Today's MLB DFS Picks: Advice, strategy for Monday's DraftKings, FanDuel daily fantasy baseball contests

Howard Bender

Today's MLB DFS Picks: Advice, strategy for Monday's DraftKings, FanDuel daily fantasy baseball contests image

Welcome to Fantasy Alarm's MLB DFS Playbook for Monday, April 22. There are two games with some potential rain tonight (Tigers-Red Sox, Phillies-Mets), so check the Weather Center before lineup lock. (Update: Tigers-Red Sox has been postponed.)

We also have a Coors Field game tonight, so adjusting your lineups to fit in some of the pricing could be challenging. I've specifically included some salary-savers and have a few interesting options for you, so let's just get to it and see who we like.

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Today's MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel advice for Monday, April 22       

Jake Arrieta, SP, Phillies @ Mets. While we won't see the Arrieta of old, he is learning to make the necessary adjustments needed for veterans to succeed and recapture the lost magic. The Mets have been average, at best, against righthanded pitching -- just a .319 wOBA on the season with a 23.3-percent K-rate -- and have averaged just three runs per game over their past five. If Arrieta has that cutter working, he's going to induce a ton of weak contact and ground balls, as the Mets are mashing the ball in the dirt almost 47 percent of the time against righties.

Yan Gomes, C, Nationals @ Rockies. There's a spike in price given the game at Coors Field, but not as much over on FanDuel, so if you're looking to pay down at C/1B or even need a salary-saver at the utility spot, Gomes definitely works. Lefty Tyler Anderson is on the mound for Colorado, and he's just been abused this season. With Gomes crushing lefties to the tune of a .508 wOBA this year, he makes for a solid play.

MORE: Monday DK Lineup | Monday SP rankings

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals vs. Brewers. Goldy against a 26-year-old righty who's logged just 15.2 MLB innings? Yes, please! He's sitting on an eight-game hitting streak with two home runs and five RBIs in that span and has posted a .976 OPS against righthanders this season. Lock him in.

Whit Merrifield, 2B, Royals @ Rays. It's a little more than just Merrifield vs Chrinos and the second baseman's .369 wOBA against righthanders, as Chrinos hasn't gone more than five innings in three of four appearances and the Rays bullpen has logged a league-high 34.2 innings with just a 4.15 ERA over the past week. Granted, some of those innings are from the openers, but the back end of the bullpen has struggled. I like the price on FD much more, but if you have the money to splurge, he should be a strong play.

Elvis Andrus, SS, Rangers @ A's. Though priced up a little on DK, Andrus is in a good spot tonight against Chris Bassitt, who is making his first start of the season. Following a seven-game hit streak, Andrus went silent for a few games but picked it right back up yesterday with a multi-hit performance that included a pair of doubles. If you find yourself able to pay up here, he should get a strong look.

Yoan Moncada, 3B, White Sox @ Orioles. He's hit safely in six of his past seven games with three home runs and five RBIs in that span. Putting him in Camden Yards against righty Davis Hess should be a nice treat, especially since he's been crushing righthanded pitching all year, as evidenced by a 1.053 OPS against them. Look for him to continue that trend tonight.

Marcell Ozuna, OF, Cardinals vs. Brewers. He's sitting on an 11-game on-base streak which means he is extremely dialed in at the plate. He's drawing walks, hitting for power, and he's even kicked in a couple of stolen bases. With an inexperienced Adrian Houser on the hill for the Brewers and the home crowd behind him, this should be a nice opportunity for Ozuna to do even more.

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Pos  Player Matchup Opp. SP DK FD Y! Analysis
SP M. Boyd (L) DET@BOS
Mon 7:10
C. Sale (L) $9100 $9400 $41  
SP J. Arrieta (R) PHI@NYM
Mon 7:10
S. Matz (L) $9600 $9200 $40  
SP UPGRADE        
SP UPGRADE        
SP UPGRADE        
SP UPGRADE        
C Y. Gomes (R) WSH@COL
Mon 8:40
T. Anderson (L) $4200 $3000 $13  
C Y. Grandal (B) MIL@STL
Mon 7:45
J. Flaherty (R) $4100 $3400 $17  
C UPGRADE        
C UPGRADE        
1B P. Goldschmidt (R) MIL@STL
Mon 7:45
A. Houser (R) $5000 $4200 $22  
1B R. Hoskins (R) PHI@NYM
Mon 7:10
S. Matz (L) $4800 $4000 $23  
1B UPGRADE        
1B UPGRADE        
1B UPGRADE        
2B J. Altuve (R) MIN@HOU
Mon 8:10
J. Odorizzi (R) $4900 $4500 $23  
2B W. Merrifield (R) KC@TB
Mon 7:10
Y. Chirinos (R) $4700 $3900 $21  
2B UPGRADE        
2B UPGRADE        
2B UPGRADE        
3B A. Rendon (R) WSH@COL
Mon 8:40
T. Anderson (L) $5800 $4900 $28  
3B Y. Moncada (B) CWS@BAL
Mon 7:05
D. Hess (R) $4900 $4300 $24  
3B UPGRADE        
3B UPGRADE        
3B UPGRADE        
SS X. Bogaerts (R) DET@BOS
Mon 7:10
M. Boyd (L) $4300 $3400 $20  
SS E. Andrus (R) TEX@OAK
Mon 10:07
C. Bassitt (R) $4400 $3400 $21  
SS UPGRADE        
SS UPGRADE        
SS UPGRADE        
OF M. Trout (R) NYY@LAA
Mon 10:07
J. Happ (L) $5600 $4800 $27  
OF C. Blackmon (L) WSH@COL
Mon 8:40
J. Hellickson (R) $5400 $4000 $18  
OF M. Ozuna (R) MIL@STL
Mon 7:45
A. Houser (R) $5000 $4200 $24  
OF UPGRADE        
OF UPGRADE        
OF UPGRADE        
OF UPGRADE        
OF UPGRADE        
OF UPGRADE        
OF UPGRADE        

Howard Bender