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Main Slate Rundown 🏟

Opening Day 2026 is here, and for baseball fans, it doesn’t get much better than this. At LineStar, we’re ready to help you build your bankroll for the new MLB season. Whether you’re new to MLB DFS or a seasoned vet, I’d recommend checking out the 2026 LineStar MLB DFS Primer & Strategy Guide if you haven’t already. It’s a longer read, but if you’ve got the time, it’s a great way to shake off the cobwebs heading into the season.

We’ve got a lot to cover for this Opening Day slate, so I won’t waste much time here. As expected, the season gets rolling with a slate full of day games – it is Opening “Day,” after all. That gives us a 1:15 pm ET start time for this nine-game main slate. At the time of writing, the only confirmed information we have is the starting pitchers, so there will be some guesswork involved. We’ll settle into a more normal routine quickly, though, with Friday’s seven-game slate bringing a more standard 7:00 pm ET start.

A quick reminder – early-season MLB DFS can be especially volatile, with plenty of unknowns still in play. Some DFS players thrive in that chaos, but as a general rule, it’s best to tread carefully on this slate. Most importantly, keep a close eye on confirmed starting lineups as they’re released. There will be plenty of changes from last season, and the last thing you want is multiple goose eggs dragging down your lineups!

Best of luck this season, everyone!

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

💣3/26 Dinger Report💣

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

Main Slate Weather Outlook 💨🌦️☁️

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

• PIT at NYM (1:15 ET, 6.5 O/U): Mid-60s temps with 10 mph winds OUT to center.

• WAS at CHC (2:20 ET, 8.0 O/U): Temps in the 50s with 10-15 mph winds IN from left. Downgrade to bats at the wind-sensitive Wrigley Field.

• MIN at BAL (3:05 ET, 8.0 O/U): Mid-70s with 10-15 mph winds OUT to center. Solid hitting conditions.

• BOS at CIN (4:10 ET, 8.0 O/U): 80 degrees with 15 mph crosswinds, right-to-left.

• TB at STL (4:15 ET, 7.5 O/U): 90 degrees, 15 mph winds OUT to left. Busch Stadium is not a great hitter’s park but these are arguably the best hitting conditions on the slate.

• TEX at PHI (4:15 ET, 8.0 O/U): Mid-70s and 10-15 mph winds OUT to center.

Pitchers to Consider ⚾

Hunter Brown (RHP), HOU | DK: $9.5k, FD: $10.2k | vs. LAA

Brown is coming off a stellar ’25 campaign (2.43 ERA, 3.19 xFIP, 1.03 WHIP, 28.3% kRate) that led to a third-place finish in AL Cy Young voting. He picked up right where he left off this spring, posting a 2.84 ERA, 2.74 xFIP, 1.03 WHIP, and a 40.0% kRate across 12.2 innings.

He draws a matchup against an Angels lineup that ranked bottom-10 in most key metrics versus RHPs last season, including an MLB-high 27.1% strikeout rate. This group is largely unchanged heading into the new season, with the most notable move being Taylor Ward out and Josh Lowe in – a move that’s likely lateral at best and a significant downgrade at worst. With lighter workloads early in the season, paying up for pitching carries a bit more risk but, on a slate loaded with aces, Brown still stands out as one of the more sensible high-end options on the slate. The Astros (-186 ML) are tied as the second-heaviest favorites on this Opening Day slate, and Brown also tended to do his best work at home last season.

Jacob Misiorowski (RHP), MIL | DK: $7.5k, FD: $8.8k | vs. CWS

“The Miz” burst onto the scene midway through last season and quickly showed why he was such a highly touted prospect. The 6’7” righty hit a few bumps along the way, as most rookies do, but the talent is undeniable. Across 66.0 innings in ’25, Misiorowski posted a 32.0% kRate (93rd percentile) while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball (99th percentile) and ranking in the 100th percentile in extension. Milwaukee was cautious with his workload, often keeping him under 80 pitches, but he’s expected to take on a larger role this season. His spring results (5.40 ERA, 4.39 xFIP in 11.2 IP) were underwhelming, though he still flashed elite strikeout ability with a 30.0% kRate and 30.2% CSW%.

