Welcome back to MLB DFS for the 2022 season, my fellow degenerates. After kicking off our picks yesterday, we are ready to build lineups throughout the season to fatten all of our wallets while watching America’s pastime. Followers of the daily fantasy picks in 2021 had great success using many of our suggestions. The sky is the limit in 2022.
This early in the season, selecting your lineups can be a tricky proposition. After all, the sample size thus far is pretty miniscule. With that said, it also means there are some really good bargains to be had. Players that will likely be pricier as the season gets into full swing can be had at a lower cost right now. The key this early is to ride the hot hand on your studs, play the matchups, and go inexpensive on a few gambles.
For today’s 1:00pm slate of 10 games, I’m going medium spend/high upside on pitchers, while looking for a few lesser-rostered players at the dish. As always, there will be a few big boppers holding down the lineup, and there will be a few of those listed after the value plays.
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***All prices listed are DraftKings***
Value On the Hill
Steven Matz – vs Pittsburgh ($7,100)
Although Matz is 30 years old, he is coming off of the best season of his career. In 2021, the southpaw went 14-7 with a 3.82 earned run average for the Toronto Blue Jays. Matz’s K/9 sits just below nine per game for his career. There is no reason to think that even in an abbreviated outing in the early season he won’t rack up at least 6-7. The Pirates are still in a big rebuild, and have scored two runs in one contest with St. Louis and were shut out in the other. Expect an easy victory for Matz at a bargain price against an anemic offense.
Hunter Greene – at Atlanta ($9,000)
The price for Greene is a bit steep, and tossing a rookie in his first start into your lineup is always a gamble. However, the potential value is there. Greene is a bit of a one-trick pony, but that trick is consistent triple-digit fastballs from a starter. A team chock full of players with tremendous bat speed is best avoided where Greene is concerned. That team (with a few exceptions) is not the Atlanta Braves. He’s likely to serve up a solo home run or two to guys that can catch up with the fastball.
The upside still lives in the strikeout column. The Braves have already struck out 27 times in the first three games of the series. That was against guys with lesser stuff than Greene. Over 10 strikeouts seems like a slam dunk, and if the Reds can score on Ian Anderson, the youngster could pick up his first win.
Value In the Field
Rhys Hoskins, 1B – vs Oakland ($5,000)
Hoskins has a hot bat to start the season, and is enjoying the offensive renaissance in South Philly. This season, he’s been bumped down to fifth in the order. Consequently, the pressure is lessened, and with Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper, and Nick Castellanos all batting ahead of him, Hoskins is almost guaranteed to come up with men on base.
Though it has only been two games, this is the time to ride the hot bat. The first baseman is 4-for-6 with three runs and three RBI on the strength of a double and a homer, while adding two walks. It only stands to improve when he digs in against Daulton Jefferies, who has two career starts. Jefferies has a bright future, but he’s not ready for this high-octane lineup, spelling plenty of opportunities for Hoskins.
Jeff McNeil, 2B – at Washington ($3,000)
The New York Mets are looking to sweep the Nationals in their first series, and McNeil is one of the reasons for the hot start. He is 6-13 with a dinger and a trio of RBI to kick off his first three games of the season, and he is seeing the ball extremely well. McNeil is a career .301/.366/.462 hitter. You can do a lot worse for the money here, especially given his hot start. There is no reason to think it will not continue with the Nationals sending less-than-stellar Erick Fedde to the bump.
Adam Duvall – vs Cincinnati ($4,200)
As mentioned, Cincinnati’s Greene takes the mound for Cincy in this one, and his primarily objective is going to be to blow the fastball by Atlanta’s hitters. Duvall has deceptive bat speed for a 33-year-old veteran. a 1-for-10 start to the season does not instill a lot of confidence, but he is coming off of a 2021 that saw him mash 38 home runs and lead the NL with 113 RBI.
Duvall is loaded with raw power, but he’ll barely need it against 103-mph heat. All he needs to do is get the bat around and make contact to get it into the seats. Aside from Greene, the Reds’ bullpen is extremely young and unproven, and Duvall has been a thorn in the Reds’ side since being traded away in 2018. He could be in for a big Sunday.
Stud Finder: Nolan Arenado (3B – STL), Tyler Stephenson (C – CIN), Bo Bichette (SS – TOR), George Springer (OF – TOR)
By saving some cash on your value plays, there are a bevy of options to insert several of these big bats into your lineup. Remember, this early in the season, they key is finding balance. If you are teetering between two names, it’s best to gamble on the guy who has already come out of the gate hot.
Best of luck on what should be a great Sunday for baseball. Be sure to double-check that your guys are all starting, and let’s build a bankroll headed into the coming week.
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