DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 4/22/21
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday, 4/22 Yesterday was insane with 15 MLB games and 12 NBA matchups, but this slate is much lighter. We have just eight games for the day, with five games making up the night slate. That's a rather small ledger for MLB, and it leaves us with some lackluster pitching options. With that said, we have one of the best aces in the Majors taking the mound, so let's kick things off with him! Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Walker Buehler FD - P 9800 DK - SP 10000 Opponent - SD (Ryan Weathers) Park - LAD FD - 39.5 DK - 21.83 If you think Clayton Kershaw is still the best pitcher in Los Angeles, you need to examine your thoughts. This kid is a downright ace, pitching to a 2.98 ERA and 1.00 WHIP since 2018. That's an amazing 374-inning sample size, striking out 420 batters in that time. That happens to be one of the best K rates in that span among starters, making him the easiest option on an otherwise weak slate. San Diego has a good offense on paper, but they really haven't gotten it going yet. They currently sit 19th in runs scored, and their two-best hitters happen to hit from the right side, which gives the advantage to Buehler. In six career starts against San Diego, Buehler has a 1.62 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 11.3 K/9 rates if you needed any more incentive. Aaron Sanchez FD - P 7200 DK - SP 7100 Opponent - MIA (Daniel Castano) Park - SF FD - 28.92 DK - 14.35 This is certainly a risky pick, but this is the nature of this slate. We have a solid pitcher facing a bad offense in an extreme pitcher's park. That's good enough for me to use Sanchez, with the talented youngster showing some serious flashes in his first few starts. In fact, the right-hander has a 2.45 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through three starts this year, and it appears this wonderful ballpark is doing him some good. He's shown moments of brilliance in the past, and a change of environment could be just what the doctor ordered. We love this matchup, too, with Miami missing Starling Marte while ranked 24th in hard-hit rate and 26th in exit velocity. All of that looks even better with San Fran being a -140 favorite here with a game total sitting at just eight runs. Catcher/First Base Pete Alonso FD -...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 4/21/21
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 4/21/21 On Wednesday, we get another full day of games with a large variety of slates so I will be trying to cover it all with my top picks at each position. Let's get started. Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Kenta Maeda FD - P 7900 DK - SP 7400 Opponent - OAK (Frankie Montas) Park - OAK FD - 35.07 DK - 18.54 The first thing that stands out today is the low price on Kenta Maeda on the early slate. He enters the day with a 3.07 ERA/3.66 xFIP and while the walks(5) have pushed up the pitch count and limited his overall upside, he is generating a 16.5% swinging-strike rate and the A's are striking out 28% of the time vs. right-handed pitching. The matchup isn't great here but the price is too hard to avoid, especially in Draftkings as an SP2. Tyler Mahle FD - P 8800 DK - SP 9500 Opponent - ARI (Merrill Kelly) Park - CIN FD - 36.08 DK - 19.04 On the main slate, we get even more PTS/$ value(2nd highest on the day) with Tyler Mahle who is off to a great start in 2021. Like Maeda, he has had some issues with control limiting the length of his outings but has given up just seven hits and four earned runs in 14 innings with an insane 39% K rate. He nows gets a plus matchup against a D-backs team that is 24th in wOBA(.291) and 25th in wRC+(80) against right-handed pitching. He is my top pitcher on the main slate in all formats. Catcher/First Base Yuli Gurriel FD - 1B 3600 DK - 1B 4900 Opponent - COL (Austin Gomber) Park - COL FD - 12.38 DK - 9.5 Even a trip to Coors Field is not enough for the sites to boost up Guriel's price making him one of my top plays on the day. Despite back-to-back hitless games, he entered Tuesday with a .358/.477/.491 slash line to open the season and with the team not fully healthy again, he has been hitting in the top four in the lineup. On top of all that, he gets a matchup vs. a lefty and has posted an elite .400 wOBA/163 wRC+ in the split since the start of last season. Fire him up in all formats today. Joey Votto FD - 1B 2800 DK - 1B 4500 Opponent - ARI (Merrill Kelly) Park - CIN...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 4/20/21
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 4/20/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Welcome back baseball fans. Today we a wide range of slates on DraftKings and they have also included games one and two of the Twins/A's double-header so keep in mind those games are only seven innings each. Instead of splitting the slates up in the article, I will try to cover players and teams from the entire day. Let's get started. Pitchers Carlos Rodón FD - P 10000 DK - SP 10100 Opponent - CLE (Zach Plesac) Park - CLE FD - 29.11 DK - 14.56 Kind of hard to follow up a no-hitter(almost perfect game if not for the toe-ball) but the early slate of games is pretty weak for pitching. The good news is that the new and improved Carlos Rodon is an absolute bulldog on the mound and all three pitches(4-seamer, slider, changeup) have been dominant creating an elite 16% swinging-strike rate. While I don't expect the same result, the Indians are a plus matchup sitting outside the Top 20 in almost all stats and have struck out 27.5% of the