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Let's go!!!!!!! We have made it to Opening Day, which means we are back with your free DFS picks. This is such a great day as we have baseball all day, plus The Masters for you golf lovers like myself. A couple of quick notes on the slate. First, the pricing is super soft. Some of the pitchers, especially on DraftKings, are criminally mispriced. At the same time, many star rookies getting their chance are way too cheap on both sites. So navigating that chalk should be fun. Second, the main slate on DK is seven games starting at 4:05 PM EST, while the main slate on FD is a nine-game slate that begins at 1:05 PM EST, meaning BOS/NYY and MIL/CHC are on that slate. This article will focus on the seven-game main slate on DK with the FD pricing, but let's talk briefly about the other two games.
The Red Sox and Yankees kick off the season with a matchup between Gerrit Cole and Nathan Eovaldi. Both are solid options on the mound. If you are looking for bats on the game, I will look at the Yankees a bit, but overall fading that game is just fine. The Cubs and Brewers game has some fantasy appeal. Corbin Burnes makes for an elite pitching option on FD as the Cubs' offense will be a heavy target all season. They struck out a ton last year, which should not change much this season. Also, targeting Kyle Hendricks with Brewers bats seems to be a strong move. If you have any deeper questions feel free to hit me up on Twitter or jump on the RotoBaller slate chat.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for Fanduel and DraftKings on 4/7/2022. The lineup will range from some elite players to mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away! Note: BOS/NYY and SEA/MIN have been postponed till Friday.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Yu Darvish - P, SD vs. AZ ($9,500 DK, $9,400 FD)
I could have easily written up Wainwright, Shane Bieber, or even Ohtani, but I wanted to mix it up with an option that may get overlooked on this slate. Darvish is coming off a rough 2021 season which saw his HR/FB rate jump to 22.1% in the second half. In addition, the sticky stuff ban came into play, and Darvish had issues keeping the ball in the park. Weirdly enough, though, his strikeout rate was still satisfactory at 28.2%, and his K-BB was over 20% for the second half, so all was not lost. Darvish comes back to limiting the long ball while still striking out everyone, which could quickly occur on Opening Day.
So far this spring, Darvish has allowed three runs on two home runs over 11.1 innings pitched while also striking out 14. He will take on a depleted DBacks team that struck out nearly 25% versus RHP last season, and this version of the DBacks should be even worse than last year's team. Darvish should be able to mow through this DBacks team and hopefully go five or more innings to get the win. He threw 4.1 innings in his final spring start and, barring a lot of walks or a blow-up, should go 5+ for sure. Many pitchers will not pitch enough innings to gain the win, let alone have an outstanding matchup like this, which makes Darvish a strong tournament play today while likely being low rostered.
Adam Wainwright - P, STL vs. PIT ($7,500 DK, $8,000 FD)
With the lock of the slate, Robbie Ray get postponed till Friday, pivots had to be made. We will go to the next chalky play and cash game lock-in Waino. Last season Wainwright threw over 200 innings with a 3.05 ERA, one season after a 3.15 ERA. The ageless wonder continues to get it done on the mound and has a cushy matchup on opening day versus the Pirates. Wainwright is not a major strikeout pitcher but can eat up innings. He could definitely go 5-6 with efficiency and hopefully rack up 5+ strikeouts along the way. In cash games you just lock Wainwright in, in tournaments, you may want a contrarian Pirates stack.
Other options: Shohei Ohtani vs. HOU ($7,000 DK, $10,500 FD), Tylor Megill at WAS ($7,600 DK, N/A), Madison Bumgarner vs. SD ($5,900 DK, $6,900 FD)
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Matt Olson - 1B, ATL vs. Tyler Mahle ($5,700 DK, $3,700 FD)
Olson is set to make his Braves debut in an excellent matchup versus Mahle. Sure, Mahle is a solid arm that can rack up the strikeouts, but he is also known to give up the longball. Last year, Mahle had an HR/FB over 14%, which could come into play versus Olson and the Braves. However, Mahle only allowed 7.9% HR/FB to LHH last season (19.8% to RHH). Olson will look to stay hot from his spring training start, where he hit .310 with two home runs and only four strikeouts. There is plenty of value on this slate, and paying up for Olson is one of the top pay-up spots I like on this slate.
Cesar Hernandez - 2B, WAS vs. Tylor Megill ($2,900 DK, $2,400 FD)
Analysis coming later
Bobby Witt Jr. - SS/3B, KC vs. Shane Bieber ($2,300 DK, $2,400 FD)
The prospects that made the big squads start the season are very cheap today, beginning with Witt. Witt is coming off a ridiculous season between Double-A and Triple-A, and the Royals made the right decision to bring Witt up to start the season. His extraordinary spring performance did not leave them much choice as he hit .406 with three home runs. Sure, he faces Bieber to start the game, but he has not been going deep into games this spring as he is returning from injury, which means a lot of Guardians bullpen. The Royals could be a fun stack, and Witt, at his value, is a lock-in those stacks.
Jose Ramirez - 3B, CLE at Zack Greinke ($5,600 DK, $4,300)
My favorite pay-up spot on today's slate is Ramirez. Ramirez is coming off a season where he hit 36 home runs while stealing 27 bases, scoring 111 runs, and driving in 103. He's a beast and gets a great matchup versus Greinke. Greinke tries to limit the damage but did allow a nearly 15% HR/FB to LHH last season, and Ramirez should have no trouble getting to Greinke. The Guardians are a fun stack today, and that starts with JRam, who should be in all of your lineups.
Other Options: Diego Castillo 3B ($2,100 DK, $2,000 FD)
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Jo Adell - OF, LAA vs. Framber Valdez ($2,500 DK, $2,700 FD)
Adell was once a top prospect for the Angels, but after a couple of rough stints in the bigs, some have given up on him. However, even with the struggles in the bigs, Adell was very good in the minors and also finished last season strong for the Angels. Adell carried over that solid finish into spring training, where he hit .308 with six extra-base hits, including three home runs. He will face Framber, who limits hard contact and gets many ground balls, but I will take the value on Adell and attack the Astros lefty. Adell makes an excellent one-off play and a piece in a stack with Mike Trout and company.
Steven Kwan - OF, CLE at Zack Greinke ($2,200 DK, $2,000)
Kwan is another prospect getting his first crack in the bigs on opening day. Kwan has hit for a high batting average throughout the minors to go with overall excellent OBP skills. He can showcase a little power and steals as well. This spring, Kwan hit .448 with two extra-base hits while scoring seven runs. He makes for an excellent cash game value and a piece of a Guardians stack versus Greinke.
Ben Gamel - OF, PIT at Adam Wainwright ($2,800 DK, $2,100 FD)
Analysis coming later.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Game Stack - Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals (Shane Bieber, RHP vs. Zack Greinke, RHP)
Many people will stack the Guardians, and I want to have some Royals exposure for a good reason. Bieber should not go deep in the game, and the Guardians bullpen is not that good. However, the Royals should have solid success against the bullpen, so Salvador Perez, Witt, Whit Merrifield, and Andrew Benintendi are all in play.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (JR Brubaker, RHP)
The Cardinals will be a popular stack versus Brubaker, and rightfully so. Most will target Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Tyler O'Neil, but don't forget about Dylan Carlson, Albert Pujols, and Paul DeJong to be a bit different.
Atlanta Braves vs. Cincinnati Reds (Tyler Mahle, RHP)
The Braves may be the top "expensive" stack of the day. Mahle can strike out many people and give up a ton of long balls. Olson and Ozzie Albies are strong plays but do not forget the RHH in Marcell Ozuna and Austin Riley.
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