RADIO
Happy Monday, Rotoballers! Welcome to the first whole week of the 2022 season. Seven games occupy the DraftKings and FanDuel main slate, with the festivities kicking off in Tampa as the Rays welcome the A's to Tropicana Field. The opening weekend saw some wild performances and unexpected disappointments (what happened to Brandon Woodruff?!). Regardless, every arm on the mound today is making their first start and is looking to start the 2022 season with a strong performance.
There is no weather for us to worry about for these early-April contests, a rare occurrence. I'm not complaining, as it's one less thing to worry about. Meanwhile, in Vegas, three of the seven matchups have a run total of over 9.5 runs: Mets-Phillies, Nationals-Braves, and Marlins-Angels. As DFS managers, we will need to wait for those lineups to come out and see what kind of value we can scrape together to gain an advantage over our competition.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for Fanduel and DraftKings on 4/11/2022 Main Slate at 6:40 pm Eastern Time. The lineup will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Alek Manoah - P, TOR at NYY ($10,200 DraftKings; $9,900 FanDuel)
Manoah is coming off a successful rookie campaign where he posted a 3.22 ERA, 1.o5 WHIP, and a 27.7 percent strikeout rate across 20 starts. Now, he enters his first full season of pro ball with higher expectations, and it all starts with his first trip to the mound against the Yankees. It isn't easy to gauge how long a pitcher can stay in a game early in the season. Therefore, we are looking for strikeout upside and Manoah brings that and then some as the towering right-handed hurler struck out 127 batters in 111 2/3 innings. Also, for those of you worried about a season debut against the Yankees, Manoah began his career in this same situation last season and proceeded to throw six innings of scoreless baseball while mowing down seven guys in pinstripes for 29.1 DK points and 49 FD points. The guy is a stud.
Ranger Suarez - P, PHI vs. NYM ($8,900 DK; $9,600 FD)
If you don't want to roll with the most expensive pitcher on both sites (Manoah), then Ranger Suarez makes for an excellent alternative. After a delayed start to spring training, the southpaw has done enough to get in the Phillies rotation on the first go around. Suarez was a second-half darling in fantasy baseball last season as he churned out fantastic DFS returns every fifth night at a discounted rate. Now, it appears that the discount is gone, but the skills remain. Over his final five starts in 2021 (all quality starts), the 26-year-old twirled a 1.32 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a 26.9 percent K rate. Tonight, he will face the Mets, who could only muster a 93 wRC+ versus lefties after the All-Star break last year and also struck out 24 percent of the time when facing them. It all lines up for Suarez to start his 2022 campaign as strongly as he finished his breakout season.
Others to consider (FanDuel): Chris Flexen at MIN ($7,000), Nick Martinez at SF ($5,700)
Others to consider (DraftKings): Huascar Ynoa vs. WAS ($8,600), Dylan Bundy vs. SEA ($5,600)
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Ji-Man Choi - 1B, TB vs. Paul Blackburn ($4,000 DK; $2,400 FD)
The Rays love a good platoon, so it's handy to know who they go to whenever a righty or lefty pops up on the schedule. With Oakland tossing Paul Blackburn, a righty, on the mound, DFS managers can feel confident Tampa Bay will deploy Ji-Man Choi as the third or fourth hitter in their lineup. Considering the Rays averaged five runs a game to open their season across a three-game set with Baltimore, I feel great about getting Choi in my lineup versus a pitcher who allowed a .333/.403/.551 slash line to left-handed hitters in 2021. Fire up Choi as part of a Rays stack or even a one-off, because you'll want some exposure to this offense against Blackburn.
Brandon Lowe - 2B, TB vs. Paul Blackburn ($5,400 DK; $3,600 FD)
In 2022, Lowe is going to lead off against right-handed pitching again and is always a candidate to build your lineup around when there's an opposing righty on the mound. The Rays scored 13 runs across Saturday and Sunday against Baltimore's right-handers, and tonight, we should expect more of the same against the A's Paul Blackburn. In limited 2021 action, Blackburn produced a 5.87 ERA and 1.62 WHIP while giving up eight home runs in only 38 1/3 innings. Yesterday, Lowe hit his first home run of the season, and it wouldn't surprise anyone to see the second baseman hit his second in as many days when he steps in the box versus Oakland's pitcher.