time over the last seven days. Rodon is in play for me in all formats today. Zack Wheeler FD - P 9400 DK - SP 9800 Opponent - SF (Logan Webb) Park - PHI FD - 33.56 DK - 17.64 The main slate has a much better selection of pitchers but matchups(Burnes, Ryu) and pitch counts(Ohtani) also present some interesting decisions. For cash games, I think the decision is clear with Zack Wheeler who is following up his impressive 2020 season(2.92) with a nice start to 2021 as he has posted a 3.00 ERA/3.31 xFIP while striking out 27% of batters and has given up a low .295 wOBA against. He is now a -155 favorite against the Giants who are 28th in runs scored, 25th in wOBA(.290), and 28th in wRC+(82) overall and strike out 30% of the time against right-handed pitching. At these prices, Wheeler is my favorite PTS/$ pitcher on Tuesday. Catcher/First Base Matt Olson FD - N/A DK - 4500 Opponent - MIN (Matt Shoemaker) Park - OAK FD - 12.6 DK - 9.4 The A's bats have really heated up over the last week(.373 wOBA, 149 wRC+, .245 ISO) and are a core team for me on the early slate today. They face Matt Shoemaker who gives up a lot of flyballs(48%) and has been punished giving up three home runs in...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 4/16/21
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 4/16/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! We have made it through another week and it's time to get ready for a big weekend with a huge 14-game main slate. Let's jump in and have a look at some of my top plays at each position for FanDuel and DraftKings. Pitchers Jacob deGrom FD - P 11000 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - COL (Chi Chi Gonzalez) Park - COL FD - 51.71 DK - 30 The Mets/Phillies game was postponed due to rain on Thursday so we get deGrom headlining this huge 14-game Friday slate. It has been a typical deGrom run here to start the season as he has struck out 43% of batters he has faced, given up just one solo homer, and has yet to get a win in two starts. I don't get it and it will be talked about forever but we can't fade him on this slate against a Rockies team that ranks 2nd to last in team wRC+(64) while striking out 26.5% against right-handed pitching. Fire up deGrom and hope the Mets can put up some runs(seriously give the man a ONE run) in Coors. **Update - The Mets/Rockies game is postponed** Anthony DeSclafani FD - P 8200 DK - SP 8100 Opponent - MIA (Undecided) Park - MIA FD - 34.43 DK - 18.31 I always try to keep my pitcher allotment on DraftKings to $20K or less(40% of cap) so if using deGrom at Sp1 I am headed down to the mid to low range of salary. The one name that stands out is Anthony DeSclafani who is coming off a rough season with the Reds but with a fresh start in San Fran he has looked much better to start the 2021 campaign. Over his first two starts, he has only given up one run on 10 hits while striking out 12 and that K rate could have some room to grow as he has also generated a 14.4% swinging-strike rate. The Marlins are league average overall but looking at the splits, most of their success has come against lefties(134 wRC+) while they have struggled against righties(86 wRC+) and lacked power(.103 ISO). DeSclafani is my favorite SP2 on DraftKings and an excellent salary saver for GPP builds on FanDuel. Catcher/First Base Yuli Gurriel FD - 1B 2900 DK - 1B 3900 Opponent - SEA (Yusei Kikuchi) Park - SEA FD - 9.5 DK - 7.29 The Astros...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 4/13/21
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 4/13/21 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Welcome back baseball fans. I am back for article one of three for me on the week and man did I luck out with pitching after a few of the slates over the weekend. Let's jump in and have a look at a few of my favorite plays at each position for the main slate on Tuesday. Pitchers Trevor Bauer FD - P 11000 DK - SP 10200 Opponent - COL (Antonio Senzatela) Park - LAD FD - 46.53 DK - 25.32 Bauer has been everything the Dodgers hoped for as he has been electric to start the season. He has struck out 10 in both starts and backed it up with a 14% swinging-strike rate and the best part is he hasn't been subject to the "Dodger pitch count" going 96 and 110 pitches and getting into the 7th inning in both starts. Tonight he faces the Rockies for a second time and I love the matchup as the Rockies are 25th overall with a 75 wRC+, a stat I love as it is park-adjusted. With Bieber facing a much more dangerous White Sox offense, Bauer is easily my top pitcher on this slate and a great play in all formats. Stephen Strasburg FD - P 10400 DK - SP 8400 Opponent - STL (Jack Flaherty) Park - STL FD - 36.82 DK - 19.95 This play is more of a price mismatch more than anything as he is the 3rd most expensive option on FanDuel but 6th on DraftKings. While that doesn't seem like much, getting a pitcher of Strasburg's talent in mid $8K range is highway robbery. He looked great in his first start, returning from a 2020 injury, going six innings allowing just one hit while striking out eight and walking just two. While the Nats are slight underdogs here, the Cards offense has actually been slightly below average to start the year with a .219 average, .299 wOBA, and 90 wRC+. Strasburg is my favorite SP2 on DraftKings tonight. Catcher/First Base Max Muncy FD - 1B 3200 DK - 1B 5200 Opponent - COL (Antonio Senzatela) Park - LAD FD - 13.6 DK - 10.02 The Dodgers are in a great spot tonight and sit atop the implied run rankings in our system. It is very tough to play more than one of them on DraftKings at their prices but on FanDuel there are a couple...