We have six games on the slate for today’s games with the first pitch at 1:05 PM EST. Today’s slate of games is highlighted by Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies taking on rookie rising star Seiya Suzuki and the Chicago Cubs in Colorado.
Weather shouldn’t be a problem as no contest has a higher than 20 percent chance of rain across the slate of games.
Here is a selection of today’s Core Players 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 4/16/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Pitcher | Justin Verlander | $9,700 |
| Pitcher | ||
| Catcher | ||
| First Base | ||
| Second Base | DJ LeMahieu | $5,200 |
| Third Base | ||
| Short Stop | ||
| Outfield | Kris Bryant | $4,000 |
| Outfield | ||
| Outfield |
Justin Verlander ($9,700) – Verlander will likely be a common pick for me until his price accurately reflects his upside. He put together a very solid spring and continued that in his previous start. Against what can be a very productive lineup of the Angels, Verlander threw 80 pitches and posted a solid 25 percent called strike plus whiffs rate (CSW). CSW is an advanced metric that can demonstrate how effective a pitchers stuff is in a particular outing. For context, league average is around 18 percent. In addition to his CSW, Verlander struck out 7 batters in his 5 innings. The 39-year-old appears to have returned to his pre-surgery form and gets a matchup with a struggling Mariners team in Seattle.
DJ LeMahieu ($5,200) – LeMahieu has six hits in his last four games, and seems to have found his swing again. He has at least one hit in each of those games, and has his early season average up to .280 with a few walks mixed in as well. He’s batting in the heart of the Yankees lineup, even batting lead off on occasion. Today, he’ll face the lowly Orioles in Baltimore.
Kris Bryant ($4,000) – Bryant is off to a great start with his new team with a .379 average to go with six runs scored and a pair of walks. More importantly, Bryant has 5 hits in his last three games. Coors Field is a hitters park, and he gets a good matchup with the Cubs at home. I like Bryant as a solid play while his price is less inflated.
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The Pitchers
Noah Syndergaard ($7,900 DK) Syndergaard held one of the best offenses in baseball, the Astros, in check in his last outing. Just two outs shy of a quality start, he threw five and a third scoreless innings en route to earning the win. He had just one strikeout, but the Rangers offer a better matchup, and he’ll look to keep the momentum going at home.
Jameson Taillon – ($7,000 DK) – Taillon looked strong in his first outing allowing just two runs on five hits to the potent Blue Jays lineup at home. He threw 53 of his 74 pitches for strikes and struck out 6 without allowing a walk. Taillon is showing great command early on this season, and has a great matchup against the Orioles in newly redesigned Camden Yards in Baltimore.At his price point, it’s easy to see him strike value while allowing you to pay up for other stars.
The Value Players
Ian Happ ($3,900) – Happ is quietly putting together a very strong start to the season. In his six games played, Happ has a .429 average with five RBI to go with three walks. Settled into the cleanup role for the Cubs, Happ is hot an doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Today, Happ has a matchup with the Rockies in Colorado.
JP Crawford ($3,700) – It would be difficult to find a player off to a better start than Crawford. He’s currently on a seven game hitting streak which has led him to a .407 batting average to go with five runs scored, four walks and a stolen base. Crawford has been one of the lone bright spots for the Mariners so far this season. He’ll get plenty of chances batting fifth tonight against the Astros at home.
Connor Joe ($3,500) – Similar to his new teammate Kris Bryant, Joe has taken advantage of the early home games for the Rockies. In addition to becoming a full-time player, Joe has been the lead off hitter against left-handed pitching. So far this season, Joe has a .321 average with a pair of home runs and a stellar .996 OPS. He’s also chipped in a stolen base to go with 4 walks. Tonight, he gets a juicy matchup with the Cubs at home against Mark Leiter Jr.. It will be Leiter’s first big league appearance since 2017.
The Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers – With the Dodgers off season additions you can really stack almost any part of their lineup from top to bottom. You should look to base your stack though on one or both of their higher priced players in Freddie Freeman and Trae Turner, as they offer the most upside. And then mix and match from there with the likes of Max Muncy, Nookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, and Justin Turner. In addition, they have a matchup with Cincinnati, who’s sending out a rookie to make his second career start on the road in LA.
Colorado Rockies – The Rockies have a high implied run total today at 5, which means their stacks should be considered. For me, I want to look at some combination of Kris Bryant, CJ Cron, Connor Joe, and Ryan Mahon or Charlie Blackmon. In addition to playing at home in Colorado, they have a plus matchup against the Cubs, which could turn into a bullpen game.
New York Mets – The Mets have the second highest implied run total today at 5.1. Their stacks should consist of Starling Marte, Francisio Lindor, and Pete Alonso, but you could add in Eduardo Escobar or Mark Canha if you are looking for some salary relief.
Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that
