It's a full schedule full of night games on Friday, and there are several big-name pitchers set to take the hill. Unfortunately, more than a couple of the top options have bad matchups, making them riskier than usual in daily fantasy baseball contests. Conversely, it also makes it more enticing to pick certain hitters against them, but that could be a sucker's move.
We'll start with the pitchers, where Jon Lester is facing a Reds team that has been crushing lefties this year (.876 OPS), Jacob deGrom is facing the majors' top offense (Nationals), and Johnny Cueto is pitching in Colorado. We still like Lester, who's allowed just two runs all year, but deGrom, who's been equally as dominating, gets bumped down a few spots because of how well the Nationals have been hitting. He's still a top-five guy, but Justin Verlander, Corey Kluber, and Cole Hamels all have great matchups, and we know they have just as much upside. Cueto gets bumped down a few more spots.
All are still in play in DFS contests, but there are plenty of good (and cheaper) pivots. CC Sabathia and Adam Conley have solid matchups, even if their ceilings are a bit limited; Jeremy Hellickson and Bartolo Colon are going head-to-head, so one stands a decent chance of walking away with a win; and Alex Wood, Dylan Bundy, Tyler Glasnow, and Drew Pomeranz are you boom-or-bust options of the day, as all four could rack up big Ks, but walks -- as well as tough matchups -- are worries.
MORE DFS: Lineup Builder
Daily Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Pitchers
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Lester, LHP | CHC | at CIN |
| 2 | Justin Verlander, RHP | DET | at MIN |
| 3 | Corey Kluber, RHP | CLE | at CWS |
| 4 | Cole Hamels, LHP | TEX | vs. KC |
| 5 | Jacob deGrom, RHP | NYM | vs. WAS |
| 6 | Jose Quintana, LHP | CWS | vs. CLE |
| 7 | Johnny Cueto, RHP | SF | at COL |
| 8 | Sean Manaea, LHP | OAK | vs. SEA |
| 9 | Tanner Roark, RHP | WAS | at NYM |
| 10 | CC Sabathia, LHP | NYY | at PIT |
| 11 | Adam Conley, LHP | MIA | at SD |
| 12 | Jeremy Hellickson, RHP | PHI | vs. ATL |
| 13 | Alex Wood, LHP | LAD | at ARI |
| 14 | Dylan Bundy, RHP | BAL | vs. BOS |
| 15 | Hector Santiago, RHP | MIN | vs. DET |
| 16 | Tyler Glasnow, RHP | PIT | vs. NYY |
| 17 | Bartolo Colon, RHP | ATL | at PHI |
| 18 | Drew Pomeranz, LHP | BOS | at BAL |
| 19 | Alex Cobb, RHP | TB | vs. HOU |
| 20 | Wily Peralta, RHP | MIL | vs. STL |
| 21 | Adam Wainwright, RHP | STL | at MIL |
| 22 | Hisashi Iwakuma, RHP | SEA | at OAK |
| 23 | Taijuan Walker, RHP | ARI | vs. LAD |
| 24 | Mike Fiers, RHP | HOU | at TB |
| 25 | Tyler Chatwood, RHP | COL | vs. SF |
| 26 | Trevor Cahill, RHP | SD | vs. MIA |
| 27 | Nate Karns, RHP | KC | at TEX |
| 28 | Mat Latos, RHP | TOR | at LAA |
| 29 | Alex Meyer, LHP | LAA | vs. TOR |
| 30 | Tim Adleman, RHP | CIN | vs. CHC |
Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks: Friday, April 21
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Does it get any better than a full slate of games on a Friday? There are only a few minor weather concerns, so we won’t let that affect today's Playbook. We’ll simply scour the slate and find the best point producers and values. emember to use this as a guide when setting your lineups today. We also have the Hitting Coach, Pitching Coach, and all of the tools you need to succeed. Learn. Play. Win. -- Nick Berns
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp. | FD | DK | Y! | Analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Corey Kluber (R) | Indians | @White Sox | $9900 | $10800 | $58 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Johnny Cueto (R) | Giants | @Rockies | $8300 | $8100 | $49 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Justin Verlander (R) | Tigers | @Twins | $9400 | $10300 | $52 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Jon Lester (L) | Cubs | @Reds | $10600 | $10600 | $56 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Jacob deGrom (R) | Mets | Nationals | $10300 | $10200 | $52 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Sean Manaea (L) | Athletics | Mariners | $7400 | $7800 | $41 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Cole Hamels (L) | Rangers | Royals | $9400 | $9300 | $44 