Antonio D'Arcangelis 
Today’s edition of Aces and Bases focuses ONLY on FanDuel’s six-game MLB DFS Main Slate for 7:05PM ET, hopefully finding you some green screens!
OAK@BAL has a significant risk of postponement, and the projected pop-up storms in Atlanta take that game off the board for me as far as pitchers are concerned.
MLB DFS: The Aces
Top Ace: Trevor Bauer ($11,000)
Bauer may be a pretty insufferable social media presence, but he’s a damn fine pitcher who knows his craft as well as any hurler in the bigs. Over the past couple seasons, he’s sported a K/9 rate north of 12.0 and his xFIP is among the best in the game, just eclipsing 3.00. Bauer is the clear top dog, as the next most expensive pitcher on the slate is Kevin Gausman against the Marlins, and while the man formerly known as “Kevin Gascan” has been solid in 2021, the veteran doesn’t carry the same double-digit strikeout potential as Bauer. And Adam Strangis agrees in his 4/24 Rotation article that it’ll be tough to avoid Bauer tonight.
Best Value: Pablo Lopez ($8,200)
Lopez fared well against these same Giants in Miami just six days ago (6.0 IP, 9/2 K/BB, 1 ER) en route to 49 FanDuel points in a Marlins loss. If you want to fade the chalky Bauer and find some extra salary for a few more big bats, you can take your pick among Gausman or Lopez — though I always prefer the higher K upside on FanDuel. If Lopez can sneak out another quality start and notch a win this time, 50+ FD points is well within reach.
MLB DFS: The Bases
Top Stack: Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies (RHP Antonio Senzatela)
The most obvious stack in play is in Coors, but we may have to get a little creative with who we pick since salary is an issue. If you’re spending down to Lopez at P, you can afford the vaunted 2-5 hitters, which include Rhys Hoskins ($4,200), Bryce Harper ($4,800), JT Realmuto ($3,800) and Didi Gregorius ($3,500), but using Bauer essentially takes RHBs Hoskins and Realmuto (the two less appealing of that group) out of play and necessitates lower-cost options like Alec Bohm ($3,200) and Mickey Moniak ($3,000). AS far as a game stack goes, the Rockies that offer the most upside are Charlie Blackmon ($4,000) and Raimel Tapia ($3,100).
Value Stack: Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers (RHP Kyle Gibson)
While Gibson has turned in three straight effective, quality starts after a disastrous debut in 2021, the Chisox are one of the only MLB DFS stacking options available that offer upside at a relatively low cost. Since there’s a dearth of bargain pitching options, you should be rounding out your Coors stacks with one-offs or looking the way of the potent sub-$3K hitters in the Windy City, including Yoan Moncada ($2,900), Luis Robert ($2,800), Yasmani Grandal ($2,700) and Andrew Vaughn ($2,100). There’s some threat of rain in this one, but probably not enough to cause a significant delay or postponement,
Value/Contrarian Stack: San Francisco Giants vs. Miami Marlins (RHP Pablo Lopez)
If you’re strictly a single-entry MLB DFS guy who hates hedging with multiple lineups, this slate may not be for you — but multi-entry GPP junkies should be considering some Giants stack against Lopez, as the splits indicate you should be able to harness some leverage and tournament-winning upside with some lefty bats in San Francisco. I know — using Lopez in other builds assumes he’ll be successful — but our need for cheap bats notwithstanding on this small slate, we have t find ways to get different. Mike Yastrzemski ($2,800), Brandon Belt ($2,700), Tommy La Stella ($2,600) and Alex Dickerson ($2,700) make sense as a Giants stack in this crazy world. Run it back with Jazz Chisolm, Jr. ($3,100) and/or leadoff hitter Corey Dickerson ($2,700) for the Marlins.
Good luck!
