Sunday features a fairly weak pitching slate that's headlined by three aces (Max Scherzer, Danny Salazar, Yu Darvish), so those in big daily fantasy baseball contests might need to dig a bit for sleeper and value picks when it comes to the foundation of their lineups.
Michael Fulmer, John Lackey, Mike Leake, Ivan Nova (revenge game alert), and Marcus Stroman aren't bad consolation prizes, but if you're looking for a little more differentiation for your GPP picks, the Yankees' Jordan Montgomery is a boom-or-bust type who can rack up Ks in a favorable matchup against the Pirates. Atlanta's Mike Foltynewicz and Arizona's Shelby Miller are two more guys with nasty stuff, though neither could really harness it last year. The results have been different for Miller this season, but he has a tough home matchup vs. the Dodgers; Foltynewicz has a much more favorable matchup against the Phillies, but you never know what you're getting with him. Oakland's Andrew Triggs might be a sucker's play even though he hasn't allowed a run in three starts, but clearly his ground-ball pitch is working for him early this year, so he's in the mix.
Going deeper, four pitchers with plenty of talent but terrible situations are also (barely) in play in GPPs (Eduardo Rodriguez at BAL, Kevin Gausman vs. BOS, Jeff Samardzija at COL, Kyle Freeland vs. SF in Colorado), but stay away in cash games and streaming in standard leagues. You could go as deep as Nos. 17 or 18 in our rankings for streams/cash plays, though you probably shouldn't need to dip quite that low.
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Daily Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Pitchers
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Scherzer, RHP | WAS | at NYM |
| 2 | Danny Salazar, RHP | CLE | at CWS |
| 3 | Yu Darvish, RHP | TEX | vs. KC |
| 4 | Michael Fulmer, RHP | DET | at MIN |
| 5 | John Lackey, RHP | CHC | at CIN |
| 6 | Mike Leake, RHP | STL | at MIL |
| 7 | Ivan Nova, RHP | PIT | vs. NYY |
| 8 | Marcus Stroman, RHP | TOR | at LAA |
| 9 | Jordan Montgomery, LHP | NYY | at PIT |
| 10 | Jimmy Nelson, RHP | MIL | vs. STL |
| 11 | Jason Hammel, RHP | KC | at TEX |
| 12 | Andrew Triggs, RHP | OAK | vs. SEA |
| 13 | Mike Foltynewicz, RHP | ATL | at PHI |
| 14 | Brandon McCarthy, RHP | LAD | at ARI |
| 15 | Derek Holland, LHP | CWS | vs. CLE |
| 16 | Shelby Miller, RHP | ARI | vs. LAD |
| 17 | Zack Wheeler, RHP | NYM | vs. WAS |
| 18 | Joe Musgrove, RHP | HOU | at TB |
| 19 | Kevin Gausman, RHP | BAL | vs. BOS |
| 20 | Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP | BOS | at BAL |
| 21 | Jeff Samardzija, RHP | SF | at COL |
| 22 | Kyle Freeland, LHP | COL | vs. SF |
| 23 | Kyle Gibson, RHP | MIN | vs. DET |
| 24 | Tom Koehler, RHP | MIA | at SD |
| 25 | Luis Perdomo, RHP | SD | at MIA |
| 26 | Matt Andriese, RHP | TB | vs. HOU |
| 27 | Yovani Gallardo, RHP | MIL | at OAK |
| 28 | Jesse Chavez, RHP | LAA | vs. TOR |
| 29 | Zach Eflin, RHP | PHI | vs. ATL |
| 30 | Bronson Arroyo, RHP | CIN | vs. CHC |
Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks: Sunday, April 23
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Sunday baseball on both DraftKings and FanDuel continues to keep their main slates as the early games only. Today, that includes eight games but keeps out the more fantasy-friendly matchups from the afternoon (and Max Scherzer in the Sunday night game). Pitching wise, picking that No. 2 pitcher spot on DK may be the difference today. After Danny Salazer, I feel that it is pretty wide open. The good news is that there are zero weather concerns for the slate, with the wind also being a non-factor. Remember to follow the lineups page, and player alarms on Fantasy Alarm up-to-date info. Good luck! -- Ben Scherr
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp. | FD | DK | Y! | Analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Danny Salazar (R) | Indians | @White Sox | $10100 | $11300 | $47 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Mike Leake (R) | Cardinals | @Brewers | $7900 | $7000 | $37 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Michael Fulmer (R) | Tigers | @Twins | $9000 | $9900 | $44 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | John Lackey (R) | Cubs | @Reds | $9200 | $9800 | $42 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| DH | Victor Martínez (B) | Tigers | @Twins | $2700 | $3900 | $8 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Welington Castillo (R) | Orioles | Red Sox | $2900 | $3900 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| C | Brian McCann (L) | Astros | @Rays | $2800 | $3400 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Jett Bandy (R) | Brewers | Cardinals | $2900 | $2800 | $10 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo (L) | Cubs | @Reds | $4200 | $5500 | $20 | GO PRO ! | |
| DH | Edwin Encarnación (R) | Indians | @White Sox | $3600 | $4600 | $17 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Matt Carpenter (L) | Cardinals | @Brewers | $3100 | $4800 | $16 | GO PRO ! | |
| DH | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| 2B | José Altuve (R) | Astros | @Rays | $4000 | $4900 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | César Hernández (B) | Phillies | Braves | $3500 | $3500 | $19 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | Ben Zobrist (B) | Cubs | @Reds | $2800 | $4800 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | Brandon Phillips (R) | Braves | @Phillies | $3400 | $3800 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| 3B | José Ramírez (B) | Indians | @White Sox | $4100 | $4100 | $19 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Manny Machado (R) | Orioles | Red Sox | $3600 | $4900 | $15 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| 3B | Nick Castellanos (R) | Tigers | @Twins | $3200 | $4000 | $15 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Francisco Lindor (B) | Indians | @White Sox | $4000 | $4400 | $21 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Addison Russell (R) | Cubs | @Reds | $2700 | $4200 | $17 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Aledmys Diaz (R) | Cardinals | @Brewers | $2900 | $4500 | $16 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Xander Bogaerts (R) | Red Sox | @Orioles | $3300 | $5000 | $16 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| RF | Mookie Betts (R) | Red Sox | @Orioles | $4400 | $5500 | $20 | GO PRO ! | |
| RF | Jason Heyward (L) | Cubs | @Reds | $2800 | $3900 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| CF | Dexter Fowler (B) | Cardinals | @Brewers | $3100 | $4900 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| CF | Aaron Altherr (R) | Phillies | Braves | $2900 | $3600 | $10 | GO PRO ! | |
| RF | Josh Reddick (L) | Astros | @Rays | $2800 | $3600 | $12 | GO PRO ! |
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