are eligible at catcher. Gattis is 9-25(.360) with a double, three solo homers, and four runs scored. McCann is 17-66(.258) with seven walks, seven doubles, three homers, four runs scored, and a staggering 16 RBI against Cole Hamels. Yes…..a left handed Cole Hamels.

Wilson Ramos is worth a look against Chris Sale. While most of the Rays have struggled against him, Ramos is 4-11 with a double, two homers, and five RBI. He is a great punt at catcher today.

Maikel Franco is cheap, and he has hit Teheran well. Franco is 10-28(.357) with a walk, two doubles, five runs scored, and a RBI against Teheran.

If you need an even cheaper catcher, I like Drew Butera against James Shields, even though he’s batting ninth.

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 08: Earl Campbell (L) and José Altuve pose backstage during the Houston Sports Awards on February 8, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images for Houston Sports Awards) /

Top Tier:

If you aren’t spending on pitching, spend on Jose Altuve. He is 6-18 with a walk, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI in his career against Cole Hamels.

Middle Tier:

Jonathan Schoop is a little pricey, but he is 11-29(.379) with a walk, four doubles, a homer, five runs scored, and three RBI off of Jake Odorizzi.

You could stack the Red Sox middle infield if you aren’t a believer in Chris Archer. Xander Bogaerts is 8-30 with four walks, a double, seven runs scored, and two RBI off of Archer. Dustin Pedroia is 12-45(.267) with six walks, two doubles, a homer, seven runs scored, and four RBI.

Jed Lowrie‘s days of coming cheap are over. However, he is 5-19(.263) with a walk, three doubles, a homer, four runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Garrett Richards.

Tim Anderson and Yolmer Sanchez could be solid value picks against Danny Duffy. They are a combined 17-45 with two doubles, a triple, five runs scored, and four RBI.

Bargain Shoppers:

If Devon Travis starts, he could be worth a look. Travis is 3-7 with a double and two runs scored against Severino.

New Yankee Neil Walker is 4-15 with four walks, a triple, a run scored, and three RBI in his career against J.A. Happ.

Dansby Swanson had some ups and downs as a rookie. One of the ups was a 2-5 performance with a double and a RBI in two starts against Aaron Nola.

If you are willing to take a chance on the unproven, J.P. Crawford singled and walked against Julio Teheran last September. He has a lot of upside, but at $3,400, you’re paying for it as well.

Alcides Escobar was a favorite value play last year, and will start off that way against Shields this year. Escobar is 6-14(.429) with a walk, a double, two triples, two runs score, a steal, and two RBI off of Shields.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 22: Fans of Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees cheer as he takes his at bat in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals on May 22, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

We would not be a very good publication if we didn’t mention Mike Trout. Trout is 10-27(.370) with two walks, a double, a triple, two homers, two steals, nine runs scored, and four RBI against Graveman. If you can put both him and Betts in a lineup, do it.

The Yankees’ new version of Murderers Row could get off to a fast start. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Brett Gardner, and Aaron Hicks have all homered off of Happ in their careers.

The Yankees are going to get all the attention, but you need to play Mookie Betts today. Mookie is 12-31(.387) with eight walks, two doubles, four homers, eight runs scored, a steal, and ten RBI off of Chris Archer. If you are looking at a stack, Andrew Benintendi is 5-10 with a double and a pair of RBI against Archer. J.D. Martinez has homered against Archer, but he is only 5-17 lifetime.

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Middle Tier:

Adam Jones had a down year last year, but he is 14-43(.326) with a walk, a double, two homers, four runs scored, and four RBI against Odorizzi.

Byron Buxton and Max Kepler did well against Dylan Bundy last year. They were a combined 4-9 with two walks, a double, two runs scored, and three RBI off of Bundy.

Bargain Shoppers:

Kevin Keirmaier is a peculiar play against Chris Sale, but he is 5-14(.357) with a walk, a homer, three runs scored, and three RBI off of him. Kiermaier is an interesting tournament play at what should be low ownership.

Nick Markakis wont wow anyone, but he is a solid 5-17 with two walks, two homers, three runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Aaron Nola.

Hunter Renfroe has a ton of power, and he may be too cheap to ignore today. Renfroe is 2-4 with two doubles, a run scored, and three RBI off of Chase Anderson. Some of those doubles are going to start turning into home runs.

Next: Early DraftKings MLB Picks

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have plenty of NFL stuff to get you ready for football!