MLB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Tuesday Playbook

Happy Tuesday, welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for April 22nd!

We’re diving into the action with a 10-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel, kicking off at 7:10 ET. With a packed day of baseball ahead, our expert analysis is here to guide you through the top pitchers, value plays, and stackable offenses to target.

Whether you’re hunting for GPP glory or locking in cash game success, we’ve got tailored insights to help you conquer today’s matchups. Let’s dive into the key plays and strategies to dominate the slate!

This season's MLB DFS picks and playbook will consist of a pitcher and hitter core players section with written analysis, player pool grid and core stacks section.

The core player section should be used as a starting point for all lineups, you may not be able to use all players in the same lineup, but those players should be the building blocks for you on a given night.

The player pool grid will feature both players from the core player section along with additional plays to help you build a complete lineup. The grid will be broken into top priced players, mid-priced players and value tier players.

The stacks section will bring you our favorite lineups stacks for the day and which players we would look to include in those stacks based on matchups and pricing.

There will also be a daily MLB DFS Show with a variety of hosts ranging from myself, Jon Impemba, Howard Bender, and James Grande. The MLB DFS Show will give you an initial outlook on the day's MLB DFS slate and should give you a good base for the start of your research each day! 

Make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel so you never miss a show! Also, join the Fantasy Alarm Discord to get your DFS lineup questions answered by our MLB DFS team! Plus, as always, be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, with the Daily MLB Projections, MLB DFS Rostership Projections, and our MLB DFS Lineup Generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting.

MLB DFS Picks & MLB Playbook

MLB Weather: Monday, 4/22

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves

• Most of the rain should arrive prior to the game, but there is a chance for a late start. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on as we approach roster lock to confirm when exactly the rain is expected to end. 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs

• There is a significant chance of rain right around first pitch. It should clear up into the evening, but there is a chance for a late start or early in-game delay.

Colorado Rockies vs. Kansas City Royals 

• There is expected to be rain in the area, but it is not currently projected to impact the game. It worth noting and monitoring since this game features the top pitcher on the slate, 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

With 20 pitchers toeing the slab in a starting role on this slate, it is somewhat surprising not one of them is priced above $9,000 on DraftKings. FanDuel has been more proactive with their pricing, and it has led to some uncomfortable prices for names like Chris Bassitt and Kris Bubic at the top tier of the salary range. 

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Bailey Ober, Minnesota Twins

Who did Bailey Ober offend over at DraftKings? This is easily the biggest misprice of the season so far at $6,900 facing an anemic White Sox offense. To put it into context, Ober is one of the top salary-considered pitching options on FanDuel at $8,900. I expect him to be the stone chalk on DK, and still I intend to have more exposure than the field. 

Ober has an established track record as a quality big league starter, with an above average 3.85 ERA that spans four-plus seasons. His .286 BABIP this season is his highest mark since his rookie season, and his ridiculously high 17.9% HR/FB rate would be a career high. He got blown up in his first start of the season and has been completely fine since then. The positive regression began the moment he exited that first start in St. Louis, and I certainly do not expect it to slow down with the league's worst offense on the other side of this matchup. 

Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals

Bubic was showing signs of a breakout back in 2023 before he went under the knife for Tommy John Surgery. After a long recovery, he returned to KC in a relief role mid-2024. The lefty was electric out of the bullpen, operating with a velocity increase and the same elite command he had displayed in his brief three-start breakout in 2023. 

Bubic has seen his command take a step backwards as he re-acclimates to the rotation, but he has maintained his improved pitch offerings for the most part. All of the underlying metrics suggest Bubic has significantly above average ability to generate strike outs. His 14.5 percent swinging-strike rate and three pitches with a whiff rate above 34 percent leave me completely buying into him as a pitcher that can approach a 30 percent strikeout rate this season.

That's a lot of context to say…he faces the Rockies outside of Coors Field and you should play him in DFS contests. But also, this current version of Kris Bubic is much more of a strikeout artist than the soft-tossing lefty from 2022. 

Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays

Chris Bassitt is off to a phenomenal start this season, with a 0.77 ERA and an insane 6.20 K/BB ratio through four starts. There is nothing in the underlying data to suggest regression in his numbers. His swinging-strike rate is up at 13.6 percent this season, and the whiff rates on all his pitches are significantly better than last season. Am I implying Bassitt has taken a massive leap forward in his age 36 season? Not particularly, but there isn't anything so far to suggest what he has accomplished through four starts isn't real, and he has done it against four offenses (ATL, BOS, NYM, BAL) expected to be above average. There is a foundation here of an excellent starting pitcher with a long track record, so any improvement is worth noting.

The matchup for Bassitt comes against the Astros in Houston today, who feature an extremely right-handed heavy lineup. The Jays righty has had his struggles with lefties in recent seasons, so the matchup is a plus for him despite a below average strikeout rate from Houston. 

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies

Sanchez has a few above average seasons under his belt now as a ground-ball pitcher with excellent control, but we are seeing the strikeouts pop early in 2025. The swinging-strike rate is up to 15.5 percent and the called-strike-whiff rate is an elite 33.0 percent, suggesting Sanchez might truly be breaking out as an elite strikeout pitcher. His change-up has been absolutely filthy, with a whiff rate of nearly 54 percent and a put-away rate of over 32 percent. 

The matchup for Sanchez against the Mets is not near as good as Kris Bubic against the Rockies or even Chris Bassitt against the Astros, but Sanchez has just as much upside given his new strikeout ability.  

Ryan Feltner, Colorado Rockies

Brandon Pfaadt and Jose Soriano are fine options today, and I will have some exposure, but I am going off the board here for option number five. Feltner had spotty control and got knocked around in his last start facing an elite Dodgers offense, but his numbers this season prior to that start were hinting at a potential breakout. If Bailey Ober were appropriately priced, I would have significant interest in Feltner as an SP2 on DK. As it stands, Feltner will be just a large-field tournament sprinkle, but he is a guy I am monitoring early this season. 

Feltner is featuring three pitches that have a whiff rate north of 40 percent, and his swinging-strike rate is an above average 12.3 percent. He is doing this despite working with an average fastball velocity a click lower than last season. If his velocity returns to last season's levels as he builds arm strength, Feltner could post above average strikeout numbers. The Rockies righty is in a good spot today, facing a Royals offense that has struggled to the league's 2nd-worst wOBA this season. 

Core MLB DFS Hitters

The Athletics, Twins, Diamondbacks and Angels all have implied run totals above five runs, and there several teams just below that number. There is not shortage of bats in good spots on this 10-game slate. 
 

Athletics in Sutter Health Park

Patrick Corbin has made it through two starts relatively unscathed, and the underlying data actually backs up his performance. His hard hits and barrel rate have shown improvement from where they have been the past few seasons. With that said, it is only two starts and this is a horrible spot for him. Corbin has allowed 1.61 HR/9 over the past four-plus seasons, and the Athletics are loaded with righty power in a minor league ballpark that has played extremely hitter friendly. 

Brent Rooker burst onto the scene with 30 home runs in 2023, and he has not stopped hitting since. He owns a .319 ISO, 16.2 percent barrel rate and .406 wOBA against lefties since the beginning of last season. Shea Langeliers is also an elite option, with a .255 ISO, 12.6 percent barrel rate and .346 wOBA against lefties since last season. Tyler Soderstrom has been awesome this season, but Corbin does a better job of keeping the ball on the ground against lefties, so he is clearly behind Rooker and Langeliers today. Finally, A's top prospect Nick Kurtz is getting the call to make his MLB debut, but we may have to wait until tomorrow. Like Soderstrom, he is a lefty and the A's may elect to wait for a righty matchup for their promising young slugger.  

Texas Rangers in Sutter Health Park

The other side of the game in West Sacramento is equally as appealing with the Athletics turning to Osvaldo Bido on the mound. The A's righty has allowed over 50 percent fly balls and nearly 30 percent hard hits. He has been extremely fortunate with HR/FB luck in his young career, but that may soon become a problem (as soon as today) with the Athletics new home park being much more hitter friendly than in years past. 

Corey Seager is the clear cut top option for the Rangers, and he has a very friendly price tag on both sites. Seager got off to a slow start this season, but he is back to raking recently. He has a long track record as one of the best hitters in the league, and he owns a .255 ISO and 9.9 percent barrel rate against righties since the beginning of last season. Wyatt Langford figured things out in the second half of the season last year, and he has posted a .303 ISO against righties this season. Adolis Garcia also has significant power, with a .180 ISO and an elite 15.7 percent barrel rate against righties since last season. Ditto Josh Jung, who owns a .175 ISO and 10.4 percent barrel rate in that sample. 

Los Angeles Angels vs. Bailey Falter 

The Angels are in a good spot today against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter and his below average strikeout rate. The Halos can run out a slew of righties against Falter, and he owns just a 16.7 percent strikeout rate against righties since the beginning of last season. 

Jorge Soler has been elite against lefties in his career, and he owns a .226 ISO against them since last season. Mike Trout continues to mash home runs at an elite clip. Taylor Ward, Logan O'Hoppe, Zach Neto, Kyren Paris, and Jo Adell all own excellent barrel rates between 9.4%-15.7% against righties. 

