Our Blog


Three Key Players (Tue. 4/3): Sharp Money Is on the Angels

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

Clayton Kershaw: Pitcher, Dodgers

Kershaw is back on the mound Tuesday night, and he draws a matchup on the road against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers are currently -170 moneyline favorites, the second-largest favorites on the slate. Kershaw has performed slightly worse on the road than at home, but he has still played well on the road, as he’s averaged 26.17 DraftKings points per game with a +3.54 Plus/MInus and 65.4% Consistency Rating in the 52 games in our database (per our Trends tool):

The projected Diamondbacks lineup has struck out in 27.5% of at-bats against left-handed pitching with a weighted on-base average (wOBA) of just .301 over the past 12 months. It’s an excellent overall spot for Kershaw, whose 7.7 K Prediction is tied for a slate high and whose opponent implied run total is a slate-low 3.3.

 

Joey Gallo: First Baseman, Rangers

With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. The top stack in the Tournament Player Model is the Rangers against Athletics right-hander Kendall Graveman.

Gallo has crushed righties over the past 12 months with a .369 wOBA and .355 isolated power (ISO). He can smash the ball, as he has averaged a batted-ball distance of 247 feet and exit velocity of 94 miles per hour over the past year. Gravemen got knocked around in his first start of the season, allowing a recent batted-ball distance of 247 feet with an exit velocity of 93 miles per hour. Historically, batters with metrics similar to Gallo’s versus pitchers with statcast data similar to Graveman’s have exceeded salary-based expectations by an average of +1.83 DraftKings points per game (per our Trends tool).

Zack Cozart: Third Baseman, Angels

Per our Vegas Dashboard, the Angels’ implied total has increased by 0.3 runs with reverse line movement since it opened, indicating that there is sharp money on the Angels.

Cozart is off to a decent start for the season with a +5.30 Plus/Minus on FanDuel, where he’s sporting an 86% Bargain Rating. He’ll square off against Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin, who has allowed 1.529 HR/9 over the past 12 months, the fourth-highest mark on the slate. Cozart has fared well against righties over the past year with an exceptional .375 wOBA, .227 ISO, and 18.1% strikeout rate. Not only does he hit righties well, but Cozart has been swinging well lately with a recent batted-ball distance of 251 feet, exit velocity of 93 miles per hour, and hard-hit rate of 40%. He’s also sporting a minimal 5-8% ownership projection. Pro subscribers can review ownership rates in our DFS Ownership Dashboard shortly after lineups lock.

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: Zack Cozart
Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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

Clayton Kershaw: Pitcher, Dodgers

Kershaw is back on the mound Tuesday night, and he draws a matchup on the road against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers are currently -170 moneyline favorites, the second-largest favorites on the slate. Kershaw has performed slightly worse on the road than at home, but he has still played well on the road, as he’s averaged 26.17 DraftKings points per game with a +3.54 Plus/MInus and 65.4% Consistency Rating in the 52 games in our database (per our Trends tool):

The projected Diamondbacks lineup has struck out in 27.5% of at-bats against left-handed pitching with a weighted on-base average (wOBA) of just .301 over the past 12 months. It’s an excellent overall spot for Kershaw, whose 7.7 K Prediction is tied for a slate high and whose opponent implied run total is a slate-low 3.3.

 

Joey Gallo: First Baseman, Rangers

With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. The top stack in the Tournament Player Model is the Rangers against Athletics right-hander Kendall Graveman.

Gallo has crushed righties over the past 12 months with a .369 wOBA and .355 isolated power (ISO). He can smash the ball, as he has averaged a batted-ball distance of 247 feet and exit velocity of 94 miles per hour over the past year. Gravemen got knocked around in his first start of the season, allowing a recent batted-ball distance of 247 feet with an exit velocity of 93 miles per hour. Historically, batters with metrics similar to Gallo’s versus pitchers with statcast data similar to Graveman’s have exceeded salary-based expectations by an average of +1.83 DraftKings points per game (per our Trends tool).

Zack Cozart: Third Baseman, Angels

Per our Vegas Dashboard, the Angels’ implied total has increased by 0.3 runs with reverse line movement since it opened, indicating that there is sharp money on the Angels.

Cozart is off to a decent start for the season with a +5.30 Plus/Minus on FanDuel, where he’s sporting an 86% Bargain Rating. He’ll square off against Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin, who has allowed 1.529 HR/9 over the past 12 months, the fourth-highest mark on the slate. Cozart has fared well against righties over the past year with an exceptional .375 wOBA, .227 ISO, and 18.1% strikeout rate. Not only does he hit righties well, but Cozart has been swinging well lately with a recent batted-ball distance of 251 feet, exit velocity of 93 miles per hour, and hard-hit rate of 40%. He’s also sporting a minimal 5-8% ownership projection. Pro subscribers can review ownership rates in our DFS Ownership Dashboard shortly after lineups lock.

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: Zack Cozart
Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-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.