RADIO
As usual, Saturday brings a full slate of 15 games, of which eight will be played in the afternoon. In short, get your lineups in early.
Welcome to my debut as Commander in Chief of the daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/27/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. Don't be too shocked if we make an off-the-grid pick or two because after all, what fun is normal?
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 @BCWilliams71.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Stephen Strasburg - P, WAS vs SD (DK - $10,700)
Pricey, yes, but Strasburg comes off an 11-K gem against the Marlins and faces an all-0r-nothing Padres lineup that entered Friday's game with a composite .221/.277.396 slash line against right-handers while striking out 28.8% of the time. Keep Strasburg's pitch count in mind: he's won both of his starts in which he's thrown over 100 pitches and has yet to allow a run in 14.2 innings of work while fanning 20. Strasburg has been dominant in daytime hours, as he sports a 28:5 K:BB margin and has held opponents to a .164 batting average. He's tied with Clayton Kershaw with the second-best Matchup Rating among Saturday's starters (109).
Jon Gray - P, COL at ATL (DK - $8,200)
Gray will seek his fourth straight quality start, and there's little reason to fear tossing him against the explosive Braves lineup. The K/9 rate (8.35) has taken a slight dip, but Gray has successfully sacrificed high K totals in exchange for more appealing numbers such as his strand rate of 86.4% and a 57.5% ground ball rate. He's still getting high octane (95.6 mph average on his heater), but Gray is pitching smarter and thriving off a .244 BABIP, a far, far cry from the .322 BABIP he had in 2018.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Mike Zunino - C, TB @ BOS (DK - $4,000)
Zunino should be money well spent, even against David Price. Zunino has seen his power average increase 21.23 points in the last two weeks to go along with an 1.382 OPS in the same span. Price's fly ball rate has zoomed to 44.1% and opponents are tagging the ball with authority, evidenced by his 40.7% hard hit ball rate. He's also more reliant on his fastball compared to last year, which should make for an interesting dynamic when the two square off.
Jose Abreu - 1B, CWS vs DET (DK - $3,700)
A base running error cost Abreu a second homer in Friday's 12-11 slugfest over the Tigers in which he had four hits and drove in five runs. The outburst was encouraging considering that Abreu entered Friday's game hitting just .114/.225/.229 at home. The Tigers used five relievers on Friday and had not announced who would get the starting nod on Saturday. If Friday is a sign that Abreu is getting comfortable at home, it falls in line with an increased fly ball rate (40.9%) and a 1.062 OPS in night games that makes him worth a repeat performance for those who thrived off his work on Friday.
DJ LeMahieu - 2B, NYY at SF (DK - $3,600)
Friday marked the third straight game in which LeMahieu had at least two hits. The former Rockies All-Star has always hit well at AT&T Park, and his presence atop the Yankees batting order has helped make things easier for the patchwork lineup that follows him. Giants starter Derek Holland is averaging 11.0 K/9, but his newfound ability to make hitters swing and miss more often is offset by a 4.33 BB/9 rate. LeMahieu is cheap production that should continue his pace on Saturday.
Alex Bregman - 3B, HOU vs CLE (DK - $4,700)
Bregman gets a favorable 106 Matchup Rating and comes into Saturday with hits in nine of his last 11 games. He also has a higher walk percentage (16.2%) than strikeout percentage (12.1%), which is all kinds of crazy good. Indians starter Shane Bieber was tagged in his last start against the Braves and while his 0.99 WHIP indicates a sense of effectiveness, his 50% hard hit ball rate does not bode well against Bregman and the Houston lineup.
Trevor Story - SS, COL at ATL (DK - $4,900)
Smile while paying premium bucks for Story, who went deep in Friday's win over the Braves. He's done little to suggest a regression from his 2018 numbers is coming; more scary is that Story is becoming less of a pull hitter and is going the opposite field at a 30% rate thus far. His 50% hard hit ball rate translates nicely into what he done in 2019, something he should continue against Mike Foltynewicz, who makes his first appearance of the season.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Jesse Winker - OF, CIN at STL (DK - $3,800)
Friday's homer was his seventh this season, already matching his 2018 total. As a whole, the Reds lineup is overdue for good numbers, especially Winker, who has a hard hit ball rate of 50% and is looking more like the 20-25 home run guy he was once projected as in the minors. Winker is a good option here against Cards hurler Dakota Hudson, who has allowed seven homers to lefty hitters while giving up a 1.452 OPS against them.
Jason Heyward - OF, CHC at ARI (DK - $4,400)
Heyward sat out Friday against lefty Robbie Ray but should be back in the lineup against Zach Godley, who gave up four walks and failed to get out of the fifth inning against the Pirates on Monday. Godley's lack of control bodes well for Heyward, who has walked 17% of the time this season along with a commitment to hitting to all fields. Heyward, who pulled the ball nearly half the time the past two seasons, is only doing so at a 30.5% rate this year.
