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Free daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings, FanDuel. Use Kevin's MLB DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on April 22, 2024.
Happy Monday! With four games in the earlier window, there are only seven games on the main slate, making for a lighter-than-usual Monday evening. It’s also a Coors slate, which means we have to decide if we want to go all in or if we want to fade it and try to catch lighting in a bottle. With Dylan Cease on the bump for the Padres, only one set of bats in this matchup is likely going to be intriguing.
If you’re looking to fade, there are a handful of teams that look intriguing such as the Orioles, Braves, and Diamondbacks. Value is going to open up as lineups are announced, so please make sure to check out our premium Discord to get updates on how to further navigate this slate.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/22/2024 and the slate locking at 7:20 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks 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 here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Yusei Kikuchi at Kansas City Royals ($8.2K DK, $9.3K FD)
Yusei Kikuchi had a rough first start of the season, but he’s been incredible since that disappointing outing. Over his last three starts, he’s got a 12.9 K/9, 1.04 ERA, and is averaging 26.5 DraftKings points per game. Since the middle of last season, Kikuchi has had a 28% strikeout rate, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is over 4.0; both of those are elite rates. He’s been strong against both lefty and right bats, and the Royals have only hit three home runs against lefties this year so he shouldn’t see too much of a struggle. The Royals are an ideal team to roster left-handed pitchers against, with a wOBA, slugging percentage, and strikeout rate that rank as plus matchups for southpaws in 2024.
Yusei Kikuchi’s curveball might be one of the most LETHAL pitches in the MLB this year 🔥
He’s thrown it 67 times so far and no one has been able to get a single hit off it it yet
Batters are also whiffing on his curveball 32.1% of the time pic.twitter.com/VyBQDNpRPo
— Blue Jays Today (@TodayJays) April 16, 2024
Albert Suarez at Los Angeles Angels ($4K DK, $5.5K FD)
Albert Suarez has only had one start this year, but he looked strong in that outing. He was incredibly efficient, throwing 5 2/3 innings on only 75 pitches. He walked no batters, allowed no runs, and struck out four Twins batters. He’d be a suspect recommendation if he was priced like a mid-range starter, but he’s the stone minimum price at just $4,000.
He would be a value with only about 10 DraftKings points scored, so he can be half as good as he was in his last start and still be a worthwhile play. Eight batters on the Angels have a strikeout rate of 22% or higher against righties, and only two have an ISO of greater than .200. This makes them an elite matchup for right-handed pitchers for power, on-base, and strikeouts. Suarez is a viable pitcher in both cash and tournament lineups because of his strong matchup and rock-bottom price point.
There are conflicting reports on whether it's Suarez or Grayson Rodriguez who will get the start tonight; if it's Gray Rod, he's a great high-end play but clearly, your lineup building would have to be altered given the price difference between him and Suarez.
Also Consider: Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Cease, Jonathan Cannon
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Ha-Seong Kim - SS, SD at Austin Gomber ($4.5K DK, $3.5K FD)
This is a Coors game, so just about any right-handed bat could be considered a core play, but Ha-Seong Kim comes into this game having gotten a hit in eight of his last nine games. Kim also gets the nod because of his career success against Austin Gomber; a .429 batting average and .786 slugging percentage in 14 at-bats. For the season, Kim has a .231 ISO and twice as many walks as he does strikeouts against left-handed pitchers. Meanwhile, Austin Gomber struggles against right-handed bats, allowing a .484 slugging percentage since the start of last year. Add in the Coors factor and you’ve got yourself a recipe for success with Kim in this matchup.
Ketel Marte - 2B, ARI at Lance Lynn ($5.5K DK, $3.8K FD)
Ketel Marte is on fire right now. Coming into Sunday’s games, he had compiled a .565 batting average with four extra-base hits, four runs scored, and three games of more than 18 DraftKings points over his last five games. He may be the highest-priced second baseman on the slate, but he’s averaging nearly 30% more fantasy points per game than the next best player so he’s been worth the investment so far this year. He’s also had a lot of success against Lance Lynn, posting a .333 batting average and three extra-base hits in 15 career at-bats.
Lynn has allowed a .529 slugging percentage of left-handed bats since the start of last season, and Marte has a .489 slugging percentage and 134 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. The only drawback to this matchup is that St. Louis isn’t a great hitting ballpark, but the matchup is outstanding outside of that.
Ketel Marte is the hottest hitter in the game rn, single to start the game, RBI single to take the lead in his 2nd AB pic.twitter.com/H0T1NZcmGd
— Goldschmidt Happened (@GoldyHappens) April 20, 2024
Willson Contreras - C, STL vs Brandon Pfaadt ($4.4K DK, $3.1K FD)
Heading into Sunday, Contreras was riding a 14-game hitting streak. He’s only had two games this season where he hasn’t had a hit, making him one of the most productive catchers in the league thus far in 2024. He has scored 11 or more DraftKings points in four of his last six games, giving him one of the higher floors you can lock in at the position.
Brandon Pfaadt has allowed a .510 slugging percentage against right-handed bats, and when these two teams faced off earlier this season Pfaadt allowed six earned runs in six innings. Most concerning for Pfaadt is that he’s allowed nearly twice as many fly balls as ground balls over his last two starts; if the ball is in the air it’s a lot easier to leave the ballpark as evidenced by his 1.9 home runs per nine innings rate over his last three starts.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Gavin Sheets - OF/1B, CWS at Chris Paddack ($3.2K DK, $2.6K FD)
It’s never fun rostering White Sox bats, but this might be the day to do that. Coming into Sunday Sheets had a hit in four straight games, making him one of the more effective bats on the team. He’s one of only two Chicago batters to have both a .200 or better ISO and 100 or better wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Chris Paddack has allowed a .600 slugging percentage and .441 wOBA with only an 11% strikeout rate against left-handed bats since last year. I’m not building a White Sox stack, but Sheets makes a useful one-off if you’re looking to spend up at other positions.
Marcell Ozuna, OF - ATL vs Ryan Weathers ($5.4K DK, $4.2K FD)
Marcell Ozuna sure loves playing the Miami Marlins. In three games this year he has averaged over 20 DraftKings points per game when facing them. Those three games took place in Miami, a notorious pitcher’s park; this current series takes place in the much more hitter-friendly Atlanta home park.
Ryan Weathers has been awful against righties over the last two years, allowing a .527 slugging percentage and nearly a .400 wOBA; you want to play right-handed bats against Weathers. Ozuna is pounding lefties this year, with a .370 batting average, a .630 slugging percentage, and 199 wRC+. You will have to find some value to fit Ozuna into your lineup, or to make a Braves stack, but tonight there happens to be a ton of value so it should be manageable.
DJ Stewart, OF - NYM at Keaton Winn ($2.9K DK, $2.9K FD)
“DJ Stewart against righties.” That’s the Tweet. Seriously though, Stewart has looked great against right-handed pitching so far in 2024. He’s got a .393 ISO and .643 slugging percentage in 39 at-bats. All three of his home runs and all ten of his RBI have come against righties. In the last nine games where Stewart has seen at least one at-bat, he’s scored double-digit fantasy points four times and has a hit in seven of those games. For only $2,900 that’s a very nice return as a one-off value play. Keaton Winn walks over three batters per nine innings, and putting those runners on base can set up a guy like Stewart for a multi-RBI kind of game.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
1. Atlanta Braves vs Ryan Weathers
Favorite Plays: Marcell Ozuna, Adam Duvall, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley
2. San Diego Padres at Austin Gomber
Favorite Plays: Manny Machado, Ha-Seong Kim, Fernando Tatis, Xander Bogaerts
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