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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on April 25th, 2022. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Monday, RotoBballers! We've got a bit of a mixed bag on our hands tonight. DraftKings has their main slate sitting at seven games, with the featured contest starting at 6:10 pm Eastern, with San Francisco continuing their road trip to meet Milwaukee. Meanwhile, FanDuel has several options on the board, but their main contest only has five games on the schedule starting at 7:07 pm Eastern as Boston visits Toronto.
Monday's weather watch isn't too scary. Some reports of 10-plus mile per hour winds in Philadelphia and St. Louis could help some balls leave the yard, but it's nothing that powerful. Meanwhile, with only 14 pitchers on DraftKings and 10 on FanDuel, finding the right combination will be more critical than ever. Corbin Burnes, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, and Walker Buehler deserve a look, but getting two of them on DraftKings is tricky.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on the 4/25/2022 Main Slate. 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 @EuanOrYouOut and send a tweet my way!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Corbin Burnes - P, MIL vs. SF ($10,200) - DraftKings only
Because FanDuel only has a five-game slate for their featured contest, we can only play Corbin Burnes on DraftKings. After a rocky start on Opening Day, the reigning NL Cy Young winner has bounced back with two electric outings against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Across 14 innings, Burnes collected 18 strikeouts and gave up two runs while producing an elite 16.7 percent swinging-strike rate and averaging 31.1 DK PPG. While the Giants will pose a much tougher test, their 24 percent strikeout rate to righties keeps Burnes in the discussion as a must-have pitching option on the seven-game schedule.
Walker Buehler - P, LAD at ARI ($8,800 DK; $9,400 FD)
Every time a stock crashes, it feels like someone is yelling, "Buy the dip!" Well, that's exactly what we're doing with Walker Buehler and his matchup with Arizona. Unfortunately, the young righty isn't firing on all cylinders to kick off 2022 as he's rocking a 4.02 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and not-s0-good-looking 16.2 percent strikeout rate. However, diving deeper into his profile shows he may just be suffering from a bit of bad luck.
The .306 BABIP he's currently saddled with would be a career-high for an entire season, and his called-strike percentage (14.5%) would be a career-low by more than three percent. Buehler will be fine when those numbers begin to regress to his career average, and fantasy managers, DFS and season-long, will calm down about the 2022 Cy Young finalist. A date with the free-swinging Diamondbacks (27.7 percent strikeout rate) offers a fantastic antidote to the right-handed hurler's early-season pains.
Others to consider (DraftKings): Max Scherzer at STL ($9,300), Framber Valdez at TEX ($8,400), Kyle Gibson vs. COL ($6,800), Jose Berrios vs. BOS ($5,500)
Others to consider (FanDuel): Michael Lorenzen vs. CLE ($7,400), Dane Dunning vs. HOU ($7,000)
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Rhys Hoskins - 1B, PHI vs. Kyle Freeland ($5,100) - DraftKings only
It's a shame this game isn't on DK, but I'll stack against Freeland where I can. Hoskin's on-base skills give him a concrete floor to build upon, which we can work with on a seven-game schedule. Another thing giving me confidence is Phillies manager Joe Girardi continuing to pencil Hoskins in as the second man in his batting lineup this season despite only one home run on the year and two hits in the last five games.
Jeff McNeil - 2B/OF, NYM vs. Miles Mikolas ($3,700 DK; $3,200 FD)
I'm not sure what Jeff McNeil did to deserve being moved down the Mets order, but he's still producing as the eighth hitter, and it keeps him in my DFS thoughts. This year, the utility bat is seen as an auto sit versus lefties, but that won't matter with Miles Mikolas on the mound for St. Louis. Over his previous three games, McNeil is 4-for-12 with four runs, two extra-base hits, and an RBI. If you're struggling for salary relief in your lineups, he's a great floor play.
