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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/21/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Wednesday, Rotoballers! MLB has split the schedule with five games on the early DraftKings slate and seven on the nightcap. Today's picks will focus on the nightcap to give us more freedom and options to pick and choose between. As of this writing, Boston seems to be the only one in danger of seeing some wet weather, but keep an eye throughout the day on those developments if a late pivot is needed.
The pitching doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me today. Aaron Civale is the undebatable "ace" on the slate, but $10,100 for him is a little steep. I am looking to spend a bit down at the position today and banking on Tyler Mahle's strikeouts and win potential versus Arizona. Meanwhile, Jakob Junis has made some pitch changes, and I'm going to be keeping a close eye on his start to see if the magical start to his season continues against Tampa Bay.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/21/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Tyler Mahle - P, CIN vs. ARI ($9,500)
Mahle doesn't go deep into games, but he makes up the difference with his strikeout upside. In three starts, he's only pitched 14 innings and hasn't gone more than five innings in 2021. Still, he has 22 strikeouts in those 14 innings and is averaging 21.7 fantasy points per game as a result. The Diamondbacks strike out at an average rate versus righties (24.55 percent), but they don't do a lot of damage against pitchers from that side of the mound. As a team, Arizona is slashing .213/.295/.362 with 80 weighted Runs Created plus over 505 plate appearances. Mahle only went four innings in his first start versus the Diamondbacks, but he should make it to five and be in line for a win today.
Jakob Junis - P, KC vs. TB ($6,400)
Something has changed with Jakob Junis, and the positive results are rolling in this year. In 2021, the 28-year old is all ost exclusively throwing his four-seam fastball and cutter. They make up 95.2 percent of the pitches he has thrown in his four appearances this season. Junis owns a 1.50 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings. If you thought Arizona was bad against righties, I need to introduce you to the Tampa Bay Rays. Their at-bats result in a strikeout 26.58 percent of the time, and they've only mustered a .637 OPS versus the right-handed hurlers.
Other Options: Ian Anderson at NYY ($8,400), Michael Wacha at KC ($7,200)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Wilson Ramos - C, DET vs. PIT ($4,800)
Mitch Keller is not a good pitcher. I feel reasonably comfortable putting that on the internet. If you need further evidence, check out our own Dan Palyo's article on pitchers due for regression this season. Ramos is having an excellent start to the 2021 campaign and hitting some home runs while he is at it. In 14 games, the catcher has a .899 OPS with seven runs, six home runs, and eight RBI. Ramos is touting a career-high 95.5 average exit velocity on his batted balls along with a career-best 14.4-degree launch angle. His 58.3 percent hard-hit rate is also in the top six percent of the league. If he can get ahold of a Keller pitch tonight, I think it goes a long way for some fantasy points.
Colin Moran - 1B, PIT at DET ($3,900)
As mentioned above, I don't think the pitching in this game will be spectacular, and I think both offenses will benefit. For the Pirates, that should mean some production out of Colin Moran. Among first basemen with 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers, Moran comes in third in wRC+ (169), weight On-Base Average (.426), and ISO (.326). Those numbers don't lie, and the first baseman should be in an excellent spot for Wednesday's tilt.
Ehire Adrianza - 2B/3B, ATL at NYY ($2,100)
With Ronald Acuna (abdominal) out of the Atlanta lineup, Adrianza hit from the leadoff spot for on Tuesday. Should that trend continue today, he is an automatic play in any format. There have been holes up and down the Braves lineup this season and Adrianza has filled in admirably. Over his last three games, the utility bat is averaging 13 fantasy points per game and is 5-for-12 with two runs, a double, a triple, a home run, and 3 RBI. The 24-year old can hit from either side of the plate and will see Corey Kluber on the mound. The former Cy Young winner has not been impressive to start his Yankee tenure. In three starts, Kluber has a 6.10 ERA, a 2.23 WHIP, and a 12:7 strikeout to walk ratio.
Kris Bryant - 3B, CHC vs. NYM ($4,500)
It seemed like people were ready to write Kris Bryant's Cubs eulogy heading into the 2021 season, but the former-NL MVP is making those authors eat their words. His average exit velocity is up 2.5 miles per hour this season, and he is crushing fastballs left and right. He's slugging .848 against those pitches, and although that is above his expected stats, he still rocks a .661 expected slugging percentage against fastballs. Bryant will face David Peterson on the mound tonight, and it could be a match made in heaven. Peterson throws his fastball 23.4 percent of the time, and opponents are batting .333 with a 1.111 slugging percentage off that pitch in 2021.
Tim Anderson - SS, CWS at CLE ($5,000)
Anderson seems like a man determined to make up for lost time from an early-season IL stint. In the five games since his return, the shortstop hasn't scored less than eight DraftKings points and is averaging 15.4 FPPG. Those numbers are thanks to Anderson hitting 10-for-23 (.434 batting average) with six runs, a double, two home runs, two RBI, and three stolen bases. Even though he faces Aaron Civale ($10,100) on the mound tonight, there's no denying that he has a scorching bat and deserves a spot in your lineups.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Tyler Naquin - OF, CIN vs. ARI ($5,100)
Jesse Winker - OF, CIN vs. ARI ($4,500)
I'll group Naquin and Winker together since they are facing the same guy. They hit 1-2 in the Cincy lineup yesterday, and it should remain that way on Wednesday. Nick Castellanos is still serving his suspension and won't be taking either player out of the lineup. The rumors of Naquin's demise may have been premature after he hit a home run on Sunday. For the season, he has six home runs, 15 RBI, and a 1.068 OPS. That'll do nicely, especially on a smaller slate.
Winker has overcome some early-season absences to come into a fine run of form. He's reached base in six straight tilts and is batting .307 with four runs, two doubles, and four RBI while averaging 8.8 FPPG. The reason I believe Tyler Mahle will be in line for a win tonight is because of the Red's ability to crush right-handers. As a team, they have a .353 weighted On-Base average and a 117 wRC+ versus righties.
Alex Verdugo - OF, BOS vs. TOR ($4,100)
As Baseball BBQ mentioned on their podcast this week, we are about two weeks away from someone writing the "Did the Red Sox win the Mookie Betts trade?" article and having the baseball world scratching their heads. Although that's a firey take, Alex Verdugo is why the trade doesn't look like an absolute disaster. The left-handed batter is slashing .295/.357/.525 through 17 games and settling in nicely near the top of the Red Sox lineup. Over his last 10 games, Verdugo is 13-for 33 (.394 BA) with seven runs, a double, three home runs, and 11 RBI. He's reached base in all 10 games and provides a safe lineup at the outfield position on a small slate.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Merrill Kelly, RHP)
- Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets (David Peterson, LHP)
- Sneaky (Game) Stack: Pittsburgh Pirates at Detroit Tigers (Mitch Keller, RHP; Spencer Turnbull, RHP)
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