Stan Son gives his top studs and value plays for Thursday’s Opening Day, nine-game fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings.

The New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants played on Wednesday, but Thursday is the true Opening Day for MLB, with a nine-game slate on DraftKings. We’re back, baby!

Unfortunately, there is a postponement risk in Chicago due to rain, so the slate could turn into an eight-gamer, with the Nationals and Cubs players out of the pool.

Let’s find some studs and values for your MLB DFS lineups on DraftKings. This article was written prior to lineups being announced.

Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $400K Opening Day Special [$100K to 1st]

PITCHER

Stud

Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox at Cincinnati Reds, $9,700 — Opening Day means peanuts and Cracker Jack, ditching school, and tons of premier pitching. There are a plethora of aces on the hill for Thursday, but I’m going to go with Garrett Crochet, who’s cheaper — and will likely be less-owned — than Tarik Skubal. That’s not to say Crochet isn’t elite. He boasts a career 31.8% strikeout rate and a 24.9 K-BB%. Last season, the Reds posted a collective wRC+ of 79 against left-handed pitching, good for 26th in MLB. Eugenio Suarez should bolster the team’s power, but four other batters in the lineup are projected to have strikeout rates over 25%.

Value

Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays at St. Louis Cardinals, $6,700 — The oft-injured Drew Rasmussen pitched a career-high 150 innings last season. His fastball averaged 95.8 mph, well below the 97.9 he used to throw, while his strikeout rate was only 21.7%. That said, Rasmussen’s control and ability to limit runs remained. Over the last four seasons, albeit several of them abridged from injury, the righty’s ERA never cleared 2.85, and his FIP never touched four. Now he faces a rebuilding Cardinals team that has only two batters projected for an OPS over .750. Three batters are projected to fall under .700. In 31 starts last season, Rasmussen finished with at least 20 FPTS nine times, with a high of 30.6 FPTS.

INFIELD

Stud

Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles vs. Minnesota Twins, $5,300 — Joe Ryan ($8,700) has been more than solid for his career, posting a FIP above 4 only once, while having a K-BB% routinely in the 23-to-24% range. But unsurprisingly, left-handed batters have had more success against the righty (4.11 vs. 3.54 FIP), while his K-BB% is over 10% lower. Last season, Gunnar Henderson obliterated right-handed pitching to the tune of a 143 wRC+ and .200 ISO. The Orioles lineup is stacked, and winds of 11 mph blowing towards center field are in the forecast.

Value

Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers at San Diego Padres, $3,000 — Kevin McGonigle was selected with the 37th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Throughout his minor league career, his walk rate was in the double-digits, while the strikeout rate was never above 13% — often in the single digits! He stole 22 bases in 74 games during the 2024 campaign, splitting time across low-A and high-A. Last season, in 397 plate appearances, his ISO was a robust .278. MLB’s No. 2 prospect tore up spring training to crack the Opening Day roster, and he’ll likely bat toward the bottom of the lineup. In 298 plate appearances against right-handed pitching in the minors, McGonigle slashed .300/.396/.569. Thursday’s starter for the Padres, Nick Pivetta, has reverse splits, as his HR/9 is 1.51 vs. 1.4 against lefties. His walk rate is also lower.

OUTFIELD

Stud

Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays at St. Louis Cardinals, $5,800 — Last season, Junior Caminero had a .250 ISO against left-handed pitching. He gets to face Matthew Liberatore, who has a career 4.53 FIP and 1.25 HR/9 against right-handed batters. As of Wednesday, it’s projected to be hot in St. Louis, with the wind blowing out to centerfield at 16 mph. This slate is littered with quality pitching, so Liberatore is one of the few I don’t mind attacking.

Value

Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Texas Rangers, $3,000 — Throughout his career, Marsh has been a righty masher, slashing .275/.348/.450 with a .175 ISO. Is it Ruthian? Far from it, but considering the price and expected batting order (he should be close to the heart of the lineup), Marsh is a viable option. The matchup isn’t great, as Nathan Eovaldi is a quality ace, but this is a slate with the best of the best arms MLB has to offer.