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Happy Monday, Rotoballers! We kick off another week of MLB DFS with a six-game slate. The Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox kick things off nice early with the traditional Boston Marathon day game. Still, we will be solely looking at the night games, starting with San Francisco-Philadelphia and St.Louis-Washington at 7:05 pm Eastern. There are also three West Coast games going on today, so make sure to stay awake and check those lineups as they come in.
Today's slate is a little strange because some of the best pitching options on the board are facing each other. Joe Musgrove and Brandon Woodruff meet in San Diego, while Jack Flaherty and Joe Ross face off in D.C. The Musgrove-Woodruff battle makes me want to fade both lineups, but I often think with the consensus, and it could create some leverage opportunities in tournament formats.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/19/2021. 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
Joe Musgrove - P, SD vs. MIL ($10,200)
Musgrove was limited in his last start to four innings and 81 pitches, but it made sense coming off a 112-pitch no-hitter against the Texas Rangers. Still, the 28-year old tallied six strikeouts in his shortened outing and now has 24 Ks through 19 innings in 2021, along with an impressive 0.47 ERA and 0.47 WHIP. Today, he will face the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that does not fare well versus right-handed pitching. Coming into Sunday's games, the Brewers owned a .625 OPS versus righties, the third-worst mark in the league, and also struck out 25 percent of the time.
Musgrove should have no problem mowing through this lineup. The only thing that could prevent him from being the highest-scoring pitcher on the slate is his opponent, Brandon Woodruff ($9,000). It should be quite a pitching duel in Sand Diego, and it may limit Musgrove's upside to snagging a win.
Dylan Bundy - P, LAA vs. TEX ($7,700)
I was relieved to see Bunday priced below $8,000 today because it makes him a perfect option to pair with Musgrove, Woodruff, or Dustin May ($9,700). The former-top pitching prospect has a 3.32 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a career-high 28.6 percent strikeout rate through three starts. The career-high K rate will come in handy against a Texas Rangers unit collecting a strikeout on 29.7 percent of their at-bats versus right-handed hurlers. Bundy will also have a great chance at a win because, one, the Angels should score some runs off Kohei Arihara ($5,700), and, two, the Rangers have scored three or fewer runs in eight of 16 games to begin the season.
Other Options: Brandon Woodruff vs. SD ($9,000), Jack Flaherty vs. WAS ($8,500)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Austin Barnes - C, LAD at SEA ($3,100)
With the Dodgers picking up the DH's ability for this week's series versus the Mariners, I think Austin Barnes will get a little bit more run behind the plate. So far in 2021, the backstop isn't doing a lot with his playing time, but he doesn't have two games with at least 10 points. I believe the price is low enough that grabbing Barnes as a part of a Dodgers stack versus Just Sheffield is useful. His salary should allow you to construct your roster in a way to grab some more significant bats or may up for two of the more expensive players on tonight's six-game slate.
Jared Walsh - 1B/OF, LAA vs. TEX ($5,100)
The days of Jared Walsh being priced below $4,000 are long gone. The lefty bat is off to a scorching start in 2021 with nine runs, a double, a triple, four home runs, and 14 RBI in his first 12 games. Walsh is also slashing .341/.426/.707 and sits inside the top four percent of the league with a .478 weighted on-base average. The Angels and Walsh will see Rangers righty Kohei Arihara on the mound tonight, and they should be in line to put up some runs. Arihara has pitched to a 3.02 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 2021, but his expected ERA sits at a ghastly 6.61, and he is in the bottom five percent of MLB with a 12.3 strikeout rate. Walsh is the first piece of an Angels stack against Arihara tonight.
David Fletcher - 2B, LAA vs. TEX ($3,700)
One of the players that Jared Walsh will be scoring tonight is David Fletcher. He sits atop the Angels lineup and should return some great value at $3,700. While Fletcher only has one extra-base hit on the year, he gets on base at a great clip. Over his last five contests, the second baseman is 7-for-23 (.304 batting average), with three runs and two multi-hit games. The Angels lineup is explosive this year and is putting up runs to turn over the lineup frequently. In four of his last five games, Fletcher has seen at least five plate appearances. With the way he is hitting and how good the lineup is behind him, I expect the 26-year old to cross home plat multiple times on Monday.
Justin Turner - 3B, LAD at SEA ($5,500)
Another stack to target on Monday is the other Los Angeles team. The Dodgers will see southpaw Justus Sheffield on the mound, and it gives plenty of chances for the red-hot, red-haired third baseman Justin Turner to accrue some counting numbers. In his last five games, Turner has produced four games with at least 14 points and two with at least 21 fantasy points. He is expensive, but right now, he's as safe a bet as anyone to return solid production.
Brandon Crawford - SS, SF at PHI ($3,900)
Crawford isn't the bat he used to be, but in 2021, he's proving that he can still be an asset to our DFS lineups. The left-handed bat will see Chase Anderson on the mound at hitting-friendly Citizens Bank Park tonight. The Giants are a sneak stack for Monday's slate, with Anderson having reverse splits versus right-handers over his career. Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt could also be in consideration for this game. Frank Ammirante highlighted the Giants in his daily streamers article for season-long leagues, and I think we can take advantage of this for our DFS lineups. Crawford has 84 home runs in his career off right-handers compared to 25 against lefties. The shortstop has scored at least 10 points in three of his last ten games, and he will have a fair opportunity to make it four of six against Anderson and the Phillies.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Chris Taylor - 2B/OF, LAD at SEA ($4,700)
Seeing $4,700 next to Chris Taylor's name may be a tough pill for DFS players to swallow, but if you remove the name is it reasonable. The super-utility bat has a .863 OPS this season with 12 runs, three doubles, three home runs, and nine RBI. He's seen an increase in playing time with Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger dealing with injuries at different times this year, and he is rewarding the Dodger's trust in him. Taylor is another right-handed bat for the Dodgers that I want in my lineups versus Justus Sheffield. He's hit first, fifth, or sixth in 75 percent of his games this year, and it gives him a great floor being that close to the heart of the Los Angeles lineup.
Jorge Soler - OF, KC vs. TB ($3,300)
Oof, the early-season going has not been kind for Jorge Soler, and now he is priced at a salary that makes me want to risk it for the biscuit every night. $3,300 for a player that's finished in the top two percent for barrel rate in each of the last two seasons is a price I can get behind. His average exit velocity (92.4 mph) is consistent with the previous two seasons, but his sweet spot percentage (launch angle between eight and 32 degrees) is down to a career-worst 22.7 percent. Something's got to give. Either Soler isn't the same guy we saw from 2019 and 2020, or his stats are about to snap back. I'm betting on the latter, and I think it begins tonight against Tampa Bay.
Jurickson Profar - 1B/OF, SD vs. MIL ($2,800)
Bradon Woodruff is an excellent pitcher, and I wouldn't advise playing a bat against someone as in the zone as he is right now. However, Jurickson Profar is only $2,800 on DraftKings tonight, and I'm going to take that kind of cheap production any day I can get it. It's not even like Profar has been bad this season. The 28-year old switch hitter is averaging 6.7 fantasy points per game and is worth the roster spot in your lineups today. He has maintained his elite strikeout rate from last season (10.3 percent), and he is currently sporting a career-high 16.2 percent walk rate. Profar will eventually need to start hitting the ball a lot harder, but he's reached base in six of his last seven games and has four contests this season with at least 11 fantasy points.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Los Angeles Dodgers at Seattle Mariners (Justus Sheffield, LHP)
- Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers (Kohei Arihara, RHP)
- Sneaky Stack: San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies (Chase Anderson, RHP)
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