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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on April 20th, 2022. Juan Carlos Blanco's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Welcome back to another edition of the FREE DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks. There's another all-day ledger on tap Wednesday, and although DraftKings does not have a full-day slate, FanDuel does. Consequently, today's article will feature picks on both sites for games throughout the day, as even on DK, the suggestions will prove viable for someone playing one of the site's split slates.
The pitching options aren't overwhelmingly appealing Wednesday, but there are a couple of particularly talented arms in what could be considered good matchups that I'm targeting. There is also a solid selection of high-upside bats in favorable matchups, and the good news is not all of them require cap-busting levels of investment.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for Fanduel and DraftKings on 4/20/2022. 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
Brandon Woodruff - P, MIL vs. PIT ($9,700 DK, $9,700 FD)
Woodruff bounced back from a surprisingly poor season debut against the Cubs to look much more like himself last time out, as he posted five shutout innings against the Cardinals. The right-hander still hasn't begun missing bats at anywhere near last season's clip -- he's rung up just four strikeouts across his first 8.2 innings -- but he's drawing the type of matchup that could well facilitate an all-around dominant outing. Current Pirates bats own a collective .195/.246/.374 slash line against Woodruff in 52 career encounters, a sample that includes 19 strikeouts. Pittsburgh has been decent against right-handed pitching thus far this season with a .261 average and .318 wOBA, but the Bucs also have a 24.9 percent strikeout rate and anemic .117 ISO in that sample of 249 plate appearances.
Sandy Alcantara - P, MIA vs. STL ($8,800 DK, $9,200 FD)
Alcantara is considered a potential Cy Young candidate in the early going, and he's likely to have a bit of extra juice Wednesday against his original team, the Cardinals. The ascending right-hander has drawn a pair of particularly tough matchups to open the season, facing the Giants and Phillies in those first two starts. His control issues against San Francisco still didn't lead to disaster, as he allowed a respectable pair of earned runs in five innings. Then, Alcantara was very sharp against Philadelphia, issuing just one free pass while surrendering just another two runs over 6.1 frames. St. Louis has struck out at a modest 15.8 percent clip against righties thus far, but Alcantara has neutralized the dangerous quartet of Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tyler O'Neill, and Paul DeJong to the tune of a 4-for-31 tally with 11 strikeouts in his career. Alcantara is also pitching in his pitcher-friendly home park, where he boasts a 2.71 ERA and 0.7 HR/9 across 133 innings he's logged there since 2020.
Other options: Logan Gilbert, SEA vs. TEX ($9,800 DK, $9,500 FD)
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Freddie Freeman - 1B, LAD vs. Charlie Morton ($5,200 DK, $3,700 FD)
Freeman has four multi-hit efforts in his last nine games and is off to a strong start in Los Angeles, and he gets another crack at his old teammates Wednesday as the Braves and Dodgers wrap up a three-game set. Freeman has already homered against his old squad once, and he'll be facing a pitcher he knows very well in Charlie Morton, who he'd faced on 12 occasions before they became teammates in Atlanta. The veteran right-hander has gotten his season off to an uneven start, having allowed five earned runs on nine hits over five innings to the Padres last time out after surrendering a pair of runs to the Reds in his first outing. The 24 lefty batters he's faced thus far this season have given Morton some trouble -- he's yielded a .278 average and .402 wOBA to them. Freeman has also tagged him for a .500 average with a pair of doubles and a homer in those 12 career encounters while generating a .375 average and .406 wOBA in his first 32 PAs against righty pitchers this season entering Tuesday's action.
Jorge Polanco - 2B, MIN at Daniel Lynch ($4,800 DK, $3,100 FD)
The switch-hitting Polanco makes for good right-handed exposure to the lefty Lynch, who's allowed a .375 average, .516 wOBA, and three home runs to the 25 right-handed hitters he's faced thus far. Polanco comes in with a .284 average and .480 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching since the start of the 2020 season, a split in which he's slugged 11 homers across 287 plate appearances. The veteran also happens to be a very good hitter against Lynch's most often-used pitch, the four-seam fastball, which the southpaw has allowed a .361 average and .412 wOBA on when throwing in his career; Polanco has teed off on that offering for a .282 average and .365 wOBA during his time in the majors.
