This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
This Easter, MLBers can be glad they don't have to play on that fake Easter basket grass. You can be happy you have plenty of options for your MLB DFS lineups. There are 13 games on the docket, with the first few kicking off at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my Sunday recommendations. Solid, not hollow. That's how both chocolate rabbits and DFS selections should be.
Pitching
Joe Ryan, MIN at ATL ($9,800): Ryan has been a good pitcher for years posting an elite K/BB rate that would be balanced out by issues with homers that made him solid, but not great. He's been his usual self with an 11.50 K/BB rate (which is unsustainable, yet remarkable). He's also only allowed two homers through four starts with a 2.45 ERA. Atlanta has started slowly offensively, and I don't think they end up bottom-10 in runs scored. That's where they are now, and should still be targeted until they truly start turning it around.
Tyler Glasnow, LAD at TEX ($9,300): It's early enough in the season that one off day can skew your numbers, and against the Phillies Glasnow's command eluded him. I mean, he has a 6.23 BB/9 rate that can't possibly continue. On the other hand, his 11.77 K/9 rate definitely could given his career 11.48 mark. The Rangers were surprisingly below-average offensively last season and have begun bottom-five in that department.
Tanner Houck, BOS vs. CWS ($7,200): I fully looked past Houck's numbers to recommend him here. Unless his disastrous day at Tampa was due to an injury, he should be able to rebound. Houck posted a 3.12 ERA in 2024 and was at 4.41 before that subpar outings. The White Sox or the Rockies have the worst offense in baseball. Given that Chicago finished last in runs scored and team OPS by a comfortably margin last season, there's no reason to think they will be anything other than futile.
Top Targets
You just have to let Gunnar Henderson ($3,500) get into gear after starting the season injured. Once he is, you'll be happy to have him in your lineup. Even as Henderson has been rounding into form, the lefty has tallied four doubles, a triple, two homers, and two stolen bases from only 13 games. The Reds had told Carson Spiers: "Thanks for stopping by" and sent him down to Triple-A, but then Nick Lodolo went on paternity leave. And that means Spiers and his career 5.58 ERA is primed for a spot start.
If Trevor Story ($3,100) keeps playing like this, Red Sox fans will forgive him for his first three campaigns with the club. He's so far batted .318 with five homers and six stolen bases. Sean Burke was a below-average minor-league pitcher and so his 1.42 ERA (and even his 3.32 FIP) in limited action last season seemed fluky. Indeed, Burke has a 7.56 through four starts while fellow righties have hit .341 against.
Bargain Bats
No, Alek Thomas ($2,900) won't keep hitting .292, but that's what he's done thus far and he's also registered two triples and two stolen bases. He's also slugged .411 against righties since 2023, so at least he's viable during those situations. Jameson Taillon is a righty with a 5.06 FIP across four starts.
Jasson Dominguez ($2,800) has quickly emerged as a switch-hitter who might just want to give it up on one side of the plate. He carries a .901 career OPS against righties with a .410 versus lefties. Fortunately for Dominguez, Ryan Pepiot is a righty. He's also pitched worse with each start this season, most recently giving up six runs to the Red Sox. Pepiot's first three were against the Rockies, Pirates, and Angels, so his 4.58 ERA is disappointing.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Marlins (Connor Gillispie): Bryce Harper ($4,000), Bryson Stott ($2,800), Max Kepler ($2,700)
I had been racking my brain trying to figure out why Connor Gillispie's name rang a bell in my brain, so I looked it up and was reminded that there used to be an MLB player named Conor Gillaspie. Starting in the majors for the first time in his career, Gillispie has a 6.63 ERA in four starts. If not for injuries, he wouldn't be starting for the Marlins and I'll gladly stack three Philadelphia southpaws.
Harper has delivered the goods with five homers and a .500 slugging percentage, but he's also been running more swiping five bags. He also has an 1.035 home OPS the last couple campaigns. Stott's never offered a lot of power, yet has hit more like the player who managed 15 homers in 2023. Though he's only stolen three bases so far, he's produced over 30 in each of the prior two seasons. With Brandon Marsh banged up, I'll go with Kepler as my lefty from the Phillies outfield. He's new to the club and struggled with the Twins during 2024, but slugged .497 against right-handed pitchers the previous year.
Reds at Orioles (Charlie Morton): Matt McLain ($3,400), TJ Friedl ($2,800), Gavin Lux ($2,600)
When you sign a pitcher who posted a 4.45 FIP in his age-40 season, you are playing with fire. Baltimore is getting burned with Morton as he's struggled to an 8.84 ERA over four outings while both righties and lefties have hit over .300 against and has allowed 1.96 homers per nine innings. I think once the Orioles have healthy pitching options, Morton's time as an MLB starter will be over. For now, the Reds have a chance to take him another step closer to retirement.
McLain missed all of last season, though registered 16 homers and 14 stolen bases in 89 games during 2023. He's currently batting .182, but with a .308 OBP and .477 slugging percentage. McLain has a good batting eye and his sub-.200 BABIP will improve. Friedl has gone .307 with a homer and three stolen bases. I'm hoping we may see some glimpses of the player he was in 2023 when he notched 18 homers, eight triples, and 27 stolen bases. Lux has delivered a stat line remarkably empty in calories. However, the southpaw is at .308 with a .400 OBP, even if his only extra-base hits are just five doubles. And Lux's positional eligibility makes him worth rostering in this matchup.
