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Fantasy Baseball Rankings: DraftKings MLB DFS Picks for April 22

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

Boston Red Sox v. Baltimore Orioles Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Thursday’s main DraftKings MLB slate has a start time of 6:10 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.

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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]


Notable Lineup Absences

Team Name Position Injury Status
Team Name Position Injury Status
New York Mets Brandon Nimmo CF Kevin Pillar will continue to start in Nimmo's absence.

DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds

Teams Moneyline Total Runs
Teams Moneyline Total Runs
ARI Diamondbacks +125 Over 8.5
CIN Reds -148 Under 8.5
PIT Pirates +104 Over 8.5
DET Tigers -121 Under 8.5
NY Yankees -107 Over 8
CLE Indians -109 Under 8
SEA Mariners +145 Over 9
BOS Red Sox -175 Under 9
NY Mets -115 Over 9
CHI Cubs +100 Under 9
LA Angels +110 Over 8.5
HOU Astros -129 Under 8.5
MIA Marlins +125 Over 8.5
SF Giants -150 Under 8.5
SD Padres +155 Over 8
LA Dodgers -182 Under 8

Pitchers

All

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
Walker Buehler SP SD $10,000
Nick Pivetta SP SEA $7,400
Cristian Javier SP LAA $9,600
Aaron Sanchez SP MIA $7,100

Hitters

Studs ($5,000+)

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
J.D. Martinez OF SEA $6,000
Mookie Betts OF SD $5,900
Mike Trout OF HOU $5,800
Rafael Devers 3B SEA $5,800
Xander Bogaerts SS SEA $5,700
Shohei Ohtani 1B/OF HOU $5,100
Pete Alonso 1B CHC $5,000

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

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
Alex Bregman 3B LAA $4,800
Fernando Tatis Jr. SS LAD $4,800
Francisco Lindor SS CHC $4,700
Dominic Smith OF CHC $4,600
Yordan Alvarez OF LAA $4,500
Anthony Rizzo 1B NYM $4,400
Alex Verdugo OF SEA $4,400
Jeff McNeil 2B CHC $4,200
Kyle Tucker OF LAA $4,200
Mitch Haniger OF BOS $4,100
Kike Hernandez OF SEA $4,100

Salary Relief ($3,900 and under)

Player Name Position Opp Salary
Player Name Position Opp Salary
Ian Happ OF NYM $3,900
Bobby Dalbec 1B SEA $3,800
Ty France 2B BOS $3,700
Marwin Gonzalez 1B/3B SEA $3,700
Brandon Nimmo OF CHC $3,700
J.D. Davis 3B CHC $3,600
Michael Conforto OF CHC $3,500
Justin Upton OF HOU $3,300
AJ Pollock OF SD $3,200

Offense Notes

Winds Boosting Offense at Wrigley

The Mets and Cubs combined for 20 runs on Wednesday night (16-4 Cubs) and offense for their game on Thursday should be plentiful once again. It’s not warm enough in Chicago to get the optimal wind situation (the ball travels further in the summer) but there is expected to be some wind blowing out towards center field. The Mets in particular look like an appealing stack against Trevor Williams ($8,500), with a few expensive players in their lineup but also some underpriced outfielders like Brandon Nimmo ($3,700) and Michael Conforto ($3,500). The other side of the game could be more appealing in GPPs, with the Cubs going against a better pitcher in Joey Lucchesi ($6,500), which likely will make them significantly lower owned than the Mets. The Cubs offense isn’t as good as the Mets and they’re similarly priced, but they have plenty of upside with the aforementioned windy conditions.

Is Boston too Expensive?

The Red Sox are in arguably the best spot on the slate against Justin Dunn ($6,800) and the Mariners, and there’s expected to be some significant wind blowing out to right field. The Red Sox offense has played well lately and this would ordinarily make them an extremely popular stack, but their prices may be high enough that it’ll be too hard for too many people to prioritize them. J.D. Martinez ($6,000), Xander Bogaerts ($5,800), and Rafael Devers ($5,700) are among the highest owned players on the slate, and there’s not much salary relief in the lineup either that would help to make them more affordable. Boston’s hitters won’t be unowned by any stretch, but they could wind up being a secondary choice for most people and that would make them pretty appealing.

Leverage Spot for the Padres

Walker Buehler ($10,000) is the one true ace on Thursday’s slate, or at least that’s what most people seem to think of him. Buehler is widely regarded as an elite starting pitcher, and while he’s certainly a very good pitcher, his actual numbers seem to fall short of the hype that surrounds him. Buehler is going to be a popular choice on a night where there aren’t any other pitchers on his level, but his matchup is actually fairly difficult against an above average Padres offense. With Buehler being popular and the Padres surely being unpopular, there’s an opportunity here to get some good hitters at low ownership that will provide leverage against the field in GPPs.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]


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