The White Sox ranked bottom-three in OPS, wOBA, ISO, and wRC+ against RHPs last season while posting a 22.7% kRate (9th-highest). There’s some intriguing young talent here with names like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, and Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, but this is still a lineup with plenty to prove. Until that happens, they should be viewed as a below-average offense with limited upside. As long as Misiorowski is allowed to push into the 75–80 pitch range, he profiles as a sensible mid-tier option. The Brewers (-186 ML) are also tied with Houston as the second-heaviest favorites on the slate.

Matthew Liberatore (LHP), STL | DK: $6k, FD: $7.3k | vs. TB

As usual, the final pitcher spotlighted in these MLB newsletters tends to be more of a DraftKings SP2 candidate. However, if you’re looking to take a bolder approach at pitcher on FanDuel while loading up on premium bats, I usually won’t talk you off most of the options that land in this spot.

Liberatore is the cheapest SP on DraftKings and, if there’s any time to roll the dice on arms in this price range, it’s early in the season. After spending much of his career in the bullpen, all 29 of his appearances in ’25 came as starts, and he logged 151.2 innings with a serviceable, albeit unspectacular, 4.21 ERA, 4.31 xFIP, and 1.31 WHIP. He’s not overpowering, with a 93.9 mph average fastball (43rd percentile) and an 18.8% kRate (22nd percentile), but he did impress this spring with a 1.80 ERA, 3.01 xFIP, 0.80 WHIP, and a surprising 33.9% kRate across 15.0 innings. Some of that can be attributed to facing softer overall competition with plenty of minor leaguers and end-of-bench guys getting spring ABs, but it’s still worth noting that he hadn’t posted higher than a 24.3% kRate in any spring dating back to 2020. There’s at least a chance some offseason adjustments were made, which puts him on the radar as a value option here. Busch Stadium also graded out as the No. 6 most pitcher-friendly park last season, and Liberatore was notably better at home, averaging +30.8% more FPPG.

The Rays don’t project as an elite offense in 2026 and will likely lean on their pitching staff once again as the strength of this team. Against lefties last season, they posted a subpar 85 wRC+ (21st) alongside a 24.5% kRate (9th-highest), which gives Liberatore a path to returning value if the Rays bats stay mostly dormant and if he can carry over even a portion of that improved strikeout form from Spring Training.

Other Pitchers to Consider

Garrett Crochet (LHP), BOS | DK: $9.7k, FD: $11k | at CIN

Freddy Peralta (RHP), NYM | DK: $9.2k, FD: $9.6k | vs. PIT

Cristopher Sanchez (LHP), PHI | DK: $9k, FD: $9.8k | vs. TEX

Matthew Boyd (LHP), CHC | DK: $7.3k, FD: $8.2k | vs. WAS

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.

Chicago Cubs vs. Cade Cavalli (RHP), WAS

I don’t love the idea of rolling with what will likely be a chalky stack right out of the gates, but I have a feeling we’ll be targeting this Washington pitching staff all season long, so we might as well start on Day 1.

Cavalli had a few solid outings across his 10 starts (48.2 IP) in ’25, but was mostly underwhelming overall, posting a 4.25 ERA, 3.93 xFIP, 1.48 WHIP, and a 17.5% HR/FB rate. He also showed some rough reverse splits (6.11 ERA, .432 wOBA, 2.11 WHIP vs. RHBs) and was notably worse on the road. While Cavalli did toss 14.0 scoreless innings this spring, he benefited from some unsustainable BABIP luck (.108), posted a sub-20% kRate, and finished with a 4.55 xFIP. Perhaps more importantly, the Cubs should get plenty of cracks at a Washington bullpen that was arguably the worst in baseball last season (5.59 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 42.9% HardHit%) and is expected to be the worst group of relievers again this year.

