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Main Slate Rundown 🏟

For baseball fans, one of the best days of the year is almost here! Opening Day 2025 is less than 24 hours away, and at LineStar, we’re ready to help you build your bankroll for the new MLB season. Whether you’re just getting into MLB DFS or you’ve been playing for years, I highly recommend checking out the 2025 LineStar MLB DFS Primer & Strategy Guide if you haven’t already. It’s a long read, but if you have the time, it never hurts to shake off the cobwebs!

We’ve got plenty to cover for this Opening Day slate, so I won’t waste much more time on the intro. Just a quick heads-up—FanDuel’s main slate starts earlier than DraftKings'. FD kicks off at 3:05 PM ET with 11 games, while DK’s main slate features nine games and begins at 4:05 PM ET.

A friendly reminder: the start of a new MLB season can be especially volatile, with plenty of unknowns in play. Some DFS players thrive on that chaos, but as a general rule, tread carefully on this slate. And most importantly, keep an eye on confirmed starting lineups as they roll in! There will be plenty of changes compared to last season, and the last thing you want is multiple goose eggs dragging down your lineup.

Finally, two quick ballpark notes: the Rays and A’s will be playing at different stadiums this season:

Tampa Bay will be playing this season at George Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' Spring Training facility.

Meanwhile, the A’s will now call Sutter Health Park in Sacramento home, the current stadium of the Sacramento River Cats of the PCL.

Best of luck this season, everyone!

Main slate match-ups with implied run totals and moneyline odds:

💣3/27 Dinger Report💣

Today’s Top Dinger Odds (sorted by LineStar projected odds)

Main Slate Weather Outlook 💨🌦️☁️

Check LineStar's MLB Daily Dashboard to see an overview of the most up-to-date game forecasts.

• MIL at NYY (3:05 ET, 8.0 O/U): > FanDuel Main Slate Only < Chilly temps around 50 degrees with 10-15 mph winds OUT to right.

• ATL at SD (4:10 ET, 7.0 O/U): 60-degree temps with 10 mph winds blowing left to right.

• CLE at KC (4:10 ET, 7.5 O/U): Temps around 70 degrees with 10-15 mph winds OUT to left. Low-end chance for some rain.

• LAA at CWS (4:10 ET, 8.0 O/U): 50-degree temps with light winds IN from left.

• MIN at STL (4:15 ET, 7.5 O/U): This looks like the one game to monitor closely. Keep in mind that I’m writing this Wednesday evening, so things may change. But there is a fairly strong chance that some rain will be moving through the area in the afternoon and may continue to stick around into the evening. Medium risk at the moment. Scheduled gametime temps should be around 70 degrees with 10-15 mph winds OUT to left.

Pitchers to Consider ⚾

Quick Note on Pitching: During the initial portion of the season, many starting pitchers are not going to be throwing a full workload unless otherwise noted by the team’s manager (and even then, that’s not information we can fully trust). This makes spending up on pitching a bit riskier in the early goings.

Paul Skenes (RHP), PIT | DK: $10k, FD: $11k | at MIA

No surprise here as Paul Skenes enters off of a stellar rookie campaign where he boasted a 1.96 ERA, 2.54 xFIP, 0.95 WHIP, and 33.1% kRate. Skenes gets a soft Opening Day matchup versus a Marlins squad that is expected to be a bottom-five offense in the MLB. Early on in the season, Spring Training results are our most recent measurements of pitchers, hitters, and overall team lineups, so take it with a grain of salt. For pitchers, particularly ones who are guaranteed a roster spot in the upcoming season, Spring Training is used to not only shake off the offseason rust but to work on certain pitches and mechanics, so guys may not necessarily be throwing their A+ stuff. That said, while Skenes notched an uncharacteristically high 1.50 WHIP and 11.0% BB% across his 18.0 IP in the spring, he did continue to impress from a strikeout standpoint, racking up 23 Ks and a 28.0% kRate. The Marlins’ offense racked up the 9th most strikeouts in the spring while ranking 23rd in OPS. In 2024, they came in at 25th with a 91 wRC+ vs. RHPs alongside an above-average 23.4% kRate. The Pirates (-155 ML) are among the heaviest Opening Day favorites and Skenes should be one of the better bets to clear 6.0 IP on Thursday. Whether he’ll be worth these five-figure salaries right out of the gates is to be determined, but we know that he’s probably not going to be this “cheap” for most of this season once he routinely builds up to a ~100-pitch workload.

