RADIO
I decided about halfway through last season that I had to take on a Wednesday column for next season because there's a lot of day baseball. Day baseball means split slates in DFS. Split slates (when each one is at least three games, preferably a 5-9 game range) are twice the fun. That's not even my opinion, that's just fact.
For the main slate tonight, we have some lines to break down. I generally use the five run projection as a benchmark for optimal stacks, meaning that you could use in cash and/or in tournaments. Three of the 14 teams in action tonight hit that threshold, as the Angels (5.8), Rangers (5.8) and Cubs (5) make the cut there. Both the Rangers and Angels have seen their projection increase by a half-run or more, which is certainly significant. Outside of that, the Orioles, who could qualify as a bit of a sleeper tonight, have also shot up half a run, going from 4.2 to 4.7. They are certainly worth your consideration in GPP formats.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/11/18. You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings as well as other sports. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @kpLuch.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Lance McCullers - SP, at MIN ($8,800) - Early Slate
Welp, pitching on this early slate is pretty rough. I'd suggest not spending a whole lot of bankroll here, and if you do happen to feel the itch, mix it up in tournaments. Of the 10 pitchers on the board, I think the cash game options are just McCullers and James Paxton. Paxton has a solid matchup too, but the price discount is only $400 and I think Lance is a little less likely to have a potential implosion than a guy like Paxton. McCullers doesn't go very deep into games, but he does have pretty elite strikeout stuff (10.9 K/9) and when he's locating and keeping runners off base he does a great job of run prevention. Part of the reason he's so great at run prevention is because he limits hard contact tremendously well (28% last season) and he's elite at inducing ground balls (61%). The aforementioned there eases concerns a bit about giving up too many dingers and the fact that it should be damn near freezing in Minnesota tomorrow afternoon favors the pitchers.
Also Consider: James Paxton - SP, at KC ($8,400); James Shields - SP, vs TBR ($5,700) - GPP only
Jon Lester - SP, vs PIT ($9,100)
Lester had a rough outing in start one but bounced back brilliantly in start number two, posting 46 FanDuel points. Despite what the Pirates record says, this isn't a very good time and overall, the lineup is fairly punchless. With the temperature below 55 degrees and a guy on the bump in Lester that limits hard contact very well (just 20% through first two starts), I feel good about rolling out Lester in cash games. Of the 14 teams in action, the Pirates have the second lowest run projection at 3.4 and the Cubs are the biggest moneyline favorites of the night at -181.
Also Consider: Alex Wood - SP, vs OAK ($8,800); Luis Castillo - SP, at PHI ($6,900) - GPP only
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Freddie Freeman - 1B, at WAS ($4,000) - Early Slate
A matchup with AJ Cole is a nice opportunity for Freeman - one of the best pure hitters in the game - to get his first multi-hit game of the week. The left-handed Freeman is fantastic against right-handed pitching, posting these splits over the past season: a .436 wOBA and a .285 ISO.
Also Consider: Eric Thames - 1B, at STL ($3,500) - Cash/GPP; Matt Adams - 1B, vs ATL ($3,000) - GPP
Yoan Moncada - 2B, vs TBR ($3,400)
Moncada headlines a fairly weak second base pool for me. Robbie Cano has a lefty-lefty matchup and Brian Dozier squares up with Lance McCullers. The switch-hitting Moncada, who mostly draws his power from the left-side (where he'll bat this afternoon), posted pretty strong numbers last season against right-handers .358 wOBA and a .217 ISO.
Also Consider: Whit Merrifield - 2B, vs SEA ($3,000); Jonathan Villar - 2B, at STL ($2,300) - Punt
Matt Carpenter - 3B, vs MIL ($3,100)
Like Freeman, I think this is a nice spot for Carpenter to break out of a the little slump he's in. Junior Guerra is not a good pitcher and Carpenter is a strong hitter against righties - posting these splits last season: .378 wOBA and a .243 ISO. He's a nice bargain price here as well, and should be hitting in the three-hole for a team with a good run projection.
Also Consider: Anthony Rendon - 3B, vs ATL ($4,000) - Cash; Kyle Seager - 3B, at KCR ($2,700)
Paul Dejong - SS, vs MIL ($3,300)
Dejong had a real hot start to the season and has cooled off a bit but I'm expecting him to get back on track here against a AAAA pitcher like Guerra. Dejong posted nice splits in many departments last year, and offers a solid floor and home run upside. The price is a bit of a bargain too, and he has the softer matchup when compared to many of the other shortstops on the early slate.
Also Consider: Trea Turner - SS, vs ATL ($4,200)
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Preston Tucker - OF, at WAS ($2,700)
Tucker profiles are more of a tournament play than a cash one, but may end up being both here depending on his position in the lineup and the Braves run projection (closer to first pitch time). Tucker has played well this season, albeit in a small sample size, posting two home runs in the first week and also posted an ISO split north of .200 in the past 12 months. Cole is definitely a pitcher we can pick on in this early slate.
Ryan Braun - OF, vs STL ($2,800)
Braun offers pretty significant value at a position that is a little softer than usual. The Washington bats are priced incredibly high and leaves the middle tier devoid of power bats. Braun, likely hitting in the three-hole and facing a guy on the downslope of his career like Adam Wainwright is, is certainly enticing here. He posted a .201 ISO split against righties last season and the 36% hard hit rate this season is pretty sollid, too.
Justin Upton - OF, at TEX ($3,600)
Justin Upton, hotter than a thousand suns right now. The kid has a hard hit rate this season of 37%, a fly ball rate of 45%, and his splits against lefties are other-worldly. I realize it's a small sample size (.490 wOBA, .403 ISO), but take into account he's also facing a pitcher that takes beatings pretty regularly and Upton is sandwiched in the middle of an also hot lineup, projected for the most runs tonight. You should try to get as many Angels into your cash game lineups as you can.
Also Consider: Marcell Ozuna - OF, vs MIL ($3,800)
