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We have an interesting 10-game slate on tap today. It was supposed to be an 11-game slate, but Monday rainouts caused some doubleheaders, which took out a main slate game between the Mariners and Orioles. SO DON'T PLAY ANY OF THEM IN YOUR LINEUPS!!!! Tonight's slate is going to be a good one as it is a night of ACES. Many of the best on the mound will make rostering the right bats a bit more tricky or, shall I say, finding the not-so-chalky bats a bit more tricky.
When looking at the slate, it comes down to which approach to rostering pitchers you want to take. Do you want to pay up for some of the pricier aces, or do you want to take advantage of some mis-priced aces and get all the pricier bats. I broke down the five pitchers I am targeting tonight and why on MLB DFS Quick Hits, but they are also listed below. When looking at the bats, it is all about the Dodgers and Astros' popular stacks while also building some sneakier plays around them. I am a huge fan of the Rays as I love targeting Gibson and looking at some Tigers to be contrarian. Make sure to listen to Quick Hits for the whole slate run down.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/13/2021. 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
Trevor Bauer - P, LAD vs COL ($10,200)
When it came to paying up for pitching, it was between Bauer and Giolito. Both are definitely in play, but I went Bauer, especially for cash games. Bauer has thrown at least six innings in each start this season and, more importantly, threw well over 100 pitches in his last start. We know the Dodgers will let Bauer go if he is not getting blown up. Bauer has also shown outstanding strike-out stuff early on, striking out 10 in each game which has helped him score at least 27 DK points in each start. He will be facing a Rockies offense that has been dreadful at home or away, but so far, they have a .083 ISO versus RHP on the road this season with a near 27% strikeout rate. Bauer brings an amazing floor with a high ceiling into tonight's game. He is the pay-up spot in cash with GPP appeal as well.
Brandon Woodruff - P, MIL vs CHC ($7,500)
Hello, my friend, we meet again. I wrote this same spot up last week when it came to Woodruff versus the Cubs, and I would say it went quite nicely. Woodruff took a no-hitter into the seventh before giving up a hit but still went seven shutout innings while striking out eight on his way to 31 points. I am not planning on Woodruff putting up that performance, but I think that is his ceiling, and his floor is outstanding versus a Cubs offense that has struggled a ton this season, especially versus RHP. We saw Peralta slice and dice last night for six innings, and we should expect the same, Woodruff. After last night, the Cubs are now hitting .137 with a .113 ISO while striking out 29.6% of the time vs. RHP. Woody is definitely in play and is a part of the BIG THREE pitchers who are mispriced tonight.
Other Options: Lucas Giolito (CWS vs CLE) $9,800, Luis Castillo (CIN at SF) $7,100, Kevin Gausman (SF vs CIN) $6,800
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Wilson Ramos - C, DET at Jake Odorizzi ($3,400)
After a down 2020 season, Ramos has come out swinging in 2021. Ramos has now hit safely in six of eight games this season, including hits in his last four games. He has scored double-digits in three of his last four games as well, thanks to home runs in those three games. In recent years Ramos had a launch angle issue which affected his performance, but that has been fixed for now with a 15.9 degree LA. Ramos' LA is not the only improvement; he has an avEV of 101.2 mph to go with a 111.5 mph maxEV, a barrel rate of 21.1%, and a hard-hit rate of 73.7%. Ramos is locked in right now and makes for a great target if not paying up at catcher tonight.
Other Options: Francisco Mejia (TB vs TEX) $3,400, Jonah Heim (TEX at TB) $3,700
Yuli Gurriel - 1B, HOU vs Matt Boyd ($3,900)
Gurriel is that slow and steady bat that you can put in cash lineups or Astros stacks. He rarely has the monster game but has hit safely in there straight and five of his last seven. He has scored double-digit DK points in four of those five games and would have made for great cash game plays as he is always at a reasonable price. He faces the lefty Boyd tonight, and that is another reason to circle Gurriel. Gurriel has hit lefties well in his career, including a .290 average against last season to go with a .274 ISO and a 138 wRC+. Boyd has looked better this season but let's not forget 2020, where he allowed RHH to hit .304 with a .410 wOBA while, more importantly, allowing 2.6 HR/9. The Astros will be popular tonight, but do not forget about Gurriel in those stacks or cash games.
