DraftKings MLB daily picks: Fantasy baseball lineup – April 22

Apr 21, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hits a three run home run during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Cubs won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hits a three run home run during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Cubs won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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Get your weekend started off right, with a little daily fantasy baseball via DraftKings. Here are some tips and leads on how to make the most of the games ahead on the Saturday MLB slate.

A full 15-game MLB schedule lies ahead, and Draft Kings has eight separate contests ahead to break them down. The afternoon schedule starts at noon ET, with final games beginning at 9:07 p.m. ET. Rain is in the mix across the east coast, and could be in play in parts of the central as well, so be sure to check the pregame weather forecasts before putting your teams together.

To keep up with all of FanSided’s DFS MLB coverage head over to the fantasy baseball hub where each day you can find a post like this tailored for DraftKings as well as one specifically designed for usage on FanDuel. In this post, all salary and “fantasy points” references are to DraftKings scoring system and salaries. If you have any additional questions or thoughts or are looking for updates as we approach tipoff, follow @fansidedfantasy on Twitter or you can follow my account at @CheapSeatFan.

Apr 16, 2017; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda (35) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2017; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda (35) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Starting Pitchers

High Salary Options

Carlos Carrasco ($10,900): Carrasco is the top arm on the market today, and has a nice matchup ahead with the White Sox to boot. Corey Kluber proved true yesterday in being able to dominate the strikeout prone Sox lineup, and Carrasco could follow suit today with a similar arsenal. Although there are a few White Sox that have had success against him in the past, pay confidently for the top priced option on the market today, as a long run and strikeout total should lie ahead.

Michael Pineda ($10,100): Pineda has worked into the seventh inning in each of his last two starts and has second consecutive matchup against an NL offense that is still finding its form. Pineda has struck out 17 over his last two games, while only walking one batter on the year overall. He could produce the top point total on the day.

High Value Option

Jerad Eickhoff ($8,300): Eickhoff has a nice pairing against the Braves on Saturday, and is coming off a string of impressive starts thus far. He carries a 2.75 ERA on the year into the game, yet has not gained a victory yet, due to a lack of support from his offense. He is a model option for a second starter today behind one of the high priced trio of top options.

Rank Em:

  1. Carrasco
  2. Pineda
  3. Jake Arrieta ($10,600)
  4. Jameson Taillon ($9,200)
  5. Eickhoff

***

Catcher

High salary option

Buster Posey ($4,500): Another day in Coors means another day atop the catcher rankings for Posey. He is hitting .343 on the year and carrying an impressive .925 OPS into the game, and is a lock to have a big day at some point over the weekend in Colorado. The odds of it coming against youngster Antonio Senzatela are high.

High Value option

Russell Martin ($3,300): Martin’s overall stat line has not been impressive on the year, but has strung together a few games that show signs of him pulling out his slump recently. He’ll face lefty Tyler Skaggs, who has let up five runs in two of his three outings on the year and right-handers have taken him deep three times on the year.

Rank Em:

  1. Posey
  2. Yasmani Grandal ($3,500)
  3. Salvador Perez ($3,700)
  4. Willson Contreras ($4,100)
  5. Evan Gattis ($3,700)