Masahiro Tanaka (@ Angels) is the only front-line starter not facing another good pitcher. Seattle’s Marco Gonzales (vs. Rangers) is also in a good spot against rookie Taylor Hearn, but he’s struggled getting strikeouts this year. Still, it’s likely Tanaka and Gonzales will be popular DFS picks, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them paired together in a lot of DK lineups looking to spend up on offense.
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Of course, just because a pitcher is squaring off against another good pitcher doesn’t mean he’s off limits. Gerrit Cole (vs. Indians) and Trevor Bauer (@ Astros) are both still very much in play, as are Caleb Smith (@ Phillies) and Aaron Nola (vs. Marlins). Smith has as much strikeout upside as anyone on the slate, and he’ll likely be a solid contrarian pick given the matchup. If you grab him and he can get a victory, you’ll be ahead of the pack, especially at his value price.
If you’re looking for a DFS sleeper/streamer in season-long leagues, there aren’t a lot of options. The Jordan Zimmermann-Rick Porcello matchup in Boston is likely a stayaway, and going contrarian with O’Hearn would be a major risk. The best under-the-radar bet is Trevor Cahill (vs. Yankees), though with eight HRs allowed already this year, he’s a GPP play only.
MORE: Thursday’s DraftKings lineup | Thursday’s MLB DFS picks
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings: Thursday, April 25
wRC+ is defined by Fangraphs as “[measuring] how a player’s wRC compares with league average after controlling for park effects. League average for position players is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than a league average hitter would have in the same number of plate appearances. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average.” For more on the stat, click here.
