DraftKings Early MLB Picks For April 22

There are six afternoon games on our Saturday DraftKings early slate. Five of the 12 pitchers are priced over $9,000. Are any of them worth using? Should we use two of them? Where are the bargain hitter that will let us do that? Let’s check out some past stats!

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There was no early lineup yesterday, but my Thursday early lineup did well enough to place in the money. Can we do it again?

NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: DraftKings MLB Lineup April 22

P: Jameson Taillon ($9,200): Taillon has no history against the Yankees, but he has a stellar 0.90 ERA and 1.15 WHIP and 16 strikeouts over 20 innings in three starts this year. This is also in Pittsburgh, which is a little more of a pitcher’s park than Yankee Stadium. Taillon is starting to show why he was one of the best prospects in baseball a couple of years ago. I like the strikeout potential here against the young Yankees.

P: Ariel Miranda ($7,200): MIranda has only faced the A’s once, but the only damage done to him was a solo homer by Chad Pinder. Miranda has done a better job of keeping runners off the bases so far this year, but he has still given up three homers in three games. Only one was given up in 12.2 innings at home though.

C: Willson Contreras ($4,100): The Reds will have to dip into their bullpen and summon Cody Reed to the mound for the start since two rotational regulars hit the DL this week. That’s good news for Contreras, who is 2-4 with a double, a homer, and two RBI against Reed. Contreras got the day off on Tuesday, so he should be in the lineup this afternoon. If not, you will have enough cash to pivot off him easily.

1B: Ryan Zimmerman ($3,300): Zimmerman is 3-8 with a homer and four RBI in his career against Jacob deGrom. If deGrom sits with his stiff back, I will move off of Zimmerman and on to Logan Morrison. LoMo is 4-8 with two doubles and a RBI against Charlie Morton.

2B: Robinson Cano ($4,300): Cano has only faced Jharel Cotton three times, but he did hit a two run home run off of him. Cotton is off to a bit of a slow start with a 5.40 ERA. A trip to Seattle should help, but Cano had no problem hitting home runs there last year.

3B: Kris Bryant ($5,100): Bryant already has two walks, two singles, a homer, and two RBI in just six plate appearances against Cody Reed. Expect Bryant to spend a lot of time on the basepaths in this one!

SS: Addison Russell ($4,100): Russell is 2-5 with a homer and two driven in against Cody Reed. The Cubs as a whole are 14-36 against Reed, so stacking more than the three I have isn’t a bad idea if you feel like loading up today. That said, this is the only game that has rain in the forecast, so keep up to date leading up to first pitch to make sure it will be played.

OF: Bryce Harper ($5,200): Harper is 7-18(.389) with a walk, two doubles, and a solo homer against Jacob deGrom in his career. Considering Harper’s strong start, I feel pretty good about using him here considering the past history. Oh, and Harper has homered in two straight games. Even if deGrom’s start is pushed back again, Harper may be worth throwing out there.

OF: Robbie Grossman ($3,800): Matt Boyd bordered on dominant against the Twins ten days ago, but Grossman was not in the lineup that afternoon. Grossman is 5-9 with three walks, a double, two homers, and four RBI against Boyd in his career. Boyd may have another good game against the Twins, but I will put my money on Grossman.

OF: Corey Dickerson ($3,500): Dickerson is 4-9 with a solo homer against Charlie Morton. Hey, at least Morton dodges Colby Rasmus. Rasmus is 7-14 against him.

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots - Early Slate

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our NBA, NHL, and EPL picks!