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We have a weird slate of games today, a 6-game early slate and a 5-game main slate. This article will focus on DraftKings plays for the 5-game main slate, but listen to MLB DFS Quick Hits to get breakdowns of both slates. The main slate is full of interesting bats to target, but pitching is less than ideal, so tread lightly.
When looking at the slate, the pitching should be quite chalky unless you want to be contrarian with Gomber or Junis. The bats will be fun as there is a decent amount of value, and the combo of studs with some of the value plays can form some pretty solid lineups. The outfield has most of the value once again, but I will look for some other value to have the chance of paying for Juan Soto or White Merrifield. The Dodgers should be quite popular tonight, that's why Gomber is in play and some other stacks to stay a bit unique.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/15/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Julio Urias - P, LAD vs COL ($10,100)
Tonight's slate lacks a lot of ace upside, making Urias the top option and likely a very chalky option tonight. He has thrown at least 5.2 innings in each start this season, including seven innings, allowing one run and striking out six in Coors. He'll be facing a Rockies' offense that has struggled tremendously to start the season, and outside of Coors is not different. In a small sample, the Rockies are hitting only .160 while striking out 28.6% of the time versus LHP on the road this season. This season, Urias limits the hard-hit damage to 25%, which is similar to the previous two seasons. Through two starts, his strikeout rate is down from previous seasons, but so is his walk rate at only 2%, combine that with a ground ball rate that has risen to 40%, and Urias is the man to target tonight.
Rich Hill - P, TB vs TEX ($9,000)
Yeah, Hill is not a guy I planned on writing about this season, let alone this early in the season, but here we are. Hill has showcased some good and bad this season. The bad, he has allowed four runs in each start this season, on at least four hits and a home run in each start. The good is the fact he went six innings in his last start, upped his pitch count to 83 in his last start, and struck out seven Yankees. I always emphasize strikeouts on QH to offset runs allowed, and Hill was a great example as he still scored 21 points by allowing four runs over six innings and striking out seven. Tonight Hill will face a bad Rangers offense. A Rangers offense hitting .217 vs. LHP this season with a .121 ISO and a healthy 27.2% strikeout rate. Hill likely won't make it look easy, and we pray he makes it five+ innings. If he does make it 5+, the strikeouts will be there, and the overall fantasy production should be well worth it tonight. He makes a great pivot off the chalky Urias or even as an SP2 if you can find enough value bats.
Other Options: Austin Gomber (COL at LAD) $6,900, Jakob Junis (KC vs TOR) $6,400
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Wilson Ramos - C, DET at Sean Manaea ($4,100)
The year is 2021, and Ramos is making a career resurgence. I remember tweeting the day Ramos signed with the Tigers that the team got a steal in the deal. So far, so good with that comment. Ramos is coming off a bad season, but the talent is still good. This good? Maybe not, but let's ride the hot streak while we can for DFS. Tonight he gets a matchup I love to attack in Manaea. In his last four full seasons (2016-19), Ramos has hit over .310 vs. LHP, with an ISO of .155 or better and a wRC+ of 112 or better. Even in a down 2020, Ramos hit .275 with a .125 ISO and 118 wRC+. Ramos has loved facing LHP and combined that with the fact he's on fire; carrying a six-game hitting streak into tonight's game makes him a great catching target.
Josh Bell - 1B, WAS vs. Merrill Kelly ($3,600)
The Nats are one of my top stacking priorities tonight, and Bell should be a strong part of the stack. He has scored four and 11 points in his first two games since returning from the COVID-IL, reaching base four times in those two games. He should be batting clean-up in the Nats lineup, sandwiched between Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber, making Bell a cheap piece of Nats' stack. He will face Kelly tonight, who was hit hard by LHH in 2019, allowing a .274 average and .431 SLG. Kelly has also averaged over one HR/9 and a hard-hit rate over 40% to LHH in each of his first three seasons in the bigs. Bell is cash viable and a nice piece of your Nats stacks tonight.
