MLB Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for April 2, 2026
Last updated: Apr 1, 2026, 11:35PM | Published: Apr 1, 2026, 7:34AM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Thursday DFS contest commences at 10:40am AEDT on April 2, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for MLB fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you put together your fantasy teams for Draftstars' MLB contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on April 2 and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate consists of these games:
- Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cleveland Guardians
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the best MLB fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more MLB fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best selections on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD, P) | $22,120 | 19.4 | 0.9 |
| Value | Gavin Williams (CLE, P) | $14,400 | 16 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Christopher Martin (MIN, OF) | $8,620 | 3.5 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Brayan Rocchio (CLE, SS) | $5,140 | 5 | 1 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options highlight the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
C (Catcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Salvador Perez (KC) | $8,060 | 6.7 | 0.8 |
| Value | Salvador Perez (KC) | $8,060 | 6.7 | 0.8 |
| Fade | Ryan Jeffers (MIN) | $8,600 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Cheapie | Noah Naylor (CLE) | $5,990 | 4.7 | 0.8 |
SS (Shortstop)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Robert Witt (KC) | $10,690 | 9.7 | 0.9 |
| Value | Brayan Rocchio (CLE) | $5,140 | 5 | 1 |
| Fade | Markus Betts (LAD) | $8,800 | 7.8 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Gabriel Arias (CLE) | $5,370 | 4.2 | 0.8 |
OF (Outfielder)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | $13,370 | 11.2 | 0.8 |
| Value | Steven Kwan (CLE) | $7,380 | 7 | 1 |
| Fade | Christopher Martin (MIN) | $8,620 | 3.5 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Teoscar Hernández (LAD) | $7,940 | 7 | 0.9 |
3B (Third Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | José Ramírez (CLE) | $8,390 | 8.9 | 1.1 |
| Value | José Ramírez (CLE) | $8,390 | 8.9 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Maxwell Muncy (LAD) | $9,210 | 4.6 | 0.5 |
| Cheapie | Brooks Lee (MIN) | $6,170 | 5 | 0.8 |
2B (Second Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Luke Keaschall (MIN) | $8,680 | 5.6 | 0.6 |
| Value | Jonathan India (KC) | $7,010 | 5.5 | 0.8 |
1B (First Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Frederick Freeman (LAD) | $9,240 | 8.4 | 0.9 |
| Value | Kyle Manzardo (CLE) | $5,810 | 5.4 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Vincent Pasquantino (KC) | $8,550 | 7.3 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Joshua Bell (MIN) | $7,950 | 5.8 | 0.7 |
P (Pitcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) | $22,120 | 19.4 | 0.9 |
| Value | Gavin Williams (CLE) | $14,400 | 16 | 1.1 |
Conclusion
When building your MLB Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Gavin Williams. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Brayan Rocchio.
On the other hand, according to our model, Christopher Martin is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate closes at 10:40am AEDT on Thursday. ENTER NOW!
As with all MLB DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven MLB fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the MLB Thursday contest. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your MLB DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised MLB Thursday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