Rafael Devers - 3B, BOS at Jose Berrios ($4,500 DK; $4,000 FD)
I posed the question in the RotoBaller DFS chat about why Jose Berrios was only $5,500 on DraftKings, and Mark Kieffer (our Sunday DFS picks writer) responded with:
So shoutout to Mark for pointing this out. If Berrios is extremely chalky, a Boston stack is a perfect pivot. Devers' price tag seems to be unfairly discounted due to a .614 OPS over his last 10 games. However, for the season, the 2021 All-Star is still performing in the advanced stats:
| Rafael Devers: 2021 Statcast | ||
| Category | Number | Percentile |
| xBA | 0.304 | 84% |
| xSLG | 0.558 | 85% |
| xwOBA | 0.366 | 70% |
| Barrel % | 11.1 | 72% |
The numbers aren't what we usually expect from Devers, but they are still serviceable in DFS. I'm not worried about Raffy Devers, and neither should you be. Take this discount and run for the hills as you build a contrarian Red Sox stack.
Jeremy Pena - SS, HOU at Dane Dunning ($4,800 DK; $2,900 FD) - Better on FanDuel
Pena did not take kindly to being moved down the order by Dusty Baker on Sunday. The shortstop launched a two-run walk-off homer to dead center to help the Astros avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of Toronto.
His time is now. pic.twitter.com/ihxUUHlSnr
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 24, 2022
The rookie has shown flashes in his first major league season, with four extra-base hits in his last seven games. After a moment like that, it'll be interesting to see his lineup position tonight. Baker can get stuck in his way at times, but Pena has a chance to be special in Houston, and getting him more ABs in important situations is crucial for his development. Dane Dunning's 11.8 percent walk rate this year should give Houston, one of the game's most patient teams, plenty of baserunners in the first game of the 2022 Lone Star Series.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Nick Castellanos - OF, PHI vs. Kyle Freeland ($5,300) - DraftKings only
The other game only on DraftKings this evening is the Phillies-Rockies contest. It's a shame for FD players as they miss out on the chance to stack against Kyle Freeland. However, for DK managers, it's time to reap the rewards. Castellanos has reached base in four straight games and seems to be enjoying life in a Philadelphia jersey. In these last four games, the 2021 Silver Slugger is 7-for-15 with three runs, a double, a home run, and three RBI. He's also averaging a huge 11 DK PPG in that stretch. Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland and his 7.71 ERA will be in for a rough day against this explosive Phillies lineup.
Michael Brantley - OF, HOU at Dane Dunning ($3,500 DK; $2,600 FD)
Last year, it seemed Michael Brantley couldn't do anything except collect timely base hits. I remember having him in my DFS lineups for days at a time, and he always produced. It feels like he's entering one of those runs right now, and we can still capitalize on a cheaper-than-it-should-be price point. In the weekend series versus Toronto, the left-handed outfielder went 6-for-12 with three runs, a double, and this home run off a fellow lefty in Yusei Kikuchi.
Uncle Mike brought presents for @OrbitAstros' birthday! pic.twitter.com/1K0UxJmFyr
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 24, 2022
Cody Bellinger - OF, LAD at Merrill Kelly ($3,200 DK; $3,300) - Better on DraftKings
It's not very often you see a hitter cost less on DraftKings than FanDuel. It's even rarer to see a player as "hot" as Cody Bellinger have his salary stay this discounted. While the left-handed slugger became the most polarizing fantasy baseball player of the offseason, it seems like we are getting the "good" version of the 2019 NL MVP right now, and I'm more than okay riding the wave. Over the last 10 games, Belly is slashing .297/.316/.649 with two doubles, a triple, three long balls, and a stolen base.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies (Kyle Freeland, LHP)
I've already mentioned Rhys Hoskins and Nick Castellanos against Freeland today, but I wouldn't rule out Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber just because it's a lefty on the mound. Of course, there's no way to fit Castellanos, Harper, and Schwarbomb in your lineup tonight, but picking one and making a mini-stack with Alec Bohm ($3,600) is an excellent way to attack this Rockies pitcher.
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros (Framber Valdez, LHP) - Sneaky stack
You wouldn't think the Rangers against Framber Valdez would be a place to attack, but Texas is sneaky good against southpaws in 2022. As a squad, they're slashing .282/.345/.494 versus left-handed hurlers, and their 29 RBI and seven home runs put them first and second among the 30 MLB teams. Mitch Garver ($4,300), Marcus Semien ($4,200), and Adolis Garia ($3,400) are cheaper routes to get a couple of Rangers into your lineups.
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