Yusei Kikuchi (LHP), LAA | DK: $6.9k, FD: $8.4k | at CWS

Pretty much every team rolls out their top starter on Opening Day, so there are plenty of aces to choose from. That said, it would not have surprised me if Yusei Kikuchi chimed in with a top-five-ish SP salary on this slate. Instead, he is the 15th most expensive SP on both DK and FD slates. Kikuchi was lights out after being traded to the Astros in the middle of last season -- over his ten starts with Houston, he accounted for a 2.70 ERA, 2.74 xFIP, 0.93 WHIP, .188 opp AVG, and 31.8% kRate. While he only pitched a dozen innings in the spring, Kikuchi posted a solid 3.00 ERA and 29.1% kRate in those twelve innings. But the crux of this SP recommendation is the fact that he gets to open up against the dreadful Chicago White Sox. The White Sox were easily the most anemic offense in the MLB last season, which led to the worst single-season record (41-121) in the 162-game regular season era. Like most teams, the White Sox lineup is going to look considerably different from last season but their projected Opening Day lineup is still… not great. They also returned several hitters who contributed to CWS ranking dead last with a 74 wRC+ vs. LHPs in 2024 -- their 24.2% kRate vs. LHPs was also the 9th highest. He’s going to be fairly popular, particularly as an SP2 on DK, but Kikuchi may very well end up being the best SP value on the day.

Clay Holmes (RHP), NYM | DK: $6k, FD: $8k | at HOU

I’m much more willing to roll the dice on cheaper SPs in the early portion of the season, and Clay Holmes, while not a safe target, will be intriguing on Opening Day. There are many reasons to be skeptical of this Mets’ 2025 starting rotation, and Clay Holmes is a big question mark. There is no doubt surrounding his talent, but he is transitioning from reliever to starter, which doesn’t always pan out for many players. That said, Holmes did get quite a bit of work in during the spring (19.1 IP), and he looked very sharp in that time, albeit not always against a full dose of MLB hitters. Ultimately, he came away with a sparkling 0.93 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, .109 opp AVG, and 31.9% kRate -- all outstanding numbers, though he did benefit from a remarkably low .171 BABIP (compare that against his career .297 BABIP). Holmes rated out in the 100th percentile in groundball rate last season (65.0% GB%) and has had no lower than a 60.0% GB% in each of the last six seasons. So, we can expect that he’ll get plenty of his outs via the groundball, but he also brings some really solid strikeout potential to the table and has owned at least a 25.0% kRate in each of his previous four seasons. His Opening Day workload will be a bit of a mystery, but he built up to 88 pitches and covered 5.1 scoreless frames in his final Spring Training start (last Friday), so we can loosely assume that he’ll start in that general pitch count range on Thursday. Of course, the biggest catch here is that the matchup isn’t great. Much like last season, the Astros are expected to be a top-10 offense without a ton of strikeout-prone hitters in the lineup. However, at his low-end price points, a handful of clean innings with five or six strikeouts along the way could be enough to push Holmes into optimal play territory (primarily as an SP2 on DK). It’s risky, but worth the speculation if you’re putting more than a few lineups together.

Other Pitchers to Consider

Zack Wheeler (RHP), PHI | DK: $9.5k, FD: $10.8k | at WAS

Chris Sale (LHP), ATL | DK: $9.3k, FD: $10.7k | at SD

Sandy Alcantara (RHP), MIA | DK: $7.7k, FD: $9k | vs. PIT

Hunter Greene (RHP), CIN | DK: $7.4k, FD: $9.7k | vs. SF

FanDuel Main Slate Only

Carlos Rodon (LHP), NYY | DK: N/A, FD: $8.1k | vs. MIL

Team Stacks to Target 🎯

Disclaimer: Stacking in MLB DFS is not a requirement but it is a very common strategy used to take down GPPs. This strategy is covered in more detail in the MLB DFS strategy guide linked in the header at the top of this newsletter. Check out the MLB StackFinder on LineStar.