Other Options: Renato Nunez (DET at OAK) $3,800, Rowdy Tellez (TOR at KC) $2,900
Jed Lowrie - 2B, OAK vs. Tarik Skubal ($3,600)
First Hill and now Lowrie, what is this 2018? Well, it is hard to ignore what Lowrie is doing at the plate right now. He has hit safely in five straight games and six of his last seven, collecting multi-hit games in five of those six games. Lowrie has even scored five or more DK points in six of the last seven games and double-digit production in six of those seven games. In 2017-18 (his last two full seasons), Lowrie hit .254-.258 with an ISO of .132-.144. He'll face the youngster Skubal tonight, who in his short career has allowed RHH to hit .264 with a .616 SLG and a .397 wOBA. Lastly, Lowrie is hitting third for the A's, behind the red hot Mark Canha and Ramon Laureano, making for an affordable stack tonight as well.
Other Options: Chris Taylor (LAD vs COL) $4,200
Josh Harrison - 3B/2B, WAS vs. Merrill Kelly ($3,900)
Harrison is a nice value and likely low rostered play tonight. We love targeting Kelly with LHH, mentioned above regarding Bell, but Harrison should not be ignored as well. Since returning from the COVID-IL, Harrison has hit safely in all three games while also scoring double-digit fantasy points in each of the last two games. On Wednesday, the Nats mixed up their order, sending Victor Robles to the nine-hole while moving Trea Turner and others up the order. In doing so, Harrison moved up to fifth in the lineup, and if that holds again for Thursday, Harrison is a really nice way to differentiate or add on to those Nats stacks.
Other Options: Jeimer Candelario (DET at OAK) $4,000
Charlie Culberson - SS/3B, TEX at Rich Hill ($3,700)
Yep, the slate is this rough. I will likely find a way to pay up at SS, but if looking to save some money, then Culberson is in play. Culberson has started in each of the last two games, going 5-8 over those games, collecting two XBH and a total of 39 DK points. He has hit safely in three of his last four games played, with multi-hit games in both of those games. In 2018-19, Culberson hit .262/.321 and an ISO of .178/.208. He has shown the ability to hit LHP and hit with some nice power in recent years. Culberson is strictly a GPP pivot, but someone to keep in mind on tonight's wacky slate.
Other Options: Trea Turner (WAS vs AZ) $5,800, Bo Bichette (TOR at KC) $4,900
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Ramon Laureano - OF, OAK vs Tarik Skubal ($3,800)
I could not write this article and not discuss Laureano again as DK has not priced him up after a monster fantasy series in Arizona. Over his last three games, Laureano has gone 6-13 with four stolen bases, scoring 10-22-31 DK points in those three games. He faces Skubal tonight, which we have already discussed his struggles versus RHH in his early career. Back in 2019, Laureano hit .296 versus LHP with a strong.216 ISO and .345 wOBA. Laureano remains a cash game play tonight and a solid part of an A's stack.
Andrew Benintendi - OF, KC vs. Tanner Roark ($3,500)
Benintendi is not lighting the world on fire when looking at his overall stat line, but looking at his fantasy points production, he is doing what we need, especially at his price point. Benintendi has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and eight of his last ten. More importantly, he has been running over the last few games, collecting steals in three of his last four, and shocker has scored double-digit points in those three games. He will continue to hit second for the Royals and will face Roark tonight. Roark has allowed LHH to hit at least .265-.289 with an SLG of .434-.502 in his last three full seasons (2017-19). Benintendi is not an easy play to lock in most nights, but he is bringing a decent floor with upside, and if you stack the Royals tonight, he is usually the forgotten bat.
Adolis Garcia - OF, TEX at Rich Hill ($2,000)
Alright, alright, alright, a nice cheap option that is worth locking in your lineups. Garcia has called up a couple of days again and has hit 4th and 6th in the Rangers lineup, not too shabby for the price point. He has also collected a hit in each game, including a near home run, reviewed, and made a triple, yesterday. Garcia had a nice spring, hitting three home runs and driving in 13, so he was on the Rangers' radar the second they needed help. The pedigree is also there with Garcia, who hit 32 home runs and stole 14 bases in 2019, showcasing power and speed throughout his time in the minors. I will be locking Garcia into cash lineups and many tournament lineups for the salary relief alone tonight.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Washington Nationals (Merrill Kelly, RHP)
- Detroit Tigers (Sean Manaea, LHP)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (Austin Gomber, LHP)
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