MLB DFS action on Monday, April 19, features six games across three 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 Giants, Angels and Dodgers
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Monday, April 19th
Yahoo Stack of the Day: San Francisco Giants at RP Chase Anderson — 4.4 implied runs
Monday brings half a dozen games and no clear-cut gas can on the mound. Normally, that would lead to advocating the Cardinals against Joe Ross. Based on the early results of 11 shutout innings, it looks like opting out of last season allowed Ross to finally get back to full health. So that redirects focus to Chase Anderson.
Anderson’s fastball velocity has ticked down, and he has been relying more on his changeup, which has a solid 9-10 mph differential. However, he tends to pitch in the zone, which is leading to more and more hard contact and home runs. In his last 678 righty/lefty matchups, he has a 1.35 HR/9, 21.1% strikeout rate and 9.0% walk rate. In that same timeframe, he has faced 750 same-handed batsmen, who have produced a 2.13 HR/9, 20.4% strikeouts and 8.1% walks.
Though it will be a cool evening in Philadelphia with first pitch temperatures in the upper-50s, Citizens Bank Park is a hitting upgrade for the Giants. It looks like the Yahoo salary algorithm is providing a discount on most of their key batters, which will allow for salary cap flexibility to work in a lineup with both Brandon Woodruff and Joe Musgrove while still having competent hitters.
The preferred hitters tonight are the trio of San Francisco lefties in Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson and Brandon Belt. Yastrzemski has been outstanding the last two seasons, while Dickerson turned things around almost immediately after falling out of favor in San Diego and getting a second lease on his career with the Giants. Brandon Crawford can also chip in with some pop and the occasional stolen base. Evan Longoria still has power and profiles well against Anderson. It certainly isn’t a sexy stack, but it is viable for tonight’s six-game slate.
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Evening Slate
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. RHP Kohei Arihara — 4.9 implied runs
After spending six seasons in Japan, Kohei Arihara is now plying his trade in the MLB. While he has survived in his first three starts, the crooked numbers are coming soon. Across 14.2 innings, he has scattered 14 hits and walked just one batter. However, he has struck out only seven, and projections systems agree that while he will have a low walk rate, he is going to have home run issues.
The Angels had the weekend off after the Twins series was abruptly postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in that organization. Everyone should be fresh and ready to go tonight. It will be a reunion of sorts for Arihara and Shohei Ohtani, who were teammates in Japan for three seasons. Ohtani continues to amaze, and pairing him with Mike Trout is a no-brainer. After that, gamers can mix and match with Albert Pujols and talented youngster Jared Walsh. Kurt Suzuki still has some power, and at the bottom of the order he can be part of a wrap-around stack with David Fletcher, leading back to Ohtani and Trout.
Late Slate
Los Angeles Dodgers at LHP Justus Sheffield — 4.7 implied runs
While Cody Bellinger is out with a hairline fracture in his left leg, the Dodgers will get the benefit of the designated hitter tonight with this game being played under American League rules. It is going to be 69 degrees in Seattle tonight, and there is no precipitation in the forecast.
Justus Sheffield has had moments of brilliance with Seattle, but he still projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter at best. The Dodgers have a veritable All-Star team even without Bellinger. Mookie Betts, Justin Turner and Will Smith are the primary targets. A.J. Pollock can still get it done against southpaws, and his salary is close to the minimum on every DFS site. Finally, Chris Taylor gives lefties fits and could have some minute revenge narrative impact given he played for the Mariners five years ago. Gamers could also go to Corey Seager and Max Muncy, who are solid MLB DFS picks against same-handed hurlers. The Mariners only have one lefty in the bullpen, so Seager and Muncy should each see a couple at-bats with the platoon advantage later in the game.
Final Thoughts for the Monday, April 19th MLB DFS Slate
It looks like there should not be any weather issues today, and there is a nice mix of top-shelf pitching to make things interesting in tournaments. 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.
