MLB DFS picks for Saturday, April 7

Happy Saturday, DFS players. We will be taking a look at the main slate for FanDuel today, which includes only five games. That makes creating a stack a bit more obvious as the pickings are slim. However, small slates are a perfect opportunity to make some contrarian picks and stand out from the pack. Weather does not seem to be a factor and all games should be played as scheduled. So without further ado lets take a look at our DFS picks for Saturday, April 7 on FanDuel.

Elite Pitcher: Gerrit Cole ($9,100) vs. San Diego Padres

The current Padres roster is hitting .203 while slugging .305 against Gerrit Cole. That’s not good considering the Padres were subpar to begin with. Last season Cole got a little homer-happy, allowing a career high 1.37 HR/9 which is well above his career average of 0.78 HR/9. He will look to correct that in 2018 and he got off to a great start last week, striking out 11 batters over seven innings in his Astros debut. I would expect Cole to have a great showing Saturday against the Padres, who are wheeling out right-hander Bryan Mitchell to oppose him.

Mid-Range Pitcher: Mike Minor ($6,100) vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Mike Minor is the best mid-tier option on the FanDuel main slate Saturday. The biggest risk is how far he will pitch into the game. Last season Minor held a 2.62 FIP and 0.59 HR/9 which puts him in an elite class. The Blue Jays have some dangerous hitters, but the current roster has only a .279 OBP against Minor. $6,100 seems like a great price for a pitcher who can make any lineup look bad on a given day. He does come with risk though.

Value Pitcher: Chad Bettis ($5,500) vs. Atlanta Braves

How Come? Freddie Freeman is 1-for-17 vs. Bettis, that’s surprising. Why? Bettis holds a career 0.76 HR/9 and 27% hard hit percentage vs. left-handed hitters. That helps explain a little bit. Lefties on the Atlanta Braves: Freeman, Albies (switch), Tucker, Inciarte, Markakis, and Flaherty. That is basically the entire team. If you take Bettis’ track record vs left-handed hitters and the fact that he is facing Anibal Sanchez today, he seems like a solid gamble if you are looking for value at starting pitcher.

Elite Stack: Colorado Rockies vs. Anibal Sanchez

Anibal Sanchez is awful. Last season righties slugged over .600 against him. The thing is, lefites slugged over .500 against him too. Stack any and all Rockies against Anibal Sanchez on Saturday. Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story, and even Chris Iannetta should be getting a look in your lineups.

Mid-Range Stack: Texas Rangers vs. Marcus Stroman

In 2017 Stroman allowed a 1.42 HR/9 and 4.32 FIP to right-handed batters. That makes for an intriguing stack of future hall-of-famer Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus, and Robinson Chirinos. Stroman always has the ability to overcome and pitch like an ace occasionally, but I will take my chances with this stack of Rangers on Saturday.

Value Stack: Cincinnati Reds vs. Chad Kuhl

Left-handed hitters slug .505 against Chad Kuhl for his career. Joey Votto would be a great play on Saturday but he is not exactly a “value play.” We would certainly advise using him if you can afford it, but for the sake of this being a value stack I am going to recommend Scooter Gennett, Jesse Winker, and Scott Schebler as the plays.

Overview

Saturday is a day to start all of the Rockies you can fit in your lineup. You can try to afford Gerrit Cole if you can, but getting those Rockies in there is a priority. Everyone from Arenado to the bat boy, get them in there!