Boston Red Sox vs. Nathan Eovaldi (RHP), TEX

Nathan Eovaldi takes the mound against his former team. The 35-year-old remains steady but unspectacular, leaning on ground balls to offset a declining strikeout rate. He did not exactly impress across his 13.0 IP in the spring, which procured a 5.54 ERA, which was precisely on par with his 5.54 xFIP, and a minuscule 16.4% kRate. The real appeal here is Boston’s revamped lineup. Alex Bregman joins the mix, breaking up the lefty-heavy top of the order featuring Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, and Tristan Casas. A healthy Trevor Story adds much-needed depth, while Wilyer Abreu continues to shine against righties. With just under a full season’s worth of MLB games under his belt, expect Abreu to keep climbing the order, especially once injuries start taking their toll on Boston’s usual suspects. While he didn’t have a great spring, Kristian Campbell, a top-10 rated prospect across the entire MLB, could also make some noise as he looks to take over as Boston's primary second baseman. With so much starting pitcher talent on the mound on Opening Day, there aren’t really any high-total games, but the Red Sox are among the slate leaders with a 4.5 implied run total.

Favorite BOS Bats: Alex Bregman, Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers

Bargain Bat: Ceddanne Rafaela

Los Angeles Angels vs. Sean Burke (RHP), CWS

The Angels land in a soft spot to open the season as they get the fortune to go up against the White Sox and right-hander Sean Burke. While his brief MLB stint last year looked solid (1.42 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 28.9% kRate), it was across just a 19-inning sample size. While he does have some legitimate strikeout upside, Burke pitched to a 4.77 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 1.63 HR/9 Rate across 2024 in the minor leagues, and he struggled with walks as well (13.1% BB%). Burke did not look great in the spring where he acquired a 6.75 ERA, 6.86 xFIP, .294 opp AVG, 13.3% kRate, 15.0% BB%, and he gave up three home runs across 12.0 IP (2.25 HR/9). The Angels’ lineup is in a much better spot to start the 2025 campaign. Mike Trout is healthy, shifting to RF to stay on the field, and Jorge Soler adds much-needed power. Trout had a strong spring, hitting .282 with a 1.000+ OPS and three homers, while Soler mashed five home runs with a .296 average. The Angels are also among the slate leaders with a 4.8 implied team total.

Favorite LAA Bats: Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Taylor Ward

Bargain Bat: Logan O’Hoppe

FanDuel Main Slate Only Stack

Baltimore Orioles vs. Jose Berrios (RHP), TOR

Favorite BAL Bats: Adley Rutschman, Tyler O’Neil, Jordan Westburg

Bargain Bat: Colton Cowser

Low-Owned Stack That Just Might Work Out 🤔

Minnesota Twins vs. Sonny Gray (RHP), STL

8-of-9 hitters in the projected Twins lineup currently own a <10% pOwn%. Many of the expected Twins regulars put forth strong spring performances, though they will be without one of their top bats, Royce Lewis (hamstring), to begin the season. The Twins will look to take advantage of an ailing Sonny Gray to open the year. Gray has reportedly been battling the flu which may or may not have something to do with his awful results from the spring: 14.1 IP, 12.56 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, .359 opp AVG, and 5.02 (!) HR/9 Rate. I wouldn’t expect Gray to stay down long, and he may look like his usual self on Thursday, but the Twins’ offense will be worthy of some stack consideration nonetheless.

Favorite MIN Bats: Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Trevor Walnach

Bargain Bat: Ty France

Home Run Calls of the Day 💣

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Keep an eye out for the HR Calls tweet tomorrow!

Ryan’s PrizePicks Power Play of the Day

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's MLB action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these picks so I don't just lightly throw them out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Mike Trout MORE than 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs

Adley Rutschman MORE than 5.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

🔥 Props AI 🔥

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props AI for MLB! This tool can help you find value and mispriced odds on player props from sportsbooks and, more specifically, for PrizePicks and UnderDog Fantasy!

Speaking of props, put the Props AI tool to use by signing-up for UnderDog Fantasy for a month of LineStar Premium (Promo code: LINESTAR). Plus deposit match for new customers.

Best of luck out there today, everyone!