It’s Tuesday, 4/17 and we have a beautiful day and week of baseball ahead of us. We have 2 sets of make-up double-headers with the Phillies/White Sox and Guardians/Tigers, so it’s an all-day affair. We also get the start of a marquee matchup in Angels vs Yankees. The last 2 AL MVPs going head to head. Ohtani got rained out of his start yesterday, but unfortunately he’s still not going to be on the schedule to pitch against Judge. Too bad he won’t come in out of the bullpen.

The double headers start early, so they won’t be eligible for the 4:05 DraftKings slate. Don’t worry, there’s still a full batch of stars going and some great value to be had. As of now, no games are in jeopardy due to weather. With that said, let’s get into the action out there. 

Tonight’s Props

Thrive Fantasy Options

Trout over 0.5 Total hits

Clayton Kershaw over 5.5 Ks

Aaron Judge over .5 RBIs

Eloy Jiminez under 1.5 hits + RBIs

Picks

Astros ML @ -105

The Astros are the underdog here in this spot at home. Urquidy is on the mound, and he’s been serviceable. Bassitt is going for the Jays, and he’s been shaky so far. He’s giving up a lot of walks and is having trouble with his command. I’ll gladly take the Astros as dogs. You can also take the Stros’ run line at +1.5 (-175). 

O 7.5 Cubs A’s

The Cubs might get this on their own and Stroman’s stellar performances are going to have to come back to earth at some point. A’s starting pitcher Ken Waldichuk, is sporting a 10.20 ERA in 3 starts. 

DFS Pillar Plays 

Spencer Strider

Position: P

Salary: $10,400

Strider is the most expensive pitcher on the board. That’s for a reason. He is explosive and if he can start to extend his outings, he’ll be a must-pick every time he’s on the mound. He’s got 9 Ks in all 3 starts, one of which came against the Padres, who he’s facing tonight. He leads the majors in K/9 and the only pitchers that have more strikeouts than him have one more start. The way the Padres are hitting right now (or not hitting), Strider could be in for a big night.

Adley Rutschman

Position: C

Salary: $5,400

With Will Smith on the IL, Rutschman is unquestionably top dog at the catcher position. He leads the league in walks and is 3rd in OBP. He’s somehow got 7 walks in his last 3 games. He’s a breakout star and with a matchup against the Nationals, there’s no reason to think that won’t continue. 

Pete Alonso

Position: 1B

Salary: $5,800

Polar Bear is undeniable right now. He’s got an incredible pace going when it comes to home runs, but he does more than that. He consistently takes great at bats and might be on his way to another MVP. He’s the heart of this Mets lineup and is on a 6-game hit streak. 

Ke’Bryan Hayes

Position: 3B

Salary: $3,800

In O’ Neill Cruz’s absence, everyone on the Bucs roster has had to fill in. Hayes has been leading off vs. lefties and had a big night yesterday at the top of the order vs Kyle Freeland. He won’t be leading off tonight, but I expect him to continue his solid production at a very affordable price. 

DFS Value Plays (<$3600 Salary)

Corbin Carroll 

Position: OF

Salary: $3,600

Carroll is averaging 12.8 FPPG over his last 5 appearances. He’s got power and he’s a threat to steal any time he gets on base. He didn’t get a hit yesterday, but he did draw his first walk of the year and got a run out of it. He’s a cheap option with explosive potential. 

Jarred Kelenic

Position: OF

Salary: $3,500

Kelenic has been absolutely scorching. He had his 10 hit game streak broken last night, but he’s been seeing the ball well and I expect him to get back on track.  

Yan Gomes/Cody Bellinger

Position: C/OF

Salary: $2,900/$3,200

This is more of a play against the A’s. Right now the A’s are just not fielding major league pitchers. Yan Gomes is pretty hot on top of that. He’s on a 4 game hit streak, with 3 out of those 4 being multi-hit games. If you prefer Cody Bellinger, I can’t argue with that. He may have unlocked something against the Dodgers. At his current price, he’s a bargain. He’s hitting .310 after his 5 hit game last night. The last time he batted over .300 was 4 years ago, when he won the MVP.