Luis Arraez - 2B/3B, MIN vs. Chris Flexen ($3,600 DK; $2,400 FD)
Don't be worried about Arraez hitting the bench in two of the first three games. The Twins met two southpaws, and it gave Gio Urshela the chance to get some starts with his new team. However, with Chris Flexen (a righty) taking the ball for Seattle today, Arraez should slot right back into Minnesota's starting lineup. The infielder is nestled between Byron Buxton (stud) and Carlos Correa (shiny new toy) and will have the chance to drive in Buxton and be driven in by Correa for most of the season. He's the 14th-most expensive third baseman on DraftKings today, but can easily finish inside the top-five if the Twins come close to anything they did yesterday (1o runs, six homers).
Francisco Lindor - SS, NYM vs. Ranger Suarez ($4,600 DK; $3,900 FD)
After an eye-opening spring training (four home runs, 1.048 OPS), Lindor seems primed for a bounceback season in the Big Apple. Fortunately, his price didn't skyrocket after the 28-year-old launched his first long ball of the regular season on Sunday. Through four outings, Lindor's already scored three runs with a home run, two RBI, and a stolen base. However, if his preseason was indicative of how the regular season will go, it's time to get on board before the shortstop lifts off. While I recommended Ranger Suarez as a pitcher to get in your lineup, anyone is liable to give up home runs, especially in Citizens Bank Park.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Nick Castellanos - OF, PHI vs. Taijuan Walker ($5,600 DK; $3,900 FD)
There was a lot of offseason worry about where Castellanos would land as he was leaving the friendly dimensions of the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. However, outside of return to the Reds or landing in Coors, there may not be a better ballpark for him than Citizens Bank Park. The 30-year-old showed he already feels at home with a two-run shot on Saturday afternoon.
First pitch, first HR for Nick Castellanos! pic.twitter.com/4FX6AfPk7b
— MLB (@MLB) April 9, 2022
Castellanos is batting in the heart of this Philadelphia lineup and will have plenty of chances at RBI with Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Bryce Harper ahead of him. Meanwhile, Mets starter Taijuan Walker may not be in this game long as he just threw a 45-pitch bullpen outing on Friday while working his way back from some knee issues. If the Phillies get to this Mets bullpen early, it could be a long night (and a longer series) in this NL East battle for the men from New York.
Marcell Ozuna - OF, ATL vs. Josh Rogers ($3,800 DK; $3,000 FD)
Ozuna's slotted back into the Braves lineup as the fourth hitter, playing left field every day this season. He's started his 2022 campaign 4-for-14 with two doubles, two RBI, and a run scored. It only feels like a matter of time before this Atlanta offense catches fire despite scoring three runs or less in three of their opening four games. Monday's game offers an opportunity to tag Josh Rogers with a couple of long balls as he starts on short notice as Anibal Sanchez (neck) looks likely to miss his start. Ozuna already has seven hard-hit balls through 10 opportunities. When he squares one of those up, it's leaving the yard and scoring managers some DFS points.
Julio Rodriguez - OF, SEA at Dylan Bundy ($2,000 DK; $2,400 FD)
It's the most wonderful time of the year because prospects are still incredibly undervalued and it makes slamming them in your DFS lineup all the more fun. If anyone with a pulse and guaranteed playing time were priced at $2,000, I would have them on the squad. However, Rodriguez is a top-three prospect in baseball and has unlimited upside right now. The 21-year-old flashed some pop with a ninth-inning double against the Twins on Saturday and is only one swing of the bat away from announcing himself to the majors in style. That could happen today as the man he's seeing on the mound, Dylan Bundy, allowed 20 home runs in 19 starts last year and saw right-handed batters post a .527 slugging percentage when facing him in 2021.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees (Jameson Taillon, RHP)
The lineup can explode at any moment, and I'm not fading a matchup with Jameson Taillon in Yankee Stadium. Last season, as a team, they hit 21 home runs in 10 games at Yankee Stadium. I don't expect that rate to slow down versus an arm that gave up 1.5 dongs per nine innings after the All-Star break in 2021.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics (Paul Blackburn, RHP)
Tampa is an obvious candidate as I recommended Ji-Man Choi and Brandon Lowe as player picks. You can rotate Lowe with Wander Franco if you want your stacked players to be closer in the lineup. Francisco Mejia is sitting at $3,200 on DraftKings and offers an avenue to some cheap exposure. The Rays should beat up on Paul Blackburn and get to this Oakland bullpen fairly early in the contest.
San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres (Nick Martinez, RHP)
In the second half of last season, the Giants thrived against righties with a .256/.333/.455 slash line. 73.4 percent of their home runs came off right-handed pitching in 2021, and they could look to jump on Nick Martinez in his first major league start since 2017. He's spent the last four seasons overseas but is back to find out how he fares versus the best of the best. Brandon Belt and newly called-up Heliot Ramos are a couple of players I'll be looking to get in as part of a San Fran stack.
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