DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 4/18/22

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Pitchers

Sean Manaea FD - P 9700 DK - SP 9100
Opponent - CIN (Nick Lodolo) Park - SD
FD - 37.82 DK - 20.52

Manaea is one of many Athletics players shipped out before the 2022 season and the Padres couldn't be happier to have him aboard. He tossed seven innings of no-hit ball in his first start and while he picked up the loss in his second start, he struck out six and allowed just two earned runs on four hits. He now faces a Reds team that has lost six straight and eight of their last nine and ranks dead last in wOBA(.251) and wRC+(53) while striking out just over 26% of the time. With all the top pitchers in much tougher matchups, it is Manaea sitting at the top of my rankings in all formats tonight.

Shane McClanahan FD 9200 DK 8100
Opponent - CHC (Kyle Hendricks) Park - CHC
FD - 36.44 DK - 19.7

While he has yet to make it through five innings in his first two starts, there are a lot of positives for McClanahan starting with a 3.00 ERA and even better 2.52 xFIP. Better yet are the elite K stuff he is showing us as he has already racked up 15 strikeouts( 39.5%) and backed it up with an insane 18% swinging-strike rate. The Cubs' offense has been no pushover but to say they are overperforming is probably not too much of a stretch. The other plus of a shaky(ish) start is that the price has stayed in check making him one of our top PTS/$ plays on the mound tonight.

Catcher/First Base

Sean Murphy FD - C 2600 DK - C 4800
Opponent - BAL (Spenser Watkins) Park - OAK
FD - 11.37 DK - 8.56

We almost never mention catchers in our articles but it has been impossible to ignore what Murphy is doing for the A's right now. He comes into tonight with hits in five straight including three multi-hit efforts, two home runs, and seven RBI. I have no issue paying the premium catcher price on DraftKings for multiple reasons starting with the balanced attack I am taking at pitcher, the value throughout the A's lineup, and the fact the A's get one of the best matchups on the board against Spenser Watkins. Murphy is my top catcher on DraftKings tonight and a nice lower-owned target for GPP's on FanDuel.

Ji-Man Choi FD - 1B 3500 DK - 1B 3800
Opponent - CHC (Kyle Hendricks) Park - CHC
FD - 10.31 DK - 7.69

At first base, at least in cash games, I am going to stick with Ji-Man Choi who just seems to find a way to get on base multiple times every game. He comes in with hits in six of seven starts, all of which have come in the three or four-hole in the lineup. Other than stolen bases, he provides excellent value in almost every way as a patient hitter who can hit gap to gap and has power in his back pocket, as well. He faces a pitcher in Kyle Hendricks who has K stuff but has also gotten himself into trouble with walks. Choi is in play on both sits tonight but his best value comes on DraftKings where he is one of my top overall PTS/$ plays on this slate.

Also Consider: Josh Bell(WAS) who has been very consistent to start the year with hits in 10 of 11 games

Second Base

Tony Kemp FD - 2B 2700 DK - 2B/OF 3600
Opponent - BAL (Spenser Watkins) Park - OAK
FD - 9.62 DK - 7.41
Jed Lowrie FD - 1B 2700 DK - 2B 3700
Opponent - BAL (Spenser Watkins) Park - OAK
FD - 9.33 DK - 7.09

Despite losing their two best bats in the offseason, the Athletics have not only kept their head above water offensively they come into tonight leading the league with 53 runs scored over their first 10 games. It's yet another "Moneyball" type team and for fantasy, we love that as it provides us a ton of value to help us pay up at other positions. Both these players have multi-position eligibility but I list them here as it's one position they share on both sites. Kemp hits leadoff and comes in with hits in six of eight starts while Lowrie has hits in four of the five games he has started this season. Like I mentioned above, the A's are in a great spot, and the value with these two really helps in rostering their power-hitting catcher, Sean Murphy. I will have exposure to both in all formats.