Bo Bichette, SS, TOR at Nick Pivetta ($5,500 DK, $3,300 FD)
Bichette is too good a hitter to remain mired in his current funk much longer, with last year's breakout star going into Wednesday with a forgettable .204/.204/.306 slash line. The talented shortstop didn't hit below .298 in any of his first three big-league seasons nor .275 in the minors. He could finally be due for his bounce-back game Wednesday, as he hit very well at Fenway Park last season and has also enjoyed plenty of success against Pivetta. Bichette produced a .361 average and 1.029 OPS across 79 plate appearances at the historic park in 2021, and he's pounded Pivetta for a .500 average, with two doubles and two home runs across 15 career encounters. Bichette also owns a career .284 average and 33 of 46 career homers against right-handed pitching, while Pivetta has allowed a 3.5 HR/9 across his first two starts and gave up a .278 average and .371 wOBA to righty bats at Fenway last season.
DJ LeMahieu - 3B, NYY at Eduardo Rodriguez ($4,800 DK, $3,200 FD)
LeMahieu stayed hot Tuesday night in a win over the Tigers, extending his hit streak to six games with an RBI single. The veteran should be in a good spot again Wednesday, as he'll face a southpaw in Rodriguez, who he's posted a .348 average against in 23 career plate appearances. LeMahieu has also hit well against left-handed pitching dating back to his Rockies days, and he posted a .276 average and .327 wOBA versus lefties on the road last season. Meanwhile, Rodriguez has already been tagged by righty bats for a .384 wOBA and four extra-base hits (out of seven hits allowed) thus far in his nascent Tigers career, and he conceded a .282 average and .334 wOBA to right-handed hitters in 2021.
Other options: Adam Frazier, 2B, SEA vs. Dane Dunning ($4,800 DK; $3,000 FD); Jose Ramirez, 3B, CLE vs. Dallas Keuchel ($5,400 DK, $4,400 FD)
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Kris Bryant - OF, COL vs. Zach Eflin ($4,900 DK, $3,900 FD)
Bryant pushed his season line to .359/.386/.462 with a 2-for-4 tally Tuesday, extending what has already been an outstanding start to his Rockies tenure. Bryant is back in Coors Field for an afternoon game Wednesday, further upping his chances of another strong day at the plate. The fact he's facing Eflin doesn't hurt either, as the right-hander has allowed a .424 wOBA to the 18 hitters he's faced on the road thus far and a .286 average, .336 wOBA, and 1.3 HR/9 to righty bats in 2021. Bryant went into Tuesday's action having posted a .364 average and .361 wOBA in his first 26 plate appearances against righty arms this season, and he's also knocked Eflin around for a .615 average across 13 career encounters.
Seth Brown - OF, OAK vs. Jordan Lyles ($3,400 DK, $2,700 FD)
Brown doubled home a couple of runs Tuesday as part of a two-hit night, but he's still slashing just .194/.286/.389 for the season. Nevertheless, Brown brings plenty of pop in his bat, and he's boasts the right type of handedness to target Lyles with. The veteran righty has typically struggled in opposite-handed matchups throughout his career, allowing a .281 average, .357 wOBA, and 1.3 HR/9 to lefty bats. Brown has 21 of his 22 career homers off right-handed pitching, and he's posted a .330 wOBA against righties at the Coliseum over 150 career plate appearances. Brown also happens to be a very good against the four-seam fastball (career .267 average and .366 wOBA), Lyles' most often-thrown pitch and one he's given up a .291 average and .383 wOBA with in his career.
Nick Castellanos - OF, PHI at German Marquez ($5,600 DK, $4,000 FD)
Castellanos owns a .829 OPS thus far in his short Phillies tenure, and he went into Tuesday's action with a .265 average and .361 wOBA in same-handed matchups over 38 plate appearances. Castellanos also crushed right-handed pitching over a much larger sample last season, posting a .310 average, .261 ISO, and .390 wOBA in that split. Marquez has given up a .318 average and .396 wOBA to the first 22 righty bats he's faced this season, and he surrendered an elevated 38.6 percent hard-contact rate to that handedness in 2021. It's also worth noting that while Marquez has given up a .302 average and .374 wOBA on the pitch he's thrown the most in his career by far, the four-seam fastball, Castellanos boasts a .304 average and .398 wOBA against that offering.
Other options: Yordan Alvarez - OF, HOU vs. Shohei Ohtani ($5,700 DK, $3,700 FD)
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
GAME STACK: Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals (Chris Paddack, RHP vs. Daniel Lynch, LHP)
GAME STACK: Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers (Logan Gilbert, RHP vs. Dane Dunning, RHP)
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