DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday, 4/24/22

It's been a heck of a start to the baseball season. We at DFSR are sports degenerates, and there's no better time to get involved than this month. We're in full swing in the MLB regular season and still have you covered for the NBA Playoffs as well. Most eyes will be fixated on basketball, but we're going to get zoned in on this massive baseball card. We have every team in action and all but one game making up the day slate!

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Pitchers

Robbie Ray FD - P 9800 DK - SP 9000
Opponent - KC (Carlos Hernández) Park - SEA
FD - 43.07 DK - 23.92

I never thought this guy would win an AL Cy Young, but weird things have been going on the past two years. Ray was rewarded with the AL Cy Young in 2021, pitching to a 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. More importantly, he struck out 248 batters across 193.1 innings, despite throwing in the best division in baseball. Moving to the AL West has him facing much easier opposition, and it also has him in one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks around. That makes him a great target for the rest of the season, but we love him against Kansas City. The Royals currently rank 27th in runs scored and 28th in OPS. That has him entering this matchup as a -190 favorite, with KC barely projected for three runs.

Gerrit Cole FD - P 8800 DK - SP 10400
Opponent - CLE (Aaron Civale) Park - NYY
FD - 47.09 DK - 26.75

We all know that Cole has been terrible through the first two weeks, but it's just a matter of time before he gets going. We're talking about a former Cy Young pitcher who's got a 2.85 ERA and 0.99 WHIP between 2018 and 2021. The most ridiculous thing is his league-leading K rate, striking out 939 batters across 667 innings in that span. That means he could be the highest-scoring player on any given slate, and we're willing to gamble on him while his price is at its lowest. Cleveland is not a concerning matchup either, with the Guardians ranked 18th in runs scored and 21st in OPS last season. He actually threw seven one-run innings while striking out 11 batters in this matchup last April.

Clayton Kershaw (FD $10800, DK $10400) has been cruising, and the future Hall-of-Famer should keep that going against a Padres team that he's owned throughout his historic career.

Catcher/First Base

Pete Alonso FD - 1B 4100 DK - 1B 5100
Opponent - ARI (Madison Bumgarner) Park - ARI
FD - 13.23 DK - 9.88

This is such a tasty spot for Alonso. This guy has become one of the best power hitters in baseball, generating a .346 OBP, .539 SLG, and .884 OPS for his career. Those absurd averages are even better against left-handers, with Pete proving a .962 SLG against them last season. What really makes him an attractive option on this slate is the matchup with Mad-Bum. The former All-Star is a far cry from the ace we used to love, with Bumgarner owning a 4.84 ERA and 1.25 WHIP since 2020.

Paul Goldschmidt FD - 1B 3200 DK - 1B 5200
Opponent - CIN (Nick Lodolo) Park - CIN
FD - 12.53 DK - 9.5

Let's keep the veterans rolling with Goldy. The slugging first baseman has gotten off to a slow start this season, but it's just a matter of time before he gets going, too. The former All-Star has one of the most absurd stat lines around, posting a .292 AVG, .389 OBP, .519 SLG, and .908 OPS for his career. That's over a decade of dominance, and it doesn't even include his surprising 142 steals. What makes us think that he could get going here is the matchup, with Lodolo providing an 8.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in his first two starts. That's terrible news because Goldy has a 1.019 OPS career OPS against southpaws.

If you need a catcher on DraftKings, Mitch Garver has been batting third or fourth and gets to face a subpar southpaw.

Second Base

Marcus Semien FD - 2B 3400 DK - 2B 4500
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 11.86 DK - 8.98

Semien hasn't lived up to his monster contract yet, but it's just a matter of time before he flashes the power-speed combo that earned him that big payday. We're talking about a masher who had 45 homers and 15 steals last season, posting a .538 SLG and .872 OPS. He hasn't come close to that yet, but facing a deficient southpaw should spark that bat. Semien gets the platoon advantage from the right side against Cole Irvin, and we don't expect Irvin to slow him down behind his 4.72 career ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

Jorge Polanco FD - 2B 3300 DK - 2B 4100
Opponent - CHW (Lucas Giolito) Park - MIN
FD - 9.94 DK - 7.6

Polanco might be in this article every Sunday until Polanco gets a price bump. The slugging second baseman has been one of the most underrated power hitters in baseball, generating a .470 SLG and .855 OPS since 2019. That's a lengthy stretch of success, and it's hard to understand why he's priced around a bunch of bench warmers. He's been finding it recently, too, accruing a .353 OBP and .419 SLG over his last 12 games played. Facing Giolito is no easy task, but it does put Polanco on the left side, and he has better splits from that side of the plate.