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Alex Meyer (R) | Angels | Blue Jays | $6000 | $4700 | $ | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Taijuan Walker (R) | D-backs | Dodgers | $7400 | $7900 | $38 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | José Quintana (R) | White Sox | Indians | $8200 | $7700 | $40 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Buster Posey (R) | Giants | @Rockies | $4500 | $5100 | $20 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Yasmani Grandal (B) | Dodgers | @D-backs | $2800 | $3500 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Willson Contreras (R) | Cubs | @Reds | $2800 | $4000 | $11 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Jeff Mathis (R) | D-backs | Dodgers | $2000 | $2300 | $7 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo (L) | Cubs | @Reds | $4200 | $5300 | $19 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Freddie Freeman (L) | Braves | @Phillies | $4600 | $4600 | $26 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Brandon Belt (L) | Giants | @Rockies | $3900 | $5000 | $21 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Matt Carpenter (L) | Cardinals | @Brewers | $2900 | $4700 | $15 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Joe Mauer (L) | Twins | Tigers | $2900 | $3500 | $7 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | José Altuve (R) | Astros | @Rays | $4200 | $4500 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | Jonathan Villar (B) | Brewers | Cardinals | $2900 | $4500 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | Dee Gordon (L) | Marlins | @Padres | $3100 | $4300 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | Ian Kinsler (R) | Tigers | @Twins | $3200 | $4400 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Kris Bryant (R) | Cubs | @Reds | $4100 | $5200 | $21 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado (R) | Rockies | Giants | $4800 | $5300 | $27 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Eduardo Núñez (R) | Giants | @Rockies | $3700 | $5000 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Jedd Gyorko (R) | Cardinals | @Brewers | $2500 | $3900 | $11 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Aledmys Diaz (R) | Cardinals | @Brewers | $2800 | $4500 | $13 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Corey Seager (L) | Dodgers | @D-backs | $3500 | $4600 | $17 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Carlos Correa (R) | Astros | @Rays | $3700 | $4400 | $15 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Dansby Swanson (R) | Braves | @Phillies | $2500 | $3300 | $9 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Mike Trout (R) | Angels | Blue Jays | $4900 | $5300 | $26 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Ryan Braun (R) | Brewers | Cardinals | $4500 | $5000 | $26 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Mookie Betts (R) | Red Sox | @Orioles | $4200 | $5400 | $20 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Nelson Cruz (R) | Mariners | @Athletics | $3900 | $4200 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| COF | Joc Pederson (L) | Dodgers | @D-backs | $2500 | $3800 | $14 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Gerardo Parra (L) | Rockies | Giants | $3400 | $3900 | $15 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Michael Brantley (L) | Indians | @White Sox | $4000 | $4200 | $17 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Yasmany Tomás (R) | D-backs | Dodgers | $3200 | $3900 | $17 | GO PRO ! |
Yahoo! DailyMORE: GO PRO with Fantasy Alarm
Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Picks: Friday, April 21
There are a few players that I didn’t do a full write-up on but like for value plays and may make it into my Optimal Lineups. They include:
C - Victor Martinez - FD (yes, he’s still a C there)
C - Brian McCann (HOU) - DK
C - Cameron Rupp (PHI) - FD
C - Derek Norris (TB) - Y!
1B - Mike Napoli (TEX) - FD
1B - Justin Bour (MIA) - DK
1B - Albert Pujols (LAA) - FD
2B - Jed Lowrie (OAK) - FD / DK
3B - Maikel Franco (PHI) - FD
3B - Adonis Garcia (ATL) - FD / Y!
3B - Martin Prado (MIA) - FD
SS - Addison Russell (CHC) - FD
SS - Tim Beckham (TB) - Y!
OF - Carlos Beltran (HOU) - FD
OF - Kevin Kiermaier (TB) - DK
OF - Rajai Davis (OAK) - Y!