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Happy Friday, Rotoballers! It's time to throw out the first pitch on another weekend of DFS, and we've got 14 games on the menu. Of course, the actual first pitch of the weekend comes from Wrigley Field at 2:20 pm ET in the Milwaukee Brewers-Chicago Cubs game, but those are the only two teams we don't get to play on Friday because of their early start. Therefore, MLB leaves us with 28 teams to pick and choose from as we fill out our pitching and hitting lineups for another massive night of DFS.
There's a big four at starting pitcher tonight with Jacob deGrom, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, and Yu Darvish taking the mound. Kershaw and Darvish will be competing against each other, limiting them a bit in my eyes because of the lower chance of a win. While the New York Mets are bigger favorites to beat the Washington Nationals than the Tampa Bay Rays are to beat the Toronto Blue Jays, I can't shake the feeling that the Mets are going to Mets things up for deGrom. The team has a magical way of not producing runs when their two-time Cy Young winner is pitching. It's making me consider Glasnow as the stud pitcher to roll with for the majority of my lineups.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/23/2021. 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 Glasnow - TB vs. TOR ($10,100)
Glasnow is the third most expensive pitcher behind Jacob deGrom and Clayton Kershaw. He's $700 cheaper than deGrom, and an arm worth pivoting down towards if you can't get up to the New York Mets pitcher. There's no debating that Glasnow has the upside to finish as the No. 1 pitcher on tonight's slate. This season, the 27-year old is pitching to a 0.73 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP with 36 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings. The advanced metrics back this up with a 40 percent strikeout rate, a 1.02 FIP, and a 2.36 SIERA. Glasnow will see a Toronto Blue Jays lineup that's batting .222/.298/.356 versus right-handed pitching this season. While the Blue Jays don't strike out a ton versus righties (23.67 percent), Glasnow has the talent (14 Ks versus Texas) to pile up the strikes on Friday.
Mike Minor - P, KC at DET ($6,900)
There are so many high-ceiling, expensive pitchers to choose from tonight. No one would blame you if you just took two of the big four and called it a night. However, if you want the chance to fit in a big bat or two into the lineup, you'll need to find a discounted type of arm. This is where Mike Minor enters the chat. While the results aren't going Minor's way so far in 2021, he has a great matchup against the Detroit Tigers to steady the ship. The Tigers are TERRIBLE against left-handed pitching this season. They own the second-worst strikeout rate (31.3 percent) versus southpaws and dead last in OPS (.496), ISO (.076), and weighted Runs Created plus (43). Admittedly, Minor is a risky play on a slate with so many safer options, but the chance at so many Ks against a team that isn't doing damage to left-handed hurlers deserves a look in some tournament contests.
Other Options: Jacob deGrom ($10,900), Clayton Kershaw ($10,200), Yu Darvish ($9,700), Sandy Alcantara ($7,400)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Carson Kelly - C, ARI at Huascar Ynoa, ATL ($4,200)
Kelly is having an electric start to the season and is vaulting up the catcher rankings in season-long fantasy baseball. Meanwhile, he is also crushing for those of us that dabble in the DFS world. Over his last seven games, the 26-year old is slashing .263/.548/.895 with seven runs, four home runs, nine RBI, and nine walks to six strikeouts. No, that .895 is not his OPS; it's just his slugging percentage. Kelly is projected to hit fifth for the Diamondbacks in Atlanta tonight and will have plenty of chances to provide counting numbers in an offense that's scored at least five runs in six of Kelly's last seven appearances.
Brad Miller - 1B, PHI at German Marquez, COL ($3,000)
Coors Field: check. Cheap bat: check. In good form: check. Brad Miller hits all three boxes as the Phillies travel to the Mile High City for a weekend series. He's first base eligible on DraftKings, but he is seeing extended playing time due to Jean Segura (quadriceps) landing on the 10-day IL. In his last two games, Miller is 5-for-9 with three runs, one home run, and three RBI. The utility bat veteran scored 18 and 16 points, respectively, in those two contests and is worth a spot in one of your lineups tonight. Make sure to check the pregame comments from the Phillies coaching staff, however. Didi Gregorius will likely return to the lineup this weekend, and that will force Joe Girardi to pick between Miller and shortstop Nick Maton ($2,400) as Segura's replacement for Friday.
Ty France - 2B, SEA at Martin Perez, BOS ($3,800)
France has been a consistent member in the two-hole for the Seattle Mariners to begin the year, and he is giving them no reason to remove him from that spot. The Mariners are off to a surprisingly hot start, and France is one reason why they find themselves tied for first place in the AL West. The 26-year old infielder owns a .303 batting average with a .920 OPS over 66 at-bats. France is tallying the counting numbers as well, with 13 runs, five doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBI. He'll meet Martin Perez in Boston on the mound tonight, and I think he will take advantage of the righty on lefty advantage with a shot over the Green Monster.
Eduardo Escobar - 2B/3B, ARI at Huascar Ynoa, ATL ($4,000)
Sometimes you need a steady Eddy to balance your lineup on any given evening. Well, Eduardo Escobar is just the kind of player to fit that bill. The Diamondbacks infielder has scored at least five fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games and is averaging 10 fantasy points per game over that same stretch. He tends to hit behind the biggest bats in Arizona's lineup, but, obviously, that hasn't stopped him from becoming a reliable source of points in our DFS lineups. I like the Diamondbacks as a sneaky stack versus the Atlanta Braves. Despite Huascar Ynoa showing some promise in the early portion of the 2021 campaign, I don't think he a pitcher to fade until we see a longer track record. Escobar and Kelly make a cheap, low-rostered stack in a massive Friday slate.
Carlos Correa - SS, HOU vs. Andrew Heaney, LAA ($5,000)
There was a fascinating development for Carlos Correa fans last night as he hit leadoff for the Astros. It sparked their lineup out of a miserable slump as they beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-2. Correa went 2-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and 16 DraftKings points. Jose Altuve will return at some point, maybe even tonight, but that shouldn't scare anyone off Correa. If his teammate returns, the shortstop will still hit in the middle of a lineup full of dangerous hitters. For the season, Correa has crushed seven extra-base hits (three home runs), and he's batting .282 despite an expected batting average of .342. That signals good things coming in the future for the 2017 All-Star, and it shouldn't be surprising if it began against the Angels tonight. Correa's 15 home runs versus Los Angeles is tied for the most against any team in his career (Texas Rangers).
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI at German Marquez, COL ($5,700)
Everything seems to be lining up for Harper to have a massive night in Colorado. First, if you look at his statcast page, the only color you see is a deep red across all his advanced stats. He is simply destroying the baseball anytime he makes contact. Second, the 2015 National League MVP has scored at least 13 DraftKings points in five straight games. The outfielder is 11-for-17 (.647 batting average) with six runs, two doubles, two dongs, and four RBI over that handful of tilts. Harper also has five walks to one strikeout in those five games and has a ludicrous 1.845 OPS. The third and final point is the man he's facing on the hill. Germany Marquez is only striking out 20.6 percent of his batters this season and is walking 13.4 percent of them. Harper will get on base multiple times tonight, whether it's running around them after a home run or taking his fourth ball in a plate appearance. The ceiling is a mile high for Harper tonight in Denver.
Franmil Reyes - OF, CLE vs. Jordan Montgomery, NYY ($4,800)
Reyes has had a bit of a scuffling start to his season, but he is showing signs of life in recent games. He's recorded fantasy points in four straight games and has scored at least 10 fantasy points in four of his last 10 tilts. Reyes has three doubles, a triple, three home runs, and a .559 slugging percentage on the year. He lines up to see Yankees southpaw Jordan Montgomery tonight in Cleveland. Montgomery has already allowed four home runs this season in 17 innings and is pitching to a 4.24 ERA with a 5.10 FIP. I may be getting a little homer-happy to start the weekend, but it feels like this game could be a good source of fantasy points from both lineups.
Seth Brown - OF, OAK at Jorge Lopez, BAL ($3,300)
Brown is a recommendation because we can take advantage of the pricing algorithm not catching up to the production. The 27-year old has had a couple of highly productive games this week and is in terrific form heading to the East Coast to take on the Baltimore Orioles in Camden Yards. In his last two games, Brown went 6-for-7 with two runs, a double, a home run, and three RBI. 31 of his 34 plate appearances (91.1 percent) have come against right-handed pitchers this season, and he is slashing .296/.387/.667 when the outfielder faces righties. Baltimore is tossing Jorge Lopez out on the mound and allowing Brown to continue his righty-smashing ways in the season's first month.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies (German Marquez, RHP)
- Oakland Athletics at Baltimore Orioles (Jorge Lopez, RHP)
- Sneaky Stack: Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees (Jordan Montgomery, LHP)
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