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Fantasy Baseball Rankings: DraftKings MLB DFS Picks for April 20

Matt Meiselman ranks the top fantasy baseball plays in each salary range for Tuesday’s main DraftKings MLB slate.

Los Angeles Angels v Toronto Blue Jays Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Tuesday’s main DraftKings MLB slate has a start time of 6:30 p.m. ET. For up-to-the-minute news related to today’s DraftKings MLB slate, download the DK Live app and follow DK Live on Twitter at @dklive.

The idea of this fantasy baseball rankings page is to rank the top DraftKings options in each salary range, helping you make quick decisions when debating which players to roster for the upcoming main DraftKings MLB slate.

One of the best ways to find hitter value in DraftKings MLB contests is through lineup slot upgrades after pricing has been set. These lineup slot upgrades often do not happen until teams release lineups a few hours before the game locks. Check back before lock to see potential updates to the rankings.


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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Gyroball [$100K to 1st]


Friday’s Red Sox/White Sox, Blue Jays/Royals and Mets/Rockies games have all been postponed due to rain/snow. Adjust your lineups accordingly.


DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds

Teams Moneyline Total Runs
Teams Moneyline Total Runs
LA Dodgers -190 Over 8
SEA Mariners +160 Under 8
CHI White Sox -114 Over 8
CLE Indians -103 Under 8
ATL Braves +110 Over 8.5
NY Yankees -129 Under 8.5
ARI Diamondbacks +123 Over 7.5
CIN Reds -143 Under 7.5
PIT Pirates +115 Over 8
DET Tigers -134 Under 8
BAL Orioles +100 Over 8.5
MIA Marlins -113 Under 8.5
SF Giants +140 Over 8.5
PHI Phillies -175 Under 8.5
STL Cadinals +120 Over 9
WAS Nationals -137 Under 9
TOR Blue Jays -103 Over 8
BOS Red Sox -114 Under 8
NY Mets -134 N/A
CHI Cubs +114 N/A
TB Rays -103 Over 8
KC Royals -113 Under 8
HOU Astros -136 Over 11
COL Rockies +117 Under 11
TEX Rangers +170 Over 8.5
LA Angels -200 Under 8.5
MIL Brewers +102 Over 7
SD Padres -117 Under 7

Pitchers

All

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
Corbin Burnes RP SD $10,800
Chris Paddack SP MIL $10,000
Sean Manaea SP MIN $8,000
Patrick Corbin SP STL $7,200
Luis Castillo SP ARI $6,600
Nick Neidert SP BAL $5,600

Hitters

Studs ($5,000+)

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
Mike Trout OF TEX $6,100
Ronald Acuna Jr. OF NYY $6,000
Juan Soto OF STL $5,900
Bryce Harper OF SF $5,600
Freddie Freeman 1B NYY $5,500
Aaron Judge OF ATL $5,500
Nolan Arenado 3B WAS $5,000

Midrange ($4,000-$4,900)

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
Kyle Schwarber OF STL $4,900
Jared Walsh 1B/OF TEX $4,800
Carlos Correa SS COL $4,800
Francisco Lindor SS CHC $4,700
Rhys Hoskins 1B SF $4,700
Michael Brantley OF COL $4,600
Josh Bell 1B STL $4,400
Giancarlo Stanton OF ATL $4,400
Marcell Ozuna OF NYY $4,400
Kyle Tucker OF COL $4,300
Austin Meadows OF KC $4,100

Salary Relief ($3,900 and under)

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2B/SS BAL $3,900
Randal Grichuk OF BOS $3,800
Paul DeJong SS WAS $3,700
Jeff McNeil 2B CHC $3,600
Avisail Garcia OF SD $3,500
Brian Anderson 3B BAL $3,500
Michael Conforto OF CHC $3,500
Brandon Nimmo OF CHC $3,500
Justin Upton OF TEX $3,500
Jorge Soler OF TB $3,300
Corey Dickerson OF BAL $3,100
Brandon Belt 1B PHI $3,000

Offense Notes

Tough Weather for Astros at Coors Field

The most challenging decision point in GPPs is often the opposing team coming into Coors Field, and the Astros present a unique challenge today with their prices being much lower than we’re used to seeing. Houston is still going to be without Jose Altuve who is on the COVID IL, but they may be getting Alex Bregman ($5,400) and Yordan Alvarez ($5,000) back into the lineup. Those are actually the only two Astros priced at at least 5K, however, and the rest of the offense seemingly comes at an extreme bargain. The Astros should easily be the highest owned team on Tuesday’s slate, and the logic makes sense with them being so affordable in such a good hitting environment, but the extra consideration for today is that the cold weather may make this less favorable of a matchup than it usually is. The bottom line is that the Astros are clear values, but maybe not as valuable as the field will expect, and they’re likely good cash game plays but over-owned GPP plays. This is a slate with double digit games, and looking elsewhere in large-field tournaments may be the right move.

Is Diamondbacks Leverage Worth It?

The highest owned pitcher on Tuesday’s slate is almost certainly going to be Luis Castillo ($6,600), who is dramatically underpriced for the caliber of pitcher that he is and also the strong matchup that he has against the Diamondbacks offense. Castillo has had a volatile start to the 2021 season, with one good, one average, and one terrible start in his first three appearances. His upside is tremendous for such a low price tag despite the mixed results, so the only real difficulty is figuring out whether his ownership will exceed his probability of success. On the opposite side of this game, the Dbacks offense is extremely cheap, and they likely won’t be very popular due to the sheer volume of Castillo ownership across all formats. Castillo should be able to pitch well against this subpar lineup and score well for his price tag, but the opportunity for such extreme leverage is worth considering in large-field tournaments as well.

Under-owned Offenses in New York and Boston

With so many lineups likely containing a bunch of hitters from Coors tonight, there are bound to be some high-upside offenses that are far too low-owned. The games in New York and Boston seem like two of the best contrarian spots to target, with the expensive prices on the Braves, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Red Sox likely keeping a lot of the ownership there in check. One relevant detail to keep an eye on is whether Ronald Acuna Jr. ($6,000) is in the lineup, as the Braves become far less appealing without him playing. The Yankees have actually seen a bit of a price drop due to their recent struggles, but they should remain unpopular with a below-average matchup against Charlie Morton ($8,100). The pitching matchup in Boston between Hyun Jin Ryu ($8,700) and Eduardo Rodriguez ($8,000) is decent as well, but the Jays and Red Sox are simply two good offenses that almost no one is going to prioritize today.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Gyroball [$100K to 1st]


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