FanDuel MLB DFS Pitching Primer for Monday 4/22/24

Nailing the pitcher slot is the first step to having success in MLB DFS on FanDuel.

While it's possible to cash if you get a bad outing from a starter, it's markedly easier to do so when you get a good or excellent showing from your pitcher, and it's darn near impossible to take down a contest without a big score from your hurler.

Weighing the importance of a pitcher's skill, salary, matchup and park factors is the game within the game in MLB DFS. This piece is your home for a breakdown of the top pitching options on today's main slate.

All betting references come from the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

MLB DFS Pitcher Picks

Top of the Heap

Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres ($10,000)

We're definitely seeing the Dylan Cease ($10,000) come back that people had hoped for after he was traded to the San Diego Padres.

Cease has three consecutive quality starts, all with seven strikeouts. His overall strikeout rate is 30.0%, which he touched in his two best seasons with the Chicago White Sox. He also has reached 97.3 MPH on his fastball, his highest velocity since 2020.

Now, Cease won't get to be in the friendly pitcher's environment of Petco Park tonight. Instead, he'll pitch at Coors Field, the best hitter's park in baseball.

Luckily, he'll face a Colorado Rockies' lineup that hasn't even been able to hit very well at home. They've struck out at the third-highest rate at home (27.2%) with just a 75 wRC+. Against righties, they strike out 26.6% of the time, the fourth-most in baseball.

Cease can still have success at Coors Field, so I have no issues going to him tonight.

Brady Singer, Kansas City Royals ($9,100)

Off to a flying start to this season, Brady Singer ($9,100) is a good option to target on tonight's slate.

Singer has a miniscule 1.54 ERA through four starts. Admittedly, we'll have to expect regression with a ridiculously-low .189 BABIP. However, his 25.6% strikeout rate and 3.29 SIERA are both numbers that we like to see from a pitcher at this salary.

Singer will face the Toronto Blue Jays tonight. Toronto has had their ups and downs this season hitting, and they are unlikely to hit many home runs at Kauffman Stadium, which has just an 87 home run park factor over the last three seasons.

I like rostering Singer tonight at this salary and hope his good performances continue.

Next Men Up

Jose Quintana, New York Mets ($8,000)

At age 35, Jose Quintana ($8,000) isn't quite the ace he once was. However, he's been effective enough for the New York Mets and is someone to consider at this salary.

Quintana's strikeout numbers are nothing to write home about. He's struck out just 17.6% of hitters this year. He is getting a 43.8% ground-ball rate, so he's limiting dangerous contact.

He will face a San Francisco Giants lineup that shouldn't be too scary for a lefty. The Giants have a .310 and a 98 wRC+ against southpaws this season.

The stadium will benefit Quintana here; Oracle Park is one of the friendliest pitchers parks out there. It has the second-lowest home run park factor in the MLB and the fifth-lowest park factor overall.

Quintana might not have a ton of upside, but not a lot of pitchers on this slate do, so I might save with him and take some safety.

Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks, ($7,800)

Brandon Pfaadt ($7,800) has made four starts so far this season. After two rough ones, he bounced back, and we can expect him to do fairly well for the rest of the season.

Pfaadt's 5.32 ERA may scare you, but digging deeper, his numbers look good. He has a 3.41 SIERA and a 3.57 xFIP. His 22.8% strikeout rate and 11.7% swinging-strike rate are also solid.

The matchup he gets tonight is a good one for a right-handed pitcher. The St. Louis Cardinals have struck out the 10th-highest clip against righties, while also carrying a below-average 94 wRC+.

With his last outing being his first quality start of the season, hopefully Pfaadt can carry that over to this season and pitch well in this game. We're getting him at a great salary, so I definitely like taking a shot on him here.

Value of the Day

Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins ($6,300)

If we're looking for an extreme value, Chris Paddack ($6,300) could be our guy.

The results have been ugly for Paddack this season, so he's not for the faint of heart. His xFIP of 5.35 paints a prettier picture than his 8.36 ERA. Most of those earned runs came in a bad start last time out against a great Baltimore Orioles' offense, he had two respectable games before that disaster.

Luckily tonight, he will face the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have by far the worst wRC+ against righties, sitting at just a lowly 59.

Our projections have Paddack as the best value on the slate, so, if I really need salary, I'll roster him.

Quick Mound Visits

Both pitchers in the Baltimore Orioles-Los Angeles Angels have difficult matchups, as both teams are good against lefties.

However, Reid Detmers ($9,900) has been excellent this season with a 34.9% strikeout rate. He also had a solid outing against the Orioles already this year, allowing just one run in five innings.

Albert Suarez ($5,500) has about as low of a salary for any pitcher that isn't an opener. He made his first appearance in the majors since 2017 last week and didn't allow a run in 5.2 innings. He's definitely an option, even against the Angels' 122 wRC+ against southpaws.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.