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Opening Day is in the rearview mirror and Friday brings us an eight-game main slate as plenty of clubs have the buffer day off following the beginning of the season on Thursday.
We'll be focusing on the main slate this evening after a couple of rainout games are made up earlier in the day. I'll be here all season long delivering free MLB DFS advice on Friday slates and it's my pleasure to deliver this content for our valued readers.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 3/29/2024 and the slate locking at 6:50 p.m. ET. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential. Follow me on X @BKemp17 for more DFS advice.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
A.J. Puk vs. Pirates ($7,000 DK, $7,000 FD)
The Marlins' starting rotation is ravaged by injuries which opened the door for left-hander A.J. Puk to at least begin the season as a starter after spending the first four seasons of his big-league career as a reliever, even racking up 15 saves last season.
The experiment went well this spring as Puk worked to a 1.32 ERA with a whopping 23 strikeouts across 13 2/3 innings of work. He may not get terribly deep into this game but he should be able to rack up a quality amount of punchouts against a Pirates team that posted an elevated 24.1% K% against left-handed pitching last season, the eighth-highest punchout rate versus southpaws a season ago.
Spring Pitchers with
- 50+ batters faced
- 25% or greater K-BB%Very interesting names:
- Jack Flaherty (low BB%!)
- Patrick Corbin (new cutter)
- Jake Irvin (young sneaky breakout?)
- JP Sears (underrated)
- Spencer Strider (well yeah)
- A.J. Puk (ace if he can handle the… pic.twitter.com/gtIFTGqqAB— Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) March 21, 2024
Bobby Miller vs. Cardinals ($9,000 DK, $8,900 FD)
The Cardinals aren't usually a swing-and-miss team but everyone not named Paul Goldschmidt struggled mightily in a 7-1 loss to open their season on Thursday. Goldschmidt's three hits were the only three the club mustered to kick off their 2024 campaign.
As for Miller, he appears to be a budding ace, tossing a 2.77 ERA across four spring outings, albeit with only nine strikeouts in 13 innings of work. Getting deep into games will be a commonly difficult thing early in the season but Miller is in line to build on his 26 starts between Triple-A and the big leagues in the 2024 season. He posted a decent 23.6% K% as a Dodger in 2023 but has posted big-time punchout rates in the minors and should take a step forward in that department this season.
Merrill Kelly vs. Rockies ($9,400 DK, $9,400 FD)
If we know anything about this subpar Rockies offense it's that they struggle mightily on the road, outside of the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field in Denver. Their .285 wOBA on the road last season ranked 29th but their 27.3% K% outside of Coors Field was the worst mark in the big leagues.
Making matters better for this matchup, Kelly has been notably better at home throughout his career, most recently posting a 2.59 ERA at Chase Field last season versus a 4.07 ERA on the road. His hefty 29% K% at home largely outweighed his 22.7% mark on the road.
This is a matchup made in heaven for the right-hander.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Jose Altuve - 2B, HOU vs. Carlos Rodon ($5,400 DK, $4,000 FD)
Fresh off a five-year contract extension, veteran second baseman Jose Altuve looks to build on a big 2023 season on Friday against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon.
Interestingly, Altuve put forth some reverse splits last season, hitting righties better than he did lefties, although his .846 OPS off of southpaws was nothing to sneeze at. He has had his way with Rodon in their matchups together, however, going 7-for-24 (.292) with a homer and a double along with a pair of walks across 27 trips to the plate, good for an .828 OPS. He'll lead off for the Astros on Friday.
Jake Burger - 3B, MIA vs. Martin Perez ($4,200 DK, $3,000 FD)
An underrated power bat at the hot corner, look for Jake Burger to have a fine day against Pirates left-hander Martin Perez.
Perez yielded an .816 OPS to right-handed hitters last season along with an elevated 1.41 HR/9. At the same time, Burger pounded lefties for a .906 OPS while posting a 142 wRC+ against them, good for 42% above the league average. He should be in for another fine day after opening his season with a 3-for-4 effort on Thursday.
Common Jake Burger W#MarlinsBeisbol pic.twitter.com/EJ8cq5PrrN
— Bally Sports Florida: Marlins (@BallyMarlins) March 28, 2024
Alex Bregman - 3B, HOU vs. Carlos Rodon ($4,900 DK, $3,000 FD)
Another fine option at third base on Friday is the Astros' Alex Bregman, particularly if you're in the mood to stack the Astros.
It was interesting to see him scuffle against lefties last season but Bregman still sports an attractive .881 OPS for his career versus southpaws along with a strong .219 isolated power. He walks more than he strikes out against southpaws, as well.
Rodon allowed a massive 2.10 HR/9 last season, including a 2.39 HR/9 against lefties. While those figures should come down this season, Rodon's uneven spring suggests he can be targeted early in the season.
Also consider: Chris Taylor, Jorge Polanco, Cavan Biggio
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Joc Pederson - OF, ARI vs. Cal Quantrill ($3,900 DK, $2,700 FD)
A nice way to save some money on Friday is to insert veteran outfielder Joc Pederson into your lineup as he takes on Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill.
Quantrill is coming off a tough 5.24 ERA across 19 outings for the Guardians last season and while his 0.99 HR/9 wasn't horrendous, Pederson has long raked righties. The lefty-swinging outfielder/designated hitter owns a career .834 OPS and a big-time .248 ISO off of opposite-handed pitching in his career, even if those numbers slipped some in the 2023 season. He makes for a fine cost-cutting option on Friday.
Teoscar Hernandez - OF, LAD vs. Zack Thompson ($4,900 DK, $3,000 FD)
The Dodgers have predictably flexed plenty of muscle in their three games to begin the season and while much of the damage has come from the top third of their lineup, Teoscar Hernandez has a nice matchup on tap against left-handed Zack Thompson.
Thompson allowed a .278 average and a .343 wOBA to right-handed hitters last season while Hernandez turned in an .817 OPS and a .224 ISO against lefties a season ago. He sports a lifetime .275 average with an impressive .887 OPS and .282 ISO against southpaws for his career. He could see plenty of RBI chances hitting behind the big three in Los Angeles tonight.
Bryan De La Cruz - OF, MIA vs. Martin Perez ($3,800 DK, $2,700 FD)
Another quality righty to use against Perez on Friday is outfielder Bryan De La Cruz as he projects to hit one spot ahead of Burger out of the three-hole this evening.
The 27-year-old hasn't displayed a wealth of power in his three big-league seasons so far and actually owns some reverse splits for his career. However, with Perez struggling so much against righties and the cost for De La Cruz as part of a Marlins stack, he makes fine sense ahead of Burger.
Also consider: Jose Siri, Ramon Laureano, Alek Thomas
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
1. Houston Astros vs. Carlos Rodon
Favorite Plays: Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman
2. Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cal Quantrill
Favorite Plays: Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, Alek Thomas
3. Miami Marlins vs. Martin Perez
Favorite Plays: Josh Bell, Bryan De La Cruz, Jake Burger
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