Shortstop

Jeremy Pena FD - SS 2800 DK - SS 4900
Opponent - TOR (Yusei Kikuchi) Park - HOU
FD - 10.49 DK - 8.07

It's hard to believe that Houston let Carlos Correa walk, and they got a replacement who's nearly as good, but here we are! Pena was one of the top prospects in this organization, and he's looking like it in his first two weeks at the majors. The shortstop has a .346 AVG, .511 SLG, and .857 OPS through the first 13 games. More importantly, he's batting atop one of the most dangerous lineups around. We love that since he bats from the right side against Kikuchi, with Pena providing a .944 OPS against southpaws. We're certainly not worried about Yusei and his 1.41 career WHIP, either.

Dansby Swanson FD - SS 2500 DK - SS 2400
Opponent - MIA (Jesús Luzardo) Park - ATL
FD - 10.7 DK - 8.14

This is some of the most bizarre pricing on this slate. Swanson was a $3,500 player on FanDuel and a $4,500 player on DraftKings over the final two months of last season. It's easy to understand why, with Dansby providing a .484 SLG and .812 OPS over his final 112 games of last year. He also had seven steals, and we're encouraged that he had a season-best 28 FanDuel points on Saturday. The best part of this is getting to face a weak lefty, though, with Luzardo tallying a 5.33 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 176 career innings.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado FD - 3B 4300 DK - 3B 5900
Opponent - CIN (Nick Lodolo) Park - CIN
FD - 11.8 DK - 8.94

Goldy and Arenado are the best corner duo in baseball. Unlike Goldschmidt, Arenado has been ripping the cover off the ball this season. In fact, Nolan has a .392 AVG, .456 OBP, .784 SLG, and 1.240 OPS through the first 13 games. That's the stud I remember from Colorado, and he's likely to keep that going against Lodolo's lackluster averages. Since 2020, Arenado has a .288 AVG, .565 SLG, and .893 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor, if you needed any more incentive to use him. Don't forget that Great American Ballpark is one of the most hitter-friendly environments as well!

Alex Bregman FD - 3B 3400 DK - 3B 4900
Opponent - TOR (Yusei Kikuchi) Park - HOU
FD - 12.58 DK - 9.44

Using Bregman against bad lefties is one of the easiest cheat codes in DFS. The little slugger has a .401 OBP, .568 SLG, and .969 OPS against left-handers in nearly 750 career at-bats. That's a ridiculous run of raking, and it makes him about $50o too cheap on both sites. We already mentioned that Kikuchi has a career WHIP north of 1.40, with Bregman in line to get on base multiple times. He's got good career splits against the southpaw, amassing a .476 OBP, .782 SLG, and 1.182 OPS in 17 career at-bats against him.

Outfield

Shohei Ohtani FD - OF 4300 DK - 1B/OF 5800
Opponent - BAL (Chris Ellis) Park - LAA
FD - 14.56 DK - 10.91

I was skeptical that Shohei could come to America and dominate on both ends of the diamond, but he's proven me wrong. This guy is probably the best player in baseball and an absolute masher on the left side of the plate. His success against right-handers is a significant reason why, with Ohtani obtaining a .361 OBP, .554 SLG, and .915 OPS against right-handers since coming over. He's also got 44 of his career 57 steals against righties, and it's easy to understand why since lefties tend to be better at holding runners on base. All of that is rough news for Chris Ellis, with the Orioles righty posting a 5.59 ERA and 1.50 WHIP at Triple-A and joining the rest of this horrific Baltimore pitching staff.

Tyler O'Neill FD - OF 3400 DK - OF 4800
Opponent - CIN (Nick Lodolo) Park - CIN
FD - 12.54 DK - 9.48

O'Neill is one of the most underrated hitters in baseball. This guy has one of the best power-speed combos around, picking up 34 homers and 15 steals across 138 games last season. That's not even a full campaign, and it's scary to think what this muscle hamster could do in a full season. He makes for a beautiful pairing in this Cardinals stack because he's another righty that should slaughter this southpaw. Since his call-up, O'Neill has a .372 OBP, .534 SLG, and .907 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Don't be afraid to stack all three of these Cards and build from there.

Marcell Ozuna FD - OF 3200 DK - OF 3300
Opponent - MIA (Jesús Luzardo) Park - ATL
FD - 11.74 DK - 8.89

Out of all the bizarre pricing out there, this Ozuna price is one of the most egregious. We're talking about a guy who's Top-3 in barrel percentage and hard-hit rate so far this season. It hasn't exactly panned out yet, but an .857 OPS is nothing to scoff at. Since 2017, Marcell has maintained a .280 AVG, .492 SLG, and .840 OPS. That's tough to find from such an affordable player, and we obviously don't mind that he faces a guy with a 1.40 career WHIP. It also gives Ozuna the advantage from the right side, collecting a .579 SLG and .939 OPS against lefties since 2010.