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There are seven games on the main slate for both sites tonight, which is a solid middle-ground number of games to work with in daily fantasy contests. Kershaw and Cole represent the high-salary pitching pool tonight while Lauer, Eovaldi, and Gibson make up the mid-range, and Taijuan Walker is potentially in play at a low price point. The Reds and Rockies are squaring off in Denver and their matchup holds an 11-run implied total, which is the highest on the slate by 2.5 runs. The Red Sox-Orioles and Braves-Rangers affairs are projecting as the next highest-scoring games, but it's going to be a mix-and-match game aside from Coors as the rest of the games are all grouped together with mediocre implied totals. Let's just get to it, shall we?
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for Fanduel and DraftKings on 4/30/2022, with the main slate locking at 7:05 ET. 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 @RING_DFS and ask away!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Gerrit Cole - P, NYY vs. KCR ($10,000 DK, $9,800 FD)
Cole v. Kershaw is going to be a critical pivot point when building lineups tonight (Get exposure to both if you're playing multiple lineups). They're clearly the top pitchers on the slate, and they're both gifted with incredible matchups against light-hitting AL Central squads. I'm taking the cheaper pitcher who has the better matchup between the two, as I view them both as having very similar ceilings on any given slate. Cole found his form against the Guardians in his last start, going 6 and 2/3 shutout innings while striking out nine and walking just one - good for 34 DK points. He had struggled a bit prior to that as he's allowing more hard contact and barrels than he'd like, but his 28.4% K% and high whiff rates on his slider, cutter, and changeup should play up against the Royals. Kansas City ranks in the bottom-five in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, xBA, and xwOBA,. They haven't struck out a ton to this point, but Cole should still be able to rack up at least a handful on his way to a quality start and a "W," with a ceiling that's much higher.
I wouldn't personally dig too deep into 'Pitcher vs. Team' historical stats, but I found this to be an interesting comparison between Cole and Kershaw:
Cole vs. current Royals roster: 85 PA, 23.5% K%, .240 wOBA, .156 AVG, 4.76 FIP
Kershaw vs. current Tigers roster: 53 PA, 45.3% K%, .224 wOBA, .176 AVG, 2.06 FIP
Nathan Eovaldi - P, BOS vs. BAL ($8,700 DK, $8,500 FD) | Better on FanDuel
Eovaldi's advanced metrics are a roller coaster as he's getting hit hard, giving up a ton of barrels and a high average exit velocity. However, he has been elite at limiting walks and he holds a more-than-respectable 27% strikeout rate through four starts, which has resulted in at least 15 DK points in each of his outings this season. With all of that considered, we have to have some interest in him going up against the Orioles tonight. The O's have struck out the fourth-most (25.2%) against RHP this season and they're not ranking well in any traditional or advanced metric to this point. They're projecting to score just 3.8 runs tonight as the Red Sox are the second-largest favorites on the board for the main slate.
Others to consider (FanDuel): Kyle Gibson ($8,200), Clayton Kershaw ($10,500), Justin Steele ($6,500), Taijuan Walker ($7,500)
Others to consider (DraftKings): Clayton Kershaw ($10,300), Kyle Gibson ($9,100)
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Rafael Devers - 3B, BOS vs. BAL ($5,100 DK, $3,900 FD)
Opposing pitcher Spenser Watkins holds a 2.77 ERA, but just about everything else in his profile suggests the Red Sox are in a great spot to crush him tonight. His 5.27 xERA and 5.94 FIP are a far cry from his stellar ERA, and his 8.9% K% ranks among the lowest in the league. Devers ranks in the top-2% of the league with a 58.3% hard-hit rate and he's gone deep three times this season. Expect another productive game out of him tonight.
C.J. Cron - 1B, COL vs. CIN ($4,900 DK, $4,100 FD)
Cron leads the National League with seven homers already, and his .364 ISO and .398 wOBA is off the charts in the early going. He's absolutely crushing the ball, and now he gets to face the Reds bullpen with Connor Overton making his first career start. Cincinnati's relievers hold the second-highest xFIP (4.65) in the MLB.
