TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (4/14/17): MLB DFS Advice

Happy Friday to us, my fellow Rotoballers. Let's kick this weekend off right, and by "right," I mean above the cash-line. On deck for today we have a 15 game slate. There is an Early Only contest with two games, starting at 2:20 Eastern, as well as the All Day contests starting then as well. The Main contest begins at 7:05 EDT, with 26 teams taking the field then or shortly thereafter.

Before we get into the players and their respective matchups, let's see if there are any insights we can gather from the early lines Vegas has posted. The teams with the highest projected run totals - which can be a big help when looking at which teams to stack or which pitchers to fade - are the Reds (5.2), the Nationals (4.8), the Twins (4.8), the Red Sox (4.7) the Royals (4.7) and finally the Blue Jays (4.7). As for the biggest favorites, which can be helpful when looking for cash game pitchers (or the reverse, as it can help you find which pitchers to load up against) are the Dodgers (-253), the Nationals (-202) and the Cubs (-170). After that, there isn't that much that is noteworthy. One interesting fact I did read, however, was that this is the first time Zack Greinke (who faces the Dodgers) has been a +250 or higher underdog since 2008, back when he was with the Royals.

Now that we got that out of the way, shall we dance?

Featured Promo! Save 30% on any Premium Pass using discount code NEW. Win more with our DFS, Betting and Season-Long Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! GAIN ACCESS

 

Offensive Stacks

Minnesota Twins versus Dylan Covey

The Twins are definitely an intriguing stack this evening. As Vegas lines tend to do, things have shifted a bit since run totals, over/unders, moneylines were first released, and of the teams in the top 5 for projected run totals today, only the Twins have trended upward, currently sitting at an implied total of 4.9 runs. After a somewhat slow start, this lineup has picked it up of late, and they'll look to continue the trend today in what is a pretty opportune matchup. They'll face off with White Sox rookie right-hander Dylan Covey. Covey has never pitched above the AA level, and while his numbers are nothing to laugh at, his strikeout numbers per nine are respectable (7.9),  but he's proven to be wild around the plate as well. In 2016, he owned an ugly 5.22 BB/9 and that's something that can get him into trouble early today. The Twins I have my eyes on are Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, and Joe Mauer would be my fourth. Sano, Kepler and Dozier all own ISO splits against right-handers that are above .200 over the course of the past year.

Also Consider: Boston Red Sox versus Chris Archer (GPP only)

FanDuel DFS Pitchers

Noah Syndegaard - SP, at MIA ($11,200)

Admittedly, this was not an easy call by any stretch of the imagination. Anytime you have complete studs like Thor, Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg pitching on the same day - and none of which are facing each other - you're left with a tough choice to make. I landed on Syndegaard for a few reasons, which I'll get into in a second, but this is certainly not meant to steer anyone away from using Kershaw - especially for those who have confidence in him. He'll likely be the chalk, and perhaps for good reason. In addition to the lower price, I just prefer Syndegaard's matchup. To start, Syndegaard faces a projected lineup with a higher K% and a lower team wOBA split than the one Kershaw is expected to face. Noah also takes the mound at the more favorable pitcher's park tonight, which is an upgrade than his home park in Queens. He also has the edge in HR/9 and K/9 this season. Yes, those samples are small, but in them we also find that Syndegaard has a considerable edge in batted ball distance allowed this season, ground balls induced, and a much lower hard hit rate. Roll with Thor this evening and use the extra cash you've pocketed to bulk up your lineup.

Julio Teheran - SP, vs SDP ($8,500)

For my tournament readers, let's roll the dice a bit. Teheran can be a bit of a wild card with his high variance scoring outcomes, but honestly, that's all part of the game in tournaments. You have to take on some risk, save some cash (more often than not, but not always), and find a pitcher that has the opportunity to punch out 7-10 guys via the strikeout. It's not an easy thing to do and it can be hard to convince yourself to take on some risk. I'll admit today's matchup doesn't look as risky on the surface, but you never know what you'll end up with when rostering Teheran and his elevated fly-ball rate. I like today's opportunity mainly because we've seen Teheran be effective this year, his strikeout rate per nine innings is above eight, he faces a paltry Padres lineup that has struck out in nearly 28% of at-bats versus right-handed pitching this year, and he faces them in what is one of the most favorable pitching parks of the day. He may not fly under the radar as much as we'd ideally like a GPP pitcher to, but he offers enough salary relief where you can load up your lineup with home run threats.

Also Consider: Clayton Kershaw - SP, vs ARI ($12,600) - Cash; Stephen Strasburg - SP, vs PHI ($9,900) - GPP option/salary relief

 

FanDuel DFS Infielders

Manny Pina - C, at CIN ($2,200)

Stop me if you've heard this before, but the catcher cupboard is quite bare today. A few of my often-deemed "top matchups," guys who can save you some cash and hit the long ball, like James McCann and Wellington Castillo, don't have good splits tonight. As such, I moved down the list to look for a catcher that can save me some cash but also provide upside in the form of potential home runs or extra base hits. Pina has quietly gotten off to a solid start this year, provides a ton of salary relief, and gets a nice ballpark upgrade today. He also happens to play for one of the teams with the highest projected run total, which is quite favorable, and he also owns an ISO split against right-handed pitchers that is 148 points higher than his southpaw splits. If there was a time to take on the risk of rostering a bottom-third-of-the-order catcher, that time is today.

Also Consider: Victor Martinez - C, at CLE ($2,600)

Miguel Cabrera - 1B, at CLE ($3,600)

Miggy hasn't had the hottest start to his 2017 campaign to say they least, but he finally broke out yesterday, crushing a home run and piling up 24.9 FanDuel points in the process. The nice thing about that is that his salary has crawled downward and we get him at a more ideal price - a figure that he can and should surpass value at. Over the past year, Cabrera owns very impressive splits against right-handers, posting a .397 wOBA and a .255 ISO.

Also Consider: Eric Thames - 1B, at CIN ($2,500) - GPP option

Brian Dozier - 2B, vs CWS ($3,700)

There's very little not to love about Mr. Dozier. He's a power-hitting second baseman that can hit for average, too, and is slotted in the leadoff spot, which is quite literally the most opportune spot we can consider for DFS roster construction. On top of that, he is an opposite splits guy, meaning he has better splits over the last year when facing right-handed pitching (despite him being a right-handed hitter himself) and could go a little overlooked tonight on this big slate. Those splits I mentioned are quite impressive. Have a look for yourself: .368 wOBA, .263 ISO and a .536 slugging percentage. That'll play.

Also Consider: Jonathan Villar - 2B, at CIN ($3,500) - GPP option

Mike Moustakas - 3B, vs LAA ($3,000)

The steadily-improving Moustakas has picked up where he left off in the power department of his 2016 campaign and entered 2017 with a bang. The lefty slugger has always had a knack for hitting right-handed pitching hard, and he'll have the opportunity to do so tonight at a very cheap price. Moose is currently projected to hit as high as second in the order tonight, and his .395 wOBA and .329 ISO splits create both an incredibly high floor and high ceiling.

Also Consider: Nick Castellanos - 3B, at CLE ($3,000) - GPP only

Aledmys Diaz - SS, at NYY ($3,600)

Diaz has somewhat quietly produced big time split numbers against right-handed pitching in the last year, posting a .385 wOBA and .245 ISO. Seeing as he has positive reverse splits, he could go under the radar this evening, and he does get a slight park upgrade moving from St. Louis to the Bronx in this matchup. Additionally, his direct competition - Masahiro Tanaka - has been struggling in a number of areas. Most notably, he's been dealing with elbow issues, a decrease in velocity, and right-handed hitters have posted over a .400 wOBA in his last few starts.

Also Consider: Francisco Lindor - SS, vs DET ($4,100)

 

FanDuel DFS Outfielders

Michael Conforto - OF, at MIA ($2,800)

I find it quite amusing that Conforto is listed at such a discount price. Yes. we're very early into a long season, but he's been mashing the ball and hitting near the top of the order. There isn't a lot more you can ask for from an outfielder priced under $3,000. But wait, there is more. Over the last season, Conforto owns splits against right-handed pitching that are quite beautiful, posting a .357 wOBA and .251 ISO.

Adam Duvall - OF, vs MIL ($3,600)

Duvall wasn't one of the outfielders that immediately looked enticing, but a dig into his peripheral stats revealed he could be a stellar option this evening, particularly in tournament formats. The slugger that burst onto the scene in 2016 has an opportune matchup tonight in one of the best parks for power hitters at Great American. Over the last year, Duvall has posted a .265 ISO split and maintained a hard-hit rate at or above 35%. His opposition, Tommy Milone, has allowed over a .360 wOBA and .500 slugging percentage split to right-handed hitters, which bodes well for Duvall and a few of his teammates.

Also Consider: Mike Trout - OF, at KC ($5,100) and Curtis Granderson - OF, at MIA ($2,900)

 

MLB News & Injury Alerts

 

Full Season MLB & DFS Premium Pass

Get a Premium Pass for the entire MLB season - including the playoffs - for only $49.99.

That's over 200 days of Premium DFS, delivered every single day:

  • DFS lineup picks and cheat sheets for FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo - seven days a week
  • Six expert lineups: FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo and Stacks of the Day - seven days a week
  • Top DFS value plays, avoids and injury updates - seven days a week
  • Lineup tools: daily premium hitter and pitcher matchup ratings

Sign Up Now!

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Francisco Lindor

Takes Swings on Wednesday
Josh Hader

to Throw Off a Mound Early Next Week
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena to Visit With Hand Specialist
Andrew Kittredge

Shoulder a "Little Cranky," Not a Serious Issue
Tyler Freeman

Making Cactus League Debut on Thursday
Brenton Doyle

Thinks he Can Play on Friday
Andrew McCutchen

Signs One-Year Deal With Rangers
Spencer Strider

Will Spencer Strider Bounce Back?
Curtis Lazar

Out Four Weeks
Aaron Judge

Is Aaron Judge Worth the First Overall Pick?
Nick Blankenburg

Avalanche Add Nick Blankenburg From Predators
Blaze Alexander

Remains the Front-Runner to Replace Jackson Holliday
CHI

Andrew Mangiapane Traded to Blackhawks
Kyle Nicolas

Traded to the Reds
Jason Dickinson

Oilers Bring in Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach From Chicago
Tyler Callihan

Traded to the Pirates
Tyler Myers

Moves to Dallas
MacKenzie Weegar

Mammoth Acquire MacKenzie Weegar
River Ryan

in Serious Consideration for Starting Role
Kevin McGonigle

Making Strong Case to Crack Opening Day Roster
Sal Stewart

Flashing Power in Spring Games
Trey Murphy III

Iffy for Thursday
Connelly Early

Ticketed to Begin Season at Triple-A?
Zion Williamson

Could Miss Thursday's Tilt
Carlos Lagrange

Impressing in Spring Training
Dejounte Murray

Sits Out Thursday's Action
Ryan Waldschmidt

Making Strong Case for Starting Job
Amen Thompson

Tagged as Questionable for Matchup With Warriors
Jabari Smith Jr.

Listed as Questionable for Thursday
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Questionable for Thursday Due to Illness
Kyshawn George

to Be Re-Evaluated in Three Weeks
Mitchell Marner

Collects Three Points on Wednesday
Tomas Hertl

Scores the Overtime Winner
Kyler Murray

A's Open to Kyler Murray Exploring a Return to Baseball
Coby White

is Available on Wednesday
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Won't Play on Wednesday
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Suffers Small Fracture in his Finger
VJ Edgecombe

is Ruled Out on Wednesday
Isaiah Hartenstein

to Play on Wednesday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

is Cleared for Wednesday's Contest
Collin Murray-Boyles

to Remain Sidelined on Thursday
Egor Demin

Ruled Out for Thursday's Game
Brandon Ingram

Considered Questionable For Thursday
Kyshawn George

Slated to Miss Thursday's Matchup With Jazz
Drey Jameson

Could be a Sleeper Out of the Arizona Bullpen
Brandon Williams

Expected to Suit Up Against Magic on Thursday
Cooper Flagg

Considered Questionable For Thursday
Trae Young

Off Injury List For Thursday
Klay Thompson

Probable For Thursday's Clash With Magic
Stefon Diggs

Patriots Releasing Stefon Diggs
Trent McDuffie

Chiefs Sending Trent McDuffie to Rams in Blockbuster Deal
Taylor Moore

Looking to Build on Cognizant Classic Finish
Robert MacIntyre

Brings Solid Form to Bay Hill
Scottie Scheffler

the Tournament Favorite at Bay Hill
Jonathan Drouin

Ready to Go Wednesday
Xander Schauffele

Trending Well Ahead of API
Jake Walman

Avoids Major Injury Tuesday
Marcus Johansson

Makes Early Exit Versus Lightning
Cole Smith

Golden Knights Pick Up Cole Smith From Nashville
Michael McCarron

Sent to Wild for Second-Round Pick
Ryan O'Reilly

Sustains Eye Injury Tuesday
Artturi Lehkonen

Deemed Week-to-Week
Kevin Love

Active Wednesday Night
Si Woo Kim

Looking to Return to Top Form at Bay Hill
Leon Draisaitl

Dominates With Five-Point Game
Ben Griffin

Looking to Return to Form at Arnold Palmer Invitational
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks to Build on Cognizant Classic Win at Arnold Palmer
Sam Burns

Searching for Consistency at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Daniel Berger

Offers Sneaky Upside at Bay Hill
Jack Hughes

Contributes With Two Assists
Dougie Hamilton

Picks Up Two Points in Win
Jacob Markstrom

Cruises to Win
Dylan Guenther

Picks Up Two Points on Tuesday Night
Jeremy Swayman

Defeats the Penguins
Justin Thomas

Making Season Debut at API Following Lower-Back Surgery
NASCAR

Collin Morikawa Hopes To Better Last Year's Runner-Up Finish at API
Tommy Fleetwood

Isn't As Confident of a Start at Bay Hill as Previous Weeks
Kyler Murray

Will be Released
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Not Using the Franchise Tag on Trey Hendrickson
Daniel Jones

Colts Place Transition Tag on Daniel Jones
Adam Scott

Might Endure Tough Times at Bay Hill
Aldrich Potgieter

Extremely Risky When it Comes to Bay Hill
PGA

Sungjae Im to Make Season Debut at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Jordan Spieth

an All-or-Nothing Option at Bay Hill
Harry Hall

Trying to Rebound After the Genesis Invitational
Ryan Gerard

Needs Better Start at Bay Hill
Kenneth Walker III

Won't Get the Franchise Tag
Patrick Cantlay

Still Plagued by Bad Putting Ahead of Arnold Palmer Invititational
Daniel Jones

Colts Expected to Use Transition Tag on Daniel Jones
Breece Hall

Jets Placing Franchise Tag on Breece Hall
CFB

Mark Stoops Joining Texas Coaching Staff
Jason Day

Attempts to Bounce Back from The Genesis Invitational
Jacob Bridgeman

Rolling into Arnold Palmer Invitational
Russell Henley

Looks to Defend Title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
Khalil Mack

Will Play in 2026
MMA

Lone'er Kavanagh Gets Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno

Gets Outclassed
Marlon Vera

Loses Fourth Fight In A Row
Daniel Jones

Colts Have "50/50" Chance to Get a Deal Done With Daniel Jones
David Martinez

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Daniel Zellhuber

Loses Third Consecutive Fight
King Green

Gets Second-Round TKO Win
Felipe Bunes

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Édgar Cháirez

Edgar Chairez Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Ryan Blaney

Falls to Eighth Despite Running Most of the Race in the Top Five At COTA
Ty Gibbs

Wins A Stage and Finishes Fourth At COTA
Christopher Bell

Earns First Top-Five Finish of the 2026 Season at COTA
Kyler Murray

"Repeatedly" Linked to Jets
Shane Van Gisbergen

Falls Short of Victory At COTA
Tyler Reddick

Wins At COTA and Makes NASCAR History
David Montgomery

Texans Acquire David Montgomery From Lions
Kyler Murray

Likely to be Released
Travis Etienne Jr.

Not Expected to be Franchise-Tagged
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Planning to Release Aaron Jones Sr.?
Tyler Reddick

Could Make History at COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Still the Favorite at COTA
Christopher Bell

Will Be Tough to Beat at COTA
AJ Allmendinger

Could Contend at COTA
Connor Zilisