RADIO
We have a nice game slate to kick off the week, and Coors Field is in play. Not only is Coors Field in play, but the ever powerful Washington Nationals offense will be there. Those players are all in play, but they are super expensive, so I tried to give you some other options, so you can either fade Coors, or go cheap and try to fit some in. Sit back, read up, and let's win some contests.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/24/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options, and of course value plays.
You can read our DraftKings and Yahoo DFS lineup picks as well. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @DFS_Tom.
Offensive Stacks
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Jhoulys Chacin
When Coors is on the slate, that makes a very obvious pick for who you want to stack. In order to have a bit of something different, you should look at the Dbacks at home. Arizona is also a great hitter park, and they have been hot to start the year. Facing off against Chacin, the Diamondbacks have a decent challenge in front of them, as Chacin has been off to an OK start this year. Key stat is that that he has given up 16 Hits when pitching in road games, and only 6 Hits when pitching at home. So clearly struggles on the road, and this is the spot you want to target him in.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Jason Vargas - P, @ CWS ($8,500)
Vargas is off to a blazing hot start this season, putting up three straight wins. He has pitched 20.2 innings thus far, has 23 strikeouts and has only allowed one earned run. Yes, you read that right, one earned run in three starts. He is also keeping runners off the bases, by only allowing two walks, which keeps his WHIP down at a tiny 0.94. Some people say he is due for some regression, and that will happen eventually, but he is up against the White Sox, who have one of the weaker offensive teams. Varags has a 20% strikeout rate versus lefties, and a 33% strike out rate versus righties. Doesn't matter who he is facing, he seems to be able to shut them down. He is pitching in Chicago, which is a decent hitter park, but certainly not the best. The only point of concern with him, is that the Royals have had some trouble scoring runs this year, so getting the extra points for the win, may be slightly out of reach. Good for all formats tonight.
Ricky Nolasco - P, @ vs TOR ($7,100)
Nolasco is a cheaper option on the slate tonight, and he is going up against the Blue Jays who are one of the worst teams in the league so far. The Blue Jays have the pieces to get it done, yet they seem to have trouble on the offensive end. This season, Toronto has a 23.9% strikeout rate vs right-handed pitchers, so Nolasco has good upside for his lower price. Nolasco is not a cash option at all, only for tournaments, since we don't know what kind of performance he will bring out. He has a 1.36 WHIP, and 17 SO in 22.2 IP. These numbers aren't going to blow you away, but the match up is favorable, and you could get him low owned in tournaments, against a strikeout prone team.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Chris Iannetta - C, vs SDP ($2,700)
Iannetta is quietly going on a bit of a hot streak, and he is in another good spot tonight. Iannetta has scored 9.5 FanDuel points or more in five of his last six games, with four straight games of 12 points or more. Don't really expect those types of numbers from a player who bats in the lower third of the lineup, but he is getting it done. The game is in Arizona, which is a great hitters park, and the Diamondbacks are hot to start the year, so much of the same should be in store.
Eric Thames - 1B, vs CIN ($4,100)
The hottest hitter in at home, and has a juicy match up. For those who don't know, Thames was playing in Korea for the past few years, and since he has returned to the MLB, he has been on a some kind of streak to start the year. Stat line so far: .359 AVG, 8 HR, 14 RBI. Amazing numbers, and he has proven to be viable in either cash or GPP. He is at home in Milwaukee, which is a nice hitters park, and facing off against a left-handed pitcher. This year he has a .699 wOBA and .667 ISO vs lefties.
Ben Zobrist - 2B, @ PIT ($2,800)
Second base is a bit thin tonight and there aren't a ton of great options if you aren't willing to spend up for one of the top options. But we have Zobrist, who is cheap and gives you some exposure to the Cubs potent offense. The past few times, Zobrist has been in the lineup, he has been hitting cleanup, and any time you can get a hitter in that spot for under 3K, you have to give it a look. He isn't off to the best start this year, but he has a .317 wOBA vs right-handed pitchers, so he can get it done, just a small slump now.
Jake Lamb - 3B, vs SDP ($3,900)
Lamb has been hitting cleanup for Arizona, and he is doing a great job this season. The Diamondbacks are surprising a few people out there, with how well they have been playing, and Lamb is part of the reason why. His stat line so far: .315 AVG, 4 HR, 18 RBI. Solid numbers from the young player, and he is in a spot to continue to mash the ball tonight. He is up against a right-handed pitcher, and so far this year he has a .432 wOBA and a .326 ISO vs them. Lamb is great for cash or stacks, lock him in and sit back.
Jorge Polanco - SS, @ TEX ($2,700)
Polanco had the day off on Sunday, so he should be good to go for tonight's game. He has scored fantasy points in 10 straight games, and it may not be a ton of points each time, but he will do something for you. His past two games have been some of his strongest all year, scoring 18.7 and 13 FanDuel points. This game has a run total set a 9.5, so it should be high scoring and a cheaper option like Polanco, may allow you to fit some of the Coors Field bats into your lineup.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Max Kepler - OF, @ TEX ($3,400)
Kepler's eight game hitting streak came to a close last week, but he is back at it and started a new one Sunday. He isn't too expensive, and has shown so far he has the consistency to be a good cash option, but better in a stack. This game has a high run total, so stacking seems to be the way to go rather than just a one off. Kepler has scored fantasy points in 11 straight games, and looks to be ready to extend his new hitting streak.
Billy Hamilton - OF, @ MIL ($3,100)
Hamilton is a base stealer expert, and if he gets a walk, its almost a lock that he will be on second before you know it. The Reds are also a team that are surprising some people this year with how well they are playing. This game is in Milwaukee, which is a great hitters park, so Hamilton should see plenty of at-bats to make an impact. He is good for cash games, but better in a stack with a few Reds, since we should be seeing plenty of action.
Bryce Harper - OF, @ COL ($5,500)
It's hard to ignore Harper when he is on the slate, and it's even harder when he is playing at Coors Field. This is a dream scenario if you are a DFS player, the only problem is that he is super expensive. Going to be tough to fit him in a cash lineup, if you are paying up for one of the top priced pitchers, but I gave some cheaper options here, so you can work some salary magic to fit the big name bats into your lineup. His stat line for the year in case you didn't know he has been crushing it, .393 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI.
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