Max Muncy - 2B/3B, LAD vs. DET ($5,200 DK, $3,300 FD) | Better on FanDuel
It has been a mixed bag for Muncy so far this season as he's slashing just .145/.329/.290 but has hit two homers, knocked in nine RBI, and scored nine runs. He holds a high 15.2% barrel rate and he draws walks at an elite rate, which gives him a nice floor with upside for a lot more on any given night. Rookie Beau Brieske will be making his second career start after he went five innings and gave up three runs (including two homers) in his major league debut against the Rockies.
Mike Moustakas - 3B, CIN vs. COL ($2,000 DK, $3,000 FD) | Better on DraftKings
"Moose" isn't anywhere near the hitter he used to be, but he has three hits, two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored over his last two games and he's the minimum price over on DraftKings tonight. Kuhl has been solid through three starts, but this is Coors Field we're talking about and the matchup currently holds an 11-run implied total.
Others to consider (FanDuel): Kevin Plawecki ($2,000), Dom Nunez ($2,500), Mitch Garver ($2,500), Joey Votto ($3,300), Brad Miller ($2,400), Freddie Freeman ($3,800), Mike Brosseau ($2,100), Trevor Story ($3,500), Justin Turner ($2,700), Corey Seager ($2,900), Marcus Semien ($3,000)
Others to consider (DraftKings): Aramis Garcia ($2,000), Kevin Plawecki ($2,700), Franchy Cordero ($2,000), Joey Votto ($3,400), Ryan Mountcastle ($2,900), Trey Mancini ($2,800), Jonathan India ($3,900), Roughned Odor ($2,700), Mike Brosseau ($2,500)
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Tommy Pham - OF, CIN vs. COL ($2,900 DK, $3,700 FD) | Better on DraftKings
Continuing the theme of getting to underpriced Reds in a juiced-up spot in Coors Field, Pham is among my favorite picks tonight. He's in superb form, putting up at least 22 DK points in two of his last three games and at least 14 DK points in three of his last five. He has three homers for the season but he should arguably have more as his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate rank among the best in the MLB to this point.
Andrew McCutchen - OF, MIL vs. CHC ($2,500 DK, $3,900) | Better on FanDuel
McCutchen leads off for the Brewers, and that should be something we're interested in since the Brew Crew will be going up against a guy who has been hit around in Justin Steele. Steele holds an ugly 5.40 ERA and 1.73 WHIP after brutal outings against the Rockies, Rays, and Pirates. He did begin the year by shutting the Brewers out over five innings, but I don't believe in his stuff and I think Milwaukee has a strong chance to go over their 4.3-run implied total tonight. McCutchen has hit a bomb in each of his last two games and will look to keep it rolling in Wrigley.
Joey Gallo - OF, NYY vs. KCR ($3,300 DK, $2,600 FD)
We're homer-hunting here. Gallo has been objectively bad at the plate so far this season, but he's starting to turn things around as of late. He has a hit in four of his last six games and knocked his only two homers during that stretch, scoring four runs and driving in three RBI in the process. Hernandez has been dreadful through three starts, holding a 6.43 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 12.7% barrel rate, and a minuscule 7.7% K%.
Others to consider (FanDuel): Kole Calhoun ($2,200), Sam Hilliard ($2,500), Hunter Renfroe ($2,800), Christian Yelich ($2,700), Tyler Naquin ($3,300)
Others to consider (DraftKings): Tyler Naquin ($3,000), Franchy Cordero ($2,000), Nick Senzel ($2,600), Adam Duvall ($2,500), Sam Hilliard ($2,900)
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Cincinnati Reds vs. Colorado Rockies
Feel free to game stack here - though it will be the popular play so you'll want to differentiate with your secondary stacks and one-offs.
Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles (Spenser Watkins, RHP)
Watkins is bound to come down to earth as his 2.77 ERA has not caught up to his sky-high 5.92 FIP and 5.27 xERA. He gives up a ton of barrels and he can't strike anyone out, which is a recipe for success for the Red Stockings. Oriole Park also ranks fourth in Park Factor, so that's a plus. Devers, Story, Plawecki, and Cordero are my top targets in this stack.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Detroit Tigers (Beau Briekse, RHP)
New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals (Carlos Hernandez, RHP)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs (Justin Steele, LHP)
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