Our Blog


Three Key MLB Players (Sun. 4/8): Can Brian Dozier Overcome the Cold Weather in Minnesota?

This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze three key MLB players in the day’s slate.

Mike Clevinger: Pitcher, Indians

Clevinger will take the mound for the Indians on Sunday for their divisional matchup against the Royals. He’s sporting a strong 7.6 K Prediction, and the Indians are sizeable favorites (-212 moneyline), as the Royals are implied for just 3.3 runs. Pitchers with similar metrics and Vegas data have faired well on FanDuel, averaging 40.07 FanDuel points per game with a +6.46 Plus/Minus and a 72.9% Consistency Rating (per our Trends tool):

Clevinger is in a good spot Sunday against a Royals team whose projected lineup has a strikeout rate of 24.4% and a weighted on-base average (wOBA) of just .294. His 10.41 SO/9 and 0.99 HR/9 are both top-five marks on the slate. With four favorites of at least -180 on the slate, pitcher ownership will likely be spread out.

 

Didi Gregorius: Shortstop, Yankees

Per our Vegas Dashboard, the Yankees are currently implied for a slate-high 5.7 runs, and their Team Value Rating of 79 on FanDuel is the fifth-highest mark on the slate:

Gregorius is off to a stellar start this season with a +9.18 Plus/Minus through his first eight games. He hits right-handed pitching well with a .364 wOBA and .244 isolated power (ISO), and his recent average distance, hard-hit rate, and exit velocity are all above his 12-month averages. Opposing pitcher Mike Wright does have an 11.25 SO/9 over the last 12 months, but he also has a mediocre 1.39 WHIP and 1.98 HR/9, the latter of which is the second-worst mark on the slate.

Brian Dozier: Second Baseman, Twins

With our Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. The Twins currently are the top-rated DraftKings stack in the CSURAM88 Player Model:

Dozier is set to square off against left-hander Marco Gonzales, who has the slate’s second-highest WHIP (1.68), third-highest HR/9 (1.51), and third-worst SO/9 (6.92) over the last 12 months. It’s a plus matchup for Dozier, who has an elite .467 wOBA and .315 ISO against lefties. The Twins are in a good spot overall with a healthy 4.8 implied run total, but the one minor thing going against Dozier is that the Twins-Mariners contest has a Weather Rating of just one, as it’s expected to be 28 degrees at game time. Even so, despite the cold weather, Dozier should be in consideration with his elite numbers against lefties and the Twins’ implied run total.

Good luck on today’s slate, and be sure to check out The Action Network if you’re looking for more baseball coverage!

After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs.

Pictured above: Brian Dozier
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze three key MLB players in the day’s slate.

Mike Clevinger: Pitcher, Indians

Clevinger will take the mound for the Indians on Sunday for their divisional matchup against the Royals. He’s sporting a strong 7.6 K Prediction, and the Indians are sizeable favorites (-212 moneyline), as the Royals are implied for just 3.3 runs. Pitchers with similar metrics and Vegas data have faired well on FanDuel, averaging 40.07 FanDuel points per game with a +6.46 Plus/Minus and a 72.9% Consistency Rating (per our Trends tool):

Clevinger is in a good spot Sunday against a Royals team whose projected lineup has a strikeout rate of 24.4% and a weighted on-base average (wOBA) of just .294. His 10.41 SO/9 and 0.99 HR/9 are both top-five marks on the slate. With four favorites of at least -180 on the slate, pitcher ownership will likely be spread out.

 

Didi Gregorius: Shortstop, Yankees

Per our Vegas Dashboard, the Yankees are currently implied for a slate-high 5.7 runs, and their Team Value Rating of 79 on FanDuel is the fifth-highest mark on the slate:

Gregorius is off to a stellar start this season with a +9.18 Plus/Minus through his first eight games. He hits right-handed pitching well with a .364 wOBA and .244 isolated power (ISO), and his recent average distance, hard-hit rate, and exit velocity are all above his 12-month averages. Opposing pitcher Mike Wright does have an 11.25 SO/9 over the last 12 months, but he also has a mediocre 1.39 WHIP and 1.98 HR/9, the latter of which is the second-worst mark on the slate.

Brian Dozier: Second Baseman, Twins

With our Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. The Twins currently are the top-rated DraftKings stack in the CSURAM88 Player Model:

Dozier is set to square off against left-hander Marco Gonzales, who has the slate’s second-highest WHIP (1.68), third-highest HR/9 (1.51), and third-worst SO/9 (6.92) over the last 12 months. It’s a plus matchup for Dozier, who has an elite .467 wOBA and .315 ISO against lefties. The Twins are in a good spot overall with a healthy 4.8 implied run total, but the one minor thing going against Dozier is that the Twins-Mariners contest has a Weather Rating of just one, as it’s expected to be 28 degrees at game time. Even so, despite the cold weather, Dozier should be in consideration with his elite numbers against lefties and the Twins’ implied run total.

Good luck on today’s slate, and be sure to check out The Action Network if you’re looking for more baseball coverage!

After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs.

Pictured above: Brian Dozier
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

About the Author

Justin Bailey is the Lead Editor for RotoGrinders and FantasyLabs. He’s been playing DFS since 2013 and specializes in small-field NFL and PGA contests. Justin qualified for the DraftKings Fantasy Golf World Championship in 2023.