Also Consider: Cesar Hernandez(WAS) as another value play who is hitting leadoff for the Nationals and comes in with hits in nine of 11 games on the season

Shortstop

Wander Franco FD - SS 3600 DK - SS 5200
Opponent - CHC (Kyle Hendricks) Park - CHC
FD - 11 DK - 8.5

The shortstop position is tough on the main slate as the top two options in Lindor and Turner are both in below-average matchups and approaching ceiling prices. This brings me to Franco who is still looking for his first long ball of 2022 but has been scorching hot with six multi-hit games and a .381/.388/.545 slash line through the Rays' first 10 games. He looks every part of an up and coming superstar and is currently the 5th most expensive option on both sites. Lock and load in all formats.

Jeremy Pena FD - SS 2600 DK - SS 3200
Opponent - LAA (Michael Lorenzen) Park - HOU
FD - 9.21 DK - 7.09

The rookie is projected to eventually be a top-of-the-order bat and his time may come sooner than later if he keeps up the hot start. Through eight games, Pena has collected 10 hits including three doubles, a triple, a home run, and a .422 wOBA/187 wRC+. So impressive, I am willing to roster him in all formats tonight even if hitting down in the 7/8 spot as the price is hard to pass up if loading up elsewhere.

Third Base

Ke'Bryan Hayes FD 3400 DK 4900
Opponent - MIL (Eric Lauer) Park - MIL
FD - 9.34 DK - 7.21
Michael Chavis FD 2700 DK 3000
Opponent - MIL (Eric Lauer) Park - MIL
FD - 8.71 DK - 6.66

The Pirates are in full rebuild mode but have surprised some with their starts as they enter Monday sitting above .500 coming off back-to-back wins on the weekend. One of the reasons for the early success has been the full healthy return of Ke'Bryan Hayes who was on a fast track to stardom in 2020 before an injury derailed him for the season. He never really found it after a June start last year but looks good thus far with four mutli-hit efforts in eight games. He also crushes left-handed pitching, albeit a very small sample size.

If you are looking for even more value tonight, Michael Chavis should be back in the starting lineup against a lefty. He comes in with multiple hits in three of his last four games and has tallied a .355 wOBA, 121 wRC+, and .258 ISO against lefties going back to the start of last season. Both players will be in my player pool for all formats tonight.

Also Consider: Manny Machado(SDP) who is still under $5K on DraftKings and is having a very solid start to the season with hits in seven of 11 games with a .318/.375/.477 slash line

Outfield

Bryce Harper FD 4200 DK 6200
Opponent - COL (Chad Kuhl) Park - COL
FD - 16.64 DK - 12.37
Kyle Schwarber FD 3500 DK 5400
Opponent - COL (Chad Kuhl) Park - COL
FD - 15.58 DK - 11.54

You would never have thought it was a Coors slate by reading the article thus far but despite first mention of the game here, the system has made it clear that we should be paying up for Phillies tonight. Harper leads all bats in projection and it makes sense as he is heating up with hits in five of his last six games with two home runs and now gets to take hacks in the best hitters' park in the league. For Schwarber, it has been an up and down start but he is coming off his second multi-hit effort and a second home run of the season at just the right time and is the much more affordable option of the two if you can only afford one slugger.

Connor Joe FD 3700 DK 4000
Opponent - PHI (Aaron Nola) Park - PHI
FD - 11.69 DK - 8.84

Let's stay in that game at Coors and turn our attention to the home squad who may come in low-owned tonight in a tougher matchup against Aaron Nola. I am not worried for a couple of reasons starting with the fact Nola is not off to a hot start giving up three and four earned runs in his first two starts including three home runs and now gets to pitch in Coors. The second reason I am not worried is Joe himself who is off to a great start as the Rockies' leadoff hitter coming into tonight with hits in eight of nine games with four extra-base hits, eight runs, and a sky-high .489 wOBA and 200 wRC+. FanDuel has the home team priced right in this game but on DraftKings, Joe is a near must-play at $4K tonight.

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