MLB DFS Lineup Advice & Picks: Thursday (4/20)

It’s a small MLB DFS slate starting at a unique time tonight. First, the slate has only five games. Second, it begins at 6:35 pm ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. So, there are three suggested pitchers, one touted stack, core studs and values/punts in today’s primer.

Thursday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
The pitchers are shaky tonight. Even the top hurlers have many blemishes. The top-ranked hurler has pitched relatively well this year, transitioning from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball. Thankfully, even though the next two hurlers on the table have warts, they have affordable salaries to offset them.

Cash Game Recommendations:

Kodai Senga (NYM) at SF
Senga's statistical profile through three starts this year is a mixed bag. According to FanGraphs, the 30-year-old righty has a 3.38 ERA, 4.58 xERA, 3.64 xFIP, 1.44 WHIP, 14.3 BB%, 30.0 K% and 31.5 CSW%.

Senga's strikeout ability is DFS-friendly, but his control -- or lack thereof -- is alarming. Sadly, he wasn't allowed to complete five innings in New York's blowout win in his previous turn, preventing him from qualifying for a win.

The betting info is good for him tonight, though. According to Betting Pros, the Mets are -135. And while San Francisco is second in wRC+ (128) against righties this season, they've struck out at an exploitable 26.8% rate. Finally, Senga will likely be chalky tonight since the pitching stinks. Eating the chalk in cash games is reasonable.

Thursday's Hitter Strategy
The Cubs and Dodgers have the highest total on tonight's slate. As a result, they're the two best sources of offense.