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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on April 9, 2018. Adam Meyer's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
DraftKings has their featured slate as a 10-game ticket, starting at 7:05 pm. We’ll focus on players from that pool in this breakdown. Taking a quick look at the Vegas odds, only SD/COL is given an over/under of more than nine total runs. As for favorites, four teams are tagged with the heavy -170 odds, or greater.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/9/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @CharlieSideHstl.
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DraftKings Starting Pitchers
Noah Syndergaard, NYM (@ MIA) - $12,300
Thor feasts on Marlins. In his career, Syndergaard has toed the rubber against Miami five times. During that span, he’s 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and has tallied 42 strikeouts in 33 innings of work. That was also with Dee Gordon, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, and Marcell Ozuna in the lineup.
Justin Verlander, HOU (@ MIN) - $11,700
As a member of the Tigers, Verlander traveled to Minnesota multiple times. In his career, Verlander is 6-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 10 starts at Target Field. This season, JV is continuing his momentum from 2017. Thus far, he’s tallied 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
Jakob Junis, KC (vs. SEA) - $7,000
For the SP2 discount, look no further than Kansas City’s Jakob Junis. He dominated in his first start of 2018: 7 IP, 0 ER, and 6 K against Detroit. On Monday, Junis gets the Mariners in KC. Last season, the Mariners compiled a .316 wOBA (25th in baseball) against right-handed pitchers. Speaking of 2017, Junis had better results at Kauffman Stadium then on the road. In 44.2 innings at home, Junis posted a 3.43 ERA (5.03 ERA on the road) and he tallied 42 strikeouts in that span.
DraftKings Infielders
C - Chris Iannetta, COL (vs. SD) - $4,000
You’re going to see a common theme with a handful of picks in Monday’s DraftKings lineup. When Vegas pegs a game with a high over/under and no other game comes close, it’s wise to include as many players from the high-scoring affair as possible. We start with Iannetta. Last season, he produced a .263 ISO against left-handed pitchers in 2017. On Sunday, Iannetta was catapulted to the No. 2 spot in the Rockies batting order.
1B - Eric Hosmer, SD (@ COL) - $4,300
The Rockies are strong favorites on Monday, but we can still pick our spots from San Diego in the game projected to have 10 total runs. Hosmer leads the Padres with a .193 ISO against right-handed pitchers from the 2017 season. As for the Rockies starting pitcher, Jon Gray, he compiled his lowest strikeout percentage against lefties at home last season (14.7 K percentage).
2B - Jonathan Schoop, BAL (vs. TOR) - $3,400
Taking a quick break from the Coors Field matchup, let’s look at Schoop. He faces a southpaw on Monday and Schoop leads Baltimore with a .293 ISO against left-handed pitchers. While this game isn’t being played in the extremely hitter-friendly Coors Field, Baltimore is still home to the sixth-best park factor for hitters over the past three years.
3B - Nolan Arenado, COL (vs. SD) - $5,700
Knowing where to spend a large portion of your DK salary is important. Arenado costs a lot of money, but he’s worth every penny. He produced a .420 ISO against lefties last year and he owns Clayton Richard. In his career, Arenado is 11-for-17 (.647) with four extra-base hits (one home run) and zero strikeouts against Richard.
SS - Pat Valaika, COL (vs. SD) - $2,800
For my final selection from the SD/COL game, we get a bargain. Valaika compiled a .316 ISO against lefties last year. Any time you can get a player for under $3,000 in a game with a high over/under, on a team listed as the heavy favorites, you pull the trigger. He's off to a rough 1-for-14 start this season, but should have a good shot to produce in this matchup.
DraftKings Outfielders
Justin Upton, LAA (@ TEX) - $4,100
Upton is off to a hot start in 2018. He’s tallied at least 19 DK points in three of the last five games. Last year, Upton crushed right-handed pitching. His .234 ISO vs. righties in 2017 is third best in an Angels lineup with Mike Trout and Zack Cozart ahead of the outfielder. In an added perk, Texas is home to the second-best park factor to hitters over the course of the past three seasons.
Shin-Soo Choo, TEX (vs. LAA) - $3,300
Speaking of hot bats in the hitter-friendly Texas ballpark, Choo is a solid choice for your outfield. He’s notched double-digit DraftKings fantasy points in four of the past five contests. Left-handed hitters have a career .293 wOBA against Garrett Richards.
Dexter Fowler, STL (vs. MIL) - $3,100
For the final roster spot in the DK lineup, let's go with a leadoff hitter who should have plenty of opportunities to rake against his opposing pitcher. Jhoulys Chacin has allowed seven earned runs, three homers, in his first two starts of 2018. Chacin faced Fowler and the Cardinals in his most recent start. Fowler went 1-for-3 with two walks. Look for Fowler to continue his success against the right-hander.
