Today’s Best Bets
Sam Choudhury
There are plenty of different props to choose from on PrizePicks, and there’s a lot of money to be made. You can pick your choice of MLB, NHL, CBB, NBA, PGA, MMA, tennis, soccer and more. As you’ll see below, I’ll be focusing on opening day in MLB.
Speaking of “PrizePicks,” it is a creative new way to parlay picks based on expected fantasy point production.
How to play PrizePicks MLB
The format is simple. You pick two, three or four players and predict whether they will go over or under their projected fantasy point total.
When parlaying the players, the larger your parlay, the better the payout:
- Two-pick entry pays 2.5x (max entry: $400)
- Three-pick entry pays 5x (max entry: $200)
- Four-pick entry pays 10x (max entry: $100)
As a bonus offer, there is a “flex play” option if you choose to run a four-man parlay. This will provide some security, as you can earn 1.5x your buy-in if three of your four picks hit.
Below are my top PrizePicks for Thursday’s baseball slate. I will be mixing and matching my pick combinations from the pool below, with my favorite combinations also included.
Scoring breakdown for PrizePicks contests can be found here.
MLB PrizePicks for today
Here's a look at my favorite picks on PrizePicks Thursday.
J.D. Martinez OVER 9.0 fantasy points
Martinez has a fantastic matchup against Matt Harvey, and the Red Sox have the second-highest implied team total out of all the teams that aren’t playing in Coors Field. Harvey is facing the Red Sox for the second time in a week, which is tough for any pitcher. In his last 16.1 innings dating back to last season, Harvey has allowed 33 hits, 17 runs, six home runs and six walks. He had an 83.5% contact rate last season and an 86.5% in his first start of the season. Martinez had a .440 average with two homers, six doubles and 11 RBI to start the season.
Jose Altuve OVER 7.5 fantasy points
Alex Bregman OVER 8.0 fantasy points
Cole Irvin is set to make his second start of the season, both against the Astros. His first didn’t go so well as he allowed four runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings. Over his career now, Irvin has a 6.89 ERA, 6.70 K/9, 45% hard-hit rate and 89% contact rate over 49.2 innings, which is great news for the Astros, who rank third in contact percentage (79%). Altuve enters with a .320 average and has scored nine runs already. He’s expected to lead off which maximizes his upside. Bregman already has two homers off lefties this season (.556 average) and he’s rocking a .326 average, .423 wOBA, and 174 wRC+ against southpaws in his career.
The full list of picks
- J.D. Martinez (9.0 fantasy points) — OVER
- Jose Altuve (7.5 fantasy points) — OVER
- Alex Bregman (8.0 fantasy points) — OVER
Nelson Cruz (8.0 fantasy points) — OVER - Trey Mancini (7 fantasy points) — OVER
- Kyle Seager (5.5 fantasy points) — UNDER
- J.P. Crawford (6.0 fantasy points) — UNDER
PrizePicks combinations of the day (Power Play)
- J.D. Martinez, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman
- J.D. Martinez, Alex Bregman, J.P. Crawford
- Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Nelson Cruz