Other Options: Josh Bell (WAS at STL) $3,000
Gavin Lux - 2B, LAD vs. Antonio Senzatela ($3,800)
The second base position is not the best of positions tonight. It is either pay-up for some decent options or punts down below. In the middle, it is all about Lux. Hopefully, he is hitting near the top of the order, but it has varied throughout the season. He started the season on fire, hitting safely in six of the first eight games, but is riding a three-game hitless streak into tonight's game. He will face Senzatela, who may help make things right as he allowed LHH to slug .400 last season with a 4.80 FIP. The Dodgers will be extremely popular tonight, and Lux may be an overlooked piece in those stacks; at least we can hope he is for our sake.
Joey Wendle - 3B/SS, TB vs. Kyle Gibson ($4,800)
Wendle priced near $5K was not something I pictured heading into the season, and this is coming from someone higher than most when it came to Wendle in draft season. Wendle has earned it, though, as he is raking, hitting safely in five of eight games this season, good for a .308 average. He has scored double-digit DK points in four of those five games and, more importantly, gets a great matchup versus Gibson tonight. Last season Gibson allowed LHH to hit .265 (.571 already this season) with a .363 wOBA and 2.2 HR/9. I LOVE the Rays tonight, and Wendle will likely get overlooked at his price point when they are stacked up. Do not be that person.
Other Options: Jeimer Candelario (DET at HOU) $3,400
Carlos Correa - SS, HOU vs Matt Boyd ($4,700)
Correa finished the 2020 season, including the playoffs, looking a bit more like the offensive talent we enjoyed in previous seasons. He has carried that into the 2021 season in a big way. He is carrying an eight-game hit streak into tonight's game (hitting safely in nine of ten), including home runs in three of the last five games. Correa has also scored double-digit DK points in four of his last six games. Looking at his statcast metrics and it is no joke as he has a maxEV of 116.4 mph this season with a 13.3% barrel rate and 53.5% HH rate. Correa is absolutely raking and facing good ole Boyd fares well for another solid night ahead. Building a Brantley-Correa-Gurriel stack looks might fine tonight and should be a bit different from the norm.
Other Options: Willy Adames (TB vs TEX) $4,100
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Austin Meadows - OF, TB vs Kyle Gibson ($4,800)
Meadows is my ding dong city call of the night (cover boy for a reason). He is healthy after a down 2020 season and has come out swinging, hitting safely in seven of the first ten games this season. He has scored nine or more DK points in three of his last four and has an outstanding matchup versus Gibson tonight. In 2019, when Meadows was healthy, he hit .298 versus RHP with a .278 ISO and 152 wRC+. He was raking then and early on appears to be raking again versus RHP. The combo of Meadows and Arozarena is high on my priority list tonight, so join me on piling on Gibson once again.
Michael Brantley - OF, HOU vs. Matt Boyd ($4,400)
I mentioned the Astros stack I am looking to build tonight, and yes, I did not mistype Brantley. I know he is an LHH, but he loves him some LHP. In 2019 he hit .282 versus LHP with a .322 wOBA and a 42% hard-hit rate. He is hitting close to .500 versus LHP to start the season with a .650 wOBA and a home run. Overall on the season, Brantley has hit safely in five of seven games with a .346 average, .462 ISO, and 227 wRC+. Brantley is absolutely locked in right now and should not be overlooked just because it is a lefty-lefty matchup tonight.
Akil Baddoo - OF, DET at Jake Odorizzi ($3,800)
The legend of Baddoo continues to grow day after day. Last night Baddoo hit a 450+ foot BOMB off Greinke and now gets Odorizzi tonight. Baddoo has now hit safely in five of seven games with a .632 ISO, 109.3 mph maxEV, 25% barrel rate, and 43.8% hard-hit rate. He is absolutely locked in, and the DK pricing has yet to catch up with the hot start. This will be Odorizzi's 2021 debut, but in 2019 he allowed LHH to hit .277 while slugging .426. The Tigers are a sneaky stack once again tonight, and Baddoo should be a part of those stacks.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Tampa Bay Rays (Kyle Gibson, RHP)
- Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros Game Stack (Matt Boyd, LHP at Jake Odorizzi, RHP)
- Los Angeles Angels (Danny Duffy, LHP)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (Antonio Senzatela, RHP)
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