MLB DFS action on Friday, April 23, features 15 games across four slates with giant contests on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Before locking in MLB DFS picks and lineups, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy baseball top stacks, picks, rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some MLB DFS picks and daily fantasy baseball stacks, including the Mets, Athletics and Astros.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Friday, April 23rd
Yahoo Stack of the Day: New York Mets vs. RHP Erick Fedde — 4.6 implied runs
The story of the lack of run support for Jacob deGrom is a fun one, though it is really not true. He has made 47 starts since the beginning of the 2019 season, and the Mets have backed him with 4.5 runs on average, including at least six in one-third of those appearances. Today runs should not be an issue with Erick Fedde on the mound for the Nationals.
Every time Fedde’s turn comes up in the Nationals’ rotation, he is a viable pitcher to target. In his 93.1 career innings against lefties, he has a subpar 14% strikeout rate, an incredibly generous 10% walk rate, a .180 ISO and a 1.35 HR/9 leading to crooked numbers for the opposition. Across 100.2 innings facing same-handed batsmen, he has ceded a 1.79 HR/9, walked 10%, allowed a .190 ISO and struck out 16.4%, still well below league average.
Brandon Nimmo is dealing with a sore hip and may get another game to recover. If he is out, that should elevate Jeff McNeil to the leadoff positions. Francisco Lindor ($15), Dominic Smith ($17), Pete Alonso ($20) and Michael Conforto ($16) all have appropriate salaries for this matchup on Yahoo.
These are similar salaries to the Rockies, who will be squaring off in Coors Field against Vince Velasquez. That is where the masses are likely to flock, which makes the Mets an excellent pivot on all DFS sites. Keep in mind it will be in the upper-40s in Denver during the Rockies game, while it will be in the low-60s in New York with an 8- to 12-mph breeze blowing out to right field.
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Main Slate
Oakland Athletics at RHP Jorge Lopez — 4.8 implied runs
This is a nice park upgrade for the Athletics, who will be in Camden Yard for this weekend series. The Orioles were off yesterday, so their bullpen should be fresh, but that really doesn’t matter. To be fair, they have not been horrible this year, but the season is still young. Their relievers are a mix of failed starters, guys no one has ever heard of, and then Tanner Scott.
Jorge Lopez is constantly living on the edge, with his 47% ground-ball rate at odds with his 19.9% HR/FB and 1.88 HR/9 rate over his last 162.2 innings. Lefties Matt Olson and Mitch Moreland are options at either end of the salary range, and Lopez has allowed a 2.34 HR/9 to lefties over the last two-plus season. The A’s righties pack a wallop as well, and Lopez has been far too friendly with same-handed batsmen, posting a 1.54 HR/9 in this same timeframe. Look to Mark Canha, Matt Chapman and Ramon Laureano to round out a full stack. Catcher Sean Murphy and switch-hitting Jed Lowrie are also viable MLB DFS picks to differentiate lineups tonight.
Evening Slate
Houston Astros vs. LHP Andrew Heaney — 4.4 implied runs
There is some potential precipitation in the Houston forecast tonight, but with the retractable roof at Minute Maid Park, there should be no trouble with this game barring any unforeseen circumstances. Andrew Heaney has allowed just one home run over his 14.1 innings, with an outstanding 19 punchouts. Heaney relies on his 93-mph fastball most of the time while working in his cutter and above-average changeup to keep hitters guessing. However, as a hard thrower that live around the plate with a 45% hard-hit rate and a 1.60 HR/9 over his last 162.0 innings, danger is always lurking under the surface.
The Astros are fully healthy, with the exception of Jose Altuve, who is still in the health and safety protocol. They are loaded with batters that can crush southpaws, so that is only a minor knock against them. Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel lead the way swinging the stick from the right side of the plate. Michael Brantley and Kyle Tucker can hold their own in same-handed matchups. Saving the best for last, Yordan Alvarez has a career .322 ISO against fellow lefties, which is the same mark he has against righties.
Late Slate
Miami Marlins at LHP Alex Wood — 3.3 implied runs
The two-game late slate is loaded with pitching, as aces Yu Darvish and Clayton Kershaw square off in Chavez Ravine. In the other game, both Sandy Alcantara and Alex Wood are solid hurlers, though they are seeing a boost with the opposition not bringing many scary bats into the mix.
Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford are all nursing minor injuries, so this points to the Marlins. Back and shoulder injuries have limited Wood to just 17 appearances, spanning 53.1 innings, since the beginning of the 2019 season. In his first seven seasons, Wood has topped 120 innings just three times and 155 innings once. While he still has flashes of brilliance, his home run rate has more than doubled over the back half of his decade in The Show.
The Giants used four right-handed relievers Thursday night, and while only one was pitching on consecutive days, there is a good chance one or more of their four lefties will relieve tonight. While a full stack is tough to get to, righties Miguel Rojas, Adam Duvall, Jesus Aguilar and Jon Berti all have above-average power against opposite-handed hurlers. The savings they provide will allow gamers to target Darvish and/or Kershaw Friday night.
Final Thoughts for the Friday, April 23rd MLB DFS Slate
While there is not any precipitation in the forecast, with Wednesday and Thursday being the main MLB travel days, some reserves could draw starts. Also keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