Los Angeles Dodgers Power (weather permitting)

Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga has still gotten elite results in his second MLB season, but the underlying data suggest he has been nowhere near the pitcher he was last season. His strikeouts are down, his walks are up, and he is still allowing a ton of fly balls and hard contact. That is a recipe for disaster against a powerful Dodgers lineup. It is worth noting, Imanaga has faced a brutal schedule of offenses so far this season (LAD, ARI, SDP x2, TEX). He is still expected to be a very good pitcher, so I am power hunting Dodgers more than full stacking against Shota.

Shohei Ohtani has never had a problem with platoon splits, and Imanaga is fairly splits neutral, so fire away on the league's best hitter. Teoscar Hernandez has a long track record of obliterating left-handed pitching, and he owns a .318 ISO since last season against southpaws. The Dodgers best hitter against lefties since he was acquired? That would be one Mr. Tommy Edman, who has posted a ridiculous .373 ISO and .432 wOBA against lefties. 

Minnesota Twins vs. Davis Martin 

The Twins offense is off to a slow start this season, but they get a good matchup today against Davis Martin and have an implied run total above five runs. The White Sox righty has managed only a 13.1 percent strikeout rate this season and he has surrendered four home runs in four starts. 

Byron Buxton is in the best form and is the Twins best hitter, posting a .256 ISO since last season. The rest of the lineup has lackluster numbers this season, but Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach were both excellent against righties last season. 

Player Pool

• DraftKings
• FanDuel

$ Tier	SP	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	OF
High	Chris Bassitt $10,600		Pete Alonso $4,200			Bobby Witt $4,000	Kyle Tucker $4,500
	Kris Bubic $10,000		Bryce Harper $4,100				Corbin Carroll $4,400
	Cristopher Sánchez $9,900						Kyle Schwarber $4,300
							Shohei Ohtani $4,200
Medium	José Soriano $9,400	Shea Langeliers $3,300	Tyler Soderstrom $3,700	Mookie Betts $3,900	Austin Riley $3,300	Francisco Lindor $3,400	Mike Trout $3,700
	Brandon Pfaadt $9,200	Sean Murphy $3,300	Josh Naylor $3,300	Tommy Edman $3,300	Matt Chapman $3,100	Geraldo Perdomo $3,400	Byron Buxton $3,600
	Bailey Ober $8,900	Will Smith $3,100	Vladimir Guerrero $3,000	Jonathan Aranda $3,200	Josh Jung $3,100	Corey Seager $3,100	Teoscar Hernández $3,500
			Matt Olson $3,000	Kyren Paris $3,200		Trea Turner $3,100	Brent Rooker $3,400
			Pavin Smith $3,000	Ozzie Albies $3,200		Jacob Wilson $0	Wyatt Langford $3,400
							Lars Nootbaar $3,400
							Taylor Ward $3,300
							Jorge Soler $3,100
Low		Salvador Perez $2,700	Vinnie Pasquantino $2,900	Tyler Fitzgerald $2,900	Luis Rengifo $2,700	Bo Bichette $2,900	Adolis García $2,900
		Ryan Jeffers $2,600	Jake Burger $2,600	Brandon Lowe $2,800	Alec Bohm $2,500	Willy Adames $2,800	Anthony Santander $2,800
				Bryson Stott $2,800	Brooks Lee $2,500	Carlos Correa $2,600	Max Kepler $2,700
				Michael Massey $2,500	Josh Smith $2,800		Jo Adell $2,700
							Trevor Larnach $2,600
							Chandler Simpson $2,400

Stacks

Athletics	Tyler Soderstrom	Shea Langeliers	Brent Rooker	Jacob Wilson
DraftKings	5200	4200	5300	-
Fanduel	3700	3300	3400	-

Rangers	Adolis García	Josh Jung	Corey Seager
DraftKings	4000	3200	4300
Fanduel	2900	3100	3100

Angels	Jorge Soler	Mike Trout	Logan O'Hoppe	Zach Neto	Taylor Ward
DraftKings	4400	6000	4700	4000	4500
Fanduel	3100	3700	3100	3100	3300

Diamondbacks	Pavin Smith	Corbin Carroll	Geraldo Perdomo	Josh Naylor
DraftKings	4600	6100	4600	5100
Fanduel	3000	4400	3400	3300

Twins	Trevor Larnach	Carlos Correa	Byron Buxton	Edouard Julien
DraftKings	3100	3600	4700	3200
Fanduel	2600	2600	3600	2200