The Cubs ranked 7th or better in wOBA, ISO, OPS, and wRC+ last season. They’ll have a different look this year now that Kyle Tucker is with the Dodgers and Alex Bregman is manning third base, but this still profiles as a top-10 offense that finds itself in one of the better matchups on the slate. Home runs will be tougher to come by at Wrigley with cooler temps and 10–15 mph winds blowing in from left today, but this is still a spot where they can find some gaps, string together extra-base hits, and put up crooked numbers against a weak Nationals pitching staff.

Favorite CHC Bats: Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong

Bargain Bats: Moises Ballesteros, Nico Hoerner

Baltimore Orioles vs. Joe Ryan (RHP), MIN

The O’s continue to feature a wealth of young hitting talent and, this offseason, they paired that core with a couple of notable veteran additions in Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward. Baltimore did more damage at home last season, averaging 4.47 runs/gm compared to 3.89 on the road. Against RHPs at home, they also posted a 112 wRC+ (9th) alongside a strong .196 ISO (3rd).

Joe Ryan is getting the Opening Day nod for a reason – he’s a quality arm. That said, he wasn’t overly consistent last season and had his share of blow-up outings. He posted career-worst marks in HardHit% (41.9%), Barrel% (11.5%), and average exit velocity (90.2 mph), while allowing plenty of flyballs (48.6% FB%). He logged a 1.50 ERA across 12.0 spring innings, but that came with a very poor 5.65 xFIP, a dip in strikeouts (16.3% kRate), and elevated hard contact (51.4% HardHit%, 13.5% Barrel%). If those trends carry over today, he’s certainly a candidate to get knocked around, and he’ll be backed by what looks to be a very average Twins bullpen. The environment only adds to the appeal – Oriole Park ranked as the No. 5 most hitter-friendly ballpark last season, No. 2 in home run factor, and there will be warm temps and 10–15 mph winds blowing out to center today.

Favorite BAL Bats: Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward

Bargain Bats: Samuel Basallo, Tyler O’Neill (will he homer on a seventh straight Opening Day?!)

Low-Owned Stack That Just Might Work Out 🤔

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Drew Rasmussen (RHP), TB

Every hitter in the projected Cardinals lineup carries a ≤ 10% pOwn%. This was a below-average offense in 2025, and many projections have them slipping into the bottom five this season. After moving on from Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado, this is a team in transition while waiting on younger pieces to develop. There are still a few appealing bats here, but the main draw in this spot is the weather. It’s expected to be around 90 degrees at first pitch in St. Louis – easily the warmest game on the slate – with 15 mph winds blowing out to left.

Spring numbers can only tell us so much, especially for pitchers. It’s a small sample, and guys are often working on specific pitches, tweaking mechanics, or just shaking off rust. Still, Rasmussen had a shaky spring, posting a 4.91 ERA, 5.01 xFIP, 1.50 WHIP, and a 17.7% kRate while allowing three home runs (1.84 HR/9) across 14.2 innings. Rasmussen could certainly settle in here, and the Rays’ bullpen remains a strength after leading MLB with a 3.75 xFIP last season, but this is the type of environment where a well-struck flyball could easily clear the fence, even in more of a pitcher-friendly ballpark like Busch Stadium (25th in Park Factor). That’s enough to put St. Louis on the map as a low-owned stack. I’ll also be rolling the dice on newcomer JJ Wetherholt (#5 overall prospect, via MLB.com) as my Opening Day home run call (+900 HR odds, via Bovada)! Make sure you repost the “Home Run Calls of the Day” tweet linked below for a chance to win a free month of LineStar Premium!

Favorite STL Bats: Alex Burleson, JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera

Bargain Bat: Nolan Gorman

Note: Once we get a week or two into the season, I’ll reintroduce the “one-off hitters” and “bargain bats” sections.

Good luck out there today and welcome back to baseball!

Home Run Calls of the Day 💣

Make sure you’re following @LineStarApp on Twitter/X. Repost the Home Run Calls of the Day tweet for your chance to win prizes!

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