Antonio D'Arcangelis 
We’ve got some live arms and potent bats in this edition of Aces and Bases focusing ONLY on FanDuel’s six-game MLB DFS Main Slate for 7:05PM ET.
There’s a couple of bad weather spots to look out for (BOS @ BAL & LAA @ TOR), both of which could offer some scoring opportunities, but we’ll give you some safer and more appealing options.
MLB DFS: The Aces
Top Ace: Ian Anderson ($8,600)
Anderson gave up four hits, two BB and just 1 ER in his 2021 debut against these same Philadelphia Phillies on April 4, striking out seven batters in just 5.0 IP. He’s an electric young pitcher who’s shown us both bat-missing dominance in his career so far (11.57 K/9 in the first 37.1 IP over 2020-21). While it’s tempting to slot in Julio Urias ($10K on FD and a solid pitcher in his own right) Anderson has the most upside on the slate and should be locked into most of your builds.
Best Value: Chris Paddack ($6,900)
Paddack makes sense as a low-cost pivot from Anderson a slate without too many usable DFS arms, and it’s because he sports a low walk rate (5.5% for his career) and 9.46 K/9 rate over 203.2 major league IP. He gives up a few solo shots once in a while, and the 1.64 HR/9 metric is one of the more alarming ones on his resume, but strikeouts and preventing huge innings on FD are king, and that’s where he’ll give you more than any other pitcher at this price point.
MLB DFS: The Bases
Top Stack: Dodgers vs. Nationals (RHP Austin Voth)
There’s only one team in baseball with better offensive numbers than the Dodgers (and we’ll discuss them in a bit), but the Bashers in Blue boast a very respectable .377 team wOBA and 143 wRC+ through the first week couple weeks of the season, and they are deep – which means they can still bring the pain without a couple stud hitters. The low-scoring affair from last night is almost sure to see a turnaround tonight via the bats of Corey Seager ($4,300), Max Muncy ($3,300) and some other relatively low-cost secondary options in the lineups. With Mookie Betts day-to-day with a back injury and Cody Bellinger on the IL, we can take advantage of whatever mispriced bats slot into their usual spots and roll with the 1-4 hitters.
Value/Contrarian Stack: Padres vs. Rangers (RHP Jordan Lyles)
Using the Padres might be the contrarian route when most of the masses turn to the discounted Dodgers and value-packed Reds. I prefer the 1-4 hitters here, with three lefty bats against a right-hander who’s career .357 wOBA versus LHBs gives us something to attack with Trent Grisham ($2,500), Jake Cronenworth ($3,100) and Eric Hosmer ($3,700). Mix in No. 3 hitter Manny Machado ($3,400) at 3B or drift down to Wil Myers ($3,300) and you’ve got a slew of studs without breaking the bank.
Value Stack: Reds vs. Diamondbacks (RHP Riley Smith)
Virtually any four-man combination of the Reds 1-6 hitters today could yield massive returns against RHP Riley Smith. Righty-lefty doesn’t matter all that much with this bunch, as their best two hitters have been right-handed Nick Castellanos ($4,200) and lefty slugging Tyler Naquin ($3,400). We can expect a positive progression from Eugenio Suarez ($3,100), who always has double-dong potential, and veteran Joey Votto ($2,600), who comes at a massive discount in contrast to his career production. Rounding out the stacking possibilities are Mashin’ Mike Moustakas ($3,300), Jesse Winker ($3,000 – who normally leads off against RHP but is day-to-day with a calf injury) and the red-hot Jonathan India ($3,200), who had 10 hits in his fist 21 ABs of 2021.
Good luck!
