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Happy Friday, Rotoballers! After two weeks of day games and odd off days, we finally get a 14-game slate. There's plenty of pitchers, discount hitters, and great matchups to pick. However, one situation to watch is the Houston Astros. Several players (Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve) were placed on the COVID-19 Injury List. The team hasn't released any further information as of this writing, but if they sit again, Yusei Kikuchi will become a must-play in my eyes.
We have passed the initial Christmas-Day feeling from baseball finally coming back, and it is time to start digging into some tangible evidence of what has happened so far in 2021. For me, I am always looking at our pitching primer. The people who push that out every day make my life a ton easier to write this article three times a week. So if you want to bring your DFS game to the next level, I highly suggest you check that out before that games begin each day.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/16/2021. 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.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Some games today have been postponed due to weather: Mets-Rockies, Blue Jays-Royals, White Sox-Red Sox
Anthony DeSclafani - P, SF at MIA ($8,100)
DeSclafani wasn't spectacular in his first start of the season and was lucky to escape with just one earned run against the Padres. However, in his next start against the Rockies, he came through as a streamer in season-long leagues and addition to DFS rosters everywhere with 29.3 DraftKings fantasy points. Those points came as a result of six innings of shutout baseball with eight strikeouts. Today, the right-handed hurler sees a Marlins team that has already scored less than two runs in five of their 11 games this season. DeSclafani has seen great results with his curveball so far this season (47.1 percent whiff rate), and if he is feeling that pitch tonight against the Marlins and their 26.5 percent strikeout rate versus right-handed pitching.
Yusei Kikuchi - P, SEA vs. HOU ($7,200)
If the Houston Astros are still without a bunch of their regular starters tonight, I am a big fan of Kikuchi. He made notable gains in 2020, but the results never came to fruition. Now, the results are coming, and he is experiencing his best start in three seasons. The Japanese pitcher is posting a 3.75 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP with a 32.7 percent strikeout rate through two games. Those are all career-bests as of right now, and it looks like he is taking some positive strides at the major league level.
Note: If the Astros do have their regular starters for the game, I will pair DeSclafani with one of the aces mentioned below.
Other Options: Jacob deGrom at COL ($11,000), Max Scherzer vs. ARI ($10,400)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Omar Narvaez - C, MIL vs. PIT ($3,800)
Narvaez has hit safely in eight of 10 games this year and finds ways to produce fantasy points nightly. The backstop has provided at least five fantasy points in four of his last five games and has two games this season with 19 or more points. On the young season, the 29-year old is 12-for-29 (.414 batting average), with four runs, two home runs, six RBI, and a 1.091 OPS. He will have the lefty-righty advantage on Pirates starter JT Brubaker, and it should give him a leg up in avoiding the dreaded goose egg next to his name in tonight's contests.
Josh Bell - 1B, WAS vs. ARI ($3,600)
I am viewing Taylor Widener as a pitcher to go after on tonight's slate. However, I can't just talk about the Nats for the entire article, so I'll highlight one of my favorite plays in Josh Bell. He had a delayed start to the season because of the COVID-19 protocols but showed some signs of life in his last game. The first basemen went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI while batting third behind Trea Turner and Juan Soto. If Bell maintains that spot in the lineup, he will have plenty of chances to rack up the RBI and become a perennial threat to knock if some runs every game day.
Jorge Polanco - 2B, MIN at LAA ($3,400)
While I think the Angels will be able to score some runs tonight (see Mike Trout below), the Twins aren't exactly a weak lineup. They are inside the top-five in the American League in runs, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Polanco is anchored in the top half of this lineup. The infielder hasn't batted lower than fifth in the order all year and has occupied the two-hole in seven of 13 contests. With the Twins lineup behind him, Polanco has a chance to score runs any time he reaches first base.
Justin Turner - 3B, LAD at SD ($5,200)
Turner has been swinging a scorching bat this week, and it's time to buy in versus Padres pitcher Ryan Weathers. In 11 games this year, Turner is hitting .432 with a 1.321 OPS and has 10 runs, six doubles, four home runs, and 14 RBI. The 2020 NLCS MVP has been terrific in the heart of that Dodgers lineup, and he is taking full advantage of playing in such a talented offense. Tonight, Turner will see southpaw Ryan Weathers on the mound. Weathers isn't likely to go more than four or five innings, if that, so expect to see a lot of the San Diego bullpen in the first game of this weekend series.
Didi Gregorius - SS, PHI vs. STL ($4,400)
Carlos Martinez is just a name at this point, and I don't think he's a pitcher any DFS player should be scared of in 2021. So that means I will have at least one lineup with a Phillies stack. I've had a love-hate relationship in the past with Didi for season-long formats, but I like the spot he is in for DFS tonight. The shortstop is mostly batting sixth for the Phillies, but that puts him behind Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Alec Bohm. That's definitely a nice spot to slot into on any given evening. I would love to see Gregorius get on base a little more, but he is doing his job from the six spot so far. He has 9 RBI in 12 games this season, and he has a great chance to add a couple of more to his total tonight.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Mike Trout - OF, LAA vs. MIN ($5,900)
There are a few more contenders in 2021 than there have been over the last five seasons, but, for me, Mike Trout is still the best hitter in baseball. Ronald Acuna Jr. has been lighting the world on fire this week, but I'm going with good "old" reliable Trout. Over his last 10 games, the three-time MVP owns a .351/.455/.757 slash line, and those numbers are below his season average. The man is simply ridiculous, and it seems like the Angels finally have a lineup around him to win some ball games. He already has four home runs, four doubles, and eight RBI on the year and will have a solid chance to add to those numbers against left-handed Lewis Thorpe to kick off the weekend.
Alex Verdugo - OF, BOS vs. CWS ($4,000)
(UPDATE @ 4:00 PM ET: White Sox-Red Sox has been postponed)
Verdugo kicked off his 2021 campaign with a remarkable string of performances. Through 12 games, the outfielder is slashing .271/.333/.500 and has multi-hit efforts in five contests. In total, the left-handed hitter is 13-for-48 with 11 runs, five doubles, two home runs, and 11 RBI. Verdugo's fast start can be attributed to his average exit velocity. It was 87 mph in the shortened 2020 season, but that metric has shot up to 92.5 mph on 39 batted balls this year. It's produced highly positive results, and it should continue in a battle of the Sox tonight.
Akil Baddoo - OF, DET at OAK ($3,700)
Akil is a baddoo man. The Tigers outfielder was a nice story during the first week of the year, but he's continuing to rake, and it's time to take him seriously. A Rule 5 pick in the offseason, Baddoo is going to get playing time against righties. Tonight, Detroit travels to Oakland to face righty Frankie Montas on the mound. Baddoo has a 1.447 OPS versus right-handed hurlers through 25 at-bats this year and should continue smashing from that side of the plate. He ranks inside the top 10 percent of the league in expected batting average, expected slugging, expected wOBA, Barrel rate, and sprint speed. Continue to slot him in your lineups regularly versus righties, especially when he's priced at $3,700.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Carlos Martinez, RHP)
- Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Taylor Widener, RHP)
- Sneaky Stack: Los Angeles Angels vs. Minnesota Twins (Lewis Thorpe, LHP)
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