Joe Ryan

Joe Pisapia expressed concern regarding Joe Ryan after he allowed back-to-back home runs and four runs across five innings of work. Given his susceptibility to hard-hit balls and his struggles to neutralize hitters recently, fantasy players should be cautious deploying Ryan, especially when facing powerful lineups or hitting-friendly venues until he demonstrates renewed effectiveness.

Zach Thompson tabbed Joe Ryan as his top pitching choice for the MLB DFS slate on April 3rd, citing particularly strong home performances over his career at Target Field, where Ryan posts a K/9 rate of 10.5, notably higher than his road strikeout rate. Ryan also exhibited encouraging form with a strong first start against the Cardinals, pitching five innings with five strikeouts, allowing only one run. Ryan's matchup against an Astros team that currently ranks among the league leaders in strikeout rate (54 Ks in six games) offers substantial upside, especially in a cold afternoon game in Minneapolis. Despite some inconsistency against Houston last season (eight earned runs over two starts), Thompson expects Ryan's strikeout skills to shine in this spot.

Derek Carty recommends betting the over on Joe Ryan's 5.5 strikeout total (-160 odds) as one of the day's high-value pitcher prop bets. The projection assigns Ryan a 69% chance of exceeding this number, providing +$18.18 in expected value. Ryan benefits significantly from a dominating platoon advantage against a Houston Astros lineup projected to feature eight right-handed hitters, positioning him nicely to surpass this strikeout projection.

Michael Savio highlighted Twins pitcher Joe Ryan after an impressive first start in 2025, allowing only one run across five innings to St. Louis. Ryan is coming off a tremendous 2024 campaign where he recorded a standout 0.99 WHIP. Although the Astros have historically had some success against Ryan, they now possess their weakest lineup in several seasons, greatly enhancing Ryan's betting value tonight. As a result, Savio anticipates another strong showing from Ryan, leading to a low-scoring affair favoring the under bet.

Dylan Rockford strongly prefers backing the Twins first-five innings specifically due to pitcher Joe Ryan, who looked excellent in his initial outing despite minimal run support. He argues that facing the slumping Astros lineup—offensively weak and losers of their past games—is an optimal setup for Ryan to dominate early. With clear concerns over both team's shaky bullpens, Rockford feels avoiding late-game unpredictability and centering bets around Minnesota's edge in starting pitching through the first five innings offers the best betting angle.

Dan Marcus pinpointed Joe Ryan as the strongest pitching option in DraftKings Saturday contests, highlighting his impressive 27.3% strikeout rate from the previous season—the highest of any available pitcher on the slate. Marcus expressed confidence in Ryan's matchup, noting the game against the Cardinals is favorable and unlikely to pose major issues for Ryan, making him an ideal anchor in DFS lineups at a reasonable $8,800 price.