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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/5/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Monday, RotoBallers! We kick off the first whole week of baseball with a seven-game featured slate on DraftKings. I would've loved to have the Orioles-Yankees contest here, but there will still be some great picks to add to our rosters as we kick off the week.
We get the surprising addition of Jacob deGrom to add to our options at pitcher tonight. It will be hard to get away from him with the lack of other aces on the mound. Of course, you can use his high roster percentage as leverage against him in tournaments, but you'll be hard-pressed to get in the money without him in cash games.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/5/2021. 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
Jacob deGrom - P, NYM at PHI ($10,700)
With the Nationals and Mets series postponed over the week due to COVID-19 concerns, we have the option to play Jacob deGrom on a day where some teams are rolling out their third, fourth, or fifth starters. He's $1,900 more than Dustin May, and he is worth the premium on this seven-game schedule. In the shortened 2020, the 32-year old posted a career-high 38.8 percent strikeout rate and accumulated 104 strikeouts in 68 innings. DeGrom reached 200 IP in three straight seasons from 2017-2019, and last season he went at least six innings in eight of his 12 starts. New York is heavily favored (-220) in this season-opening contest and should put deGrom in a great spot to pick up the win.
Carlos Rodon - P, CWS at SEA ($6,700)
If we are going with a top-of-the-line ace like deGrom, we need to find a bargain-bin option if we want the chance to fit in some quality bats on Monday. Rodon is questionable at best, but the matchup is superb. The Mariners couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat against lefties in 2020. Last season, they slashed .190/.279/.331 as a team versus southpaws and struck out 27.26 percent of the time. The White Sox scored 22 runs in four games over the weekend and will give Rodon plenty of run support to get the win as long as he gets through five innings.
Other Options: Trevor Williams vs. MIL ($8,300), Michael Wacha at BOS ($7,200)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
James McCann - C, NYM at PHI ($3,700)
McCann will make his New York Mets debut on Monday against left-handed hurler Matt Moore and the Philadelphia Phillies. McCann will be batting near the bottom of a dangerous Mets lineup and have the righty-lefty advantage in his first game. It will put him in an excellent spot to make a good first impression. McCann has a .356 wOBA and 124 wRC+ versus southpaws compared to a .277 wOBA and 70 wRC+ against righties for his career.
Yuli Gurriel - 1B, HOU at LAA ($3,700)
I'll have a fair share of the Houston offense in my Monday lineups. Their lineup came out of the gates firing on all cylinders for 2021. They put up 35 runs on Oakland over four games. For context, they scored 25 runs in 10 games against the A's last season. Gurriel wasn't the most electric Astros over the four-game series, but he made his presence felt. The 36-year old went 7-for-15 with two runs, three RBI, a double, a home run while showing some plate discipline with four walks to one strikeout. He's batting fifth in a potent Astros lineup and should have plenty of chances to drive in some runs tonight.
Jake Cronenworth - 1B/2B, SD vs. SF ($3,400)
If you sat out the 2020 MLB DFS season, then you may have missed the phenom that is Jake Cronenworth. He exploded onto the baseball scene as a righty-smasher and was second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Last season, Cronenworth slashed .316/.382/.581 against righties and was, at times, a DFS cheat code. He slotted in as the sixth hitter during the first two games of the season but hit fifth on Saturday and, in a highly encouraging sign, second yesterday. If he can stay in the two-hole versus right handers (like Anthony DeSclafani tonight), Cronenworth's price won't be $3,400 for much longer.
Francisco Lindor - SS, NYM at PHI ($4,700)
I'm in on the Mets today. Lindor will be batting second ahead of a dangerous lineup in a hitter-friendly park and always has the platoon advantage with him being a switch hitter. I don't believe that Matt Moore will be throwing deep into this one, which means Lindor can get some looks against this Phillies bullpen. I realize they didn't give up a single run in their opening series versus the Braves, but I will need a little more of a sample size before I fade this unit. Lindor is priced down at the position for Monday. I also considered the red-hot Corey Seager ($5,600) but preferred the $800 in savings to spend elsewhere for tonight's slate.
Alex Bregman - 3B, HOU at LAA ($5,500)
Bregman delivered the goods on Friday with a home run and I'll look for him to come through again tonight. He'll have the righty-on-lefty matchup we love to exploit, and Quintana hasn't fared great versus right-handed batters in recent years. In 2019, Quintana allowed 19 home runs and a .290/.336/.466 slash line in 129.2 innings. As previously mentioned, the Houston offense is off to a red-hot start, and Bregman is right in the middle of the action.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Austin Meadows - OF, TB at BOS ($4,400)
Meadows is sitting at the top of the Tampa Bay offense so far in 2021, and the early returns look extremely promising. He batted first or second in every game during the opening weekend and produced a 3-for-11 line with two home runs, two RBI, and two walks. He'll face right-handed hurler Nick Pivetta in Fenway, and Meadows should excel. During his breakout 2019, the 25-year old slashed .298/.384/.576 against righties with 24 home runs. This game has an over/under of 9.5 runs, and there will be fireworks with some not-so-great pitching on the mound.
Jared Walsh - 1B/OF, LAA vs. HOU ($3,900)
Walsh was the walk-off hero for the Angels on Sunday night with a three-run bomb to clinch the series over the Chicago White Sox. He started the final two games of the weekend and went 4-for-8 with three runs, six RBI, a triple, and two home runs. Now, Walsh will welcome the Houston Astros and rookie pitcher Luis Garcia to Anaheim. He batted fifth in both those games and, if that sticks, he will be in a tremendous run-producing role. The Astros are a hot offense right now, but their starters didn't pitch more than six innings in any start. Their bullpen was used a lot and could give some promising late-inning opportunities to kick off the week.
Chas McCormick - OF, HOU at LAA ($2,000)
McCormick will be an exciting test of the DFS strategy for price vs. lineup slot. He hit ninth for the Astros in yesterday's game after Michael Brantley (wrist) sat out, and McCormick provided incredible returns on one swing of the bat. He went 1-for-3, but it was a three-run blast off Yusmeiro Petit in the sixth inning. He's $2,000, and it will give any DFS roster a leg up to empty their wallets at other spots in the lineup. Also, he'll be batting right ahead of Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Bregman with a lefty on the mound. Sometimes the ninth spot isn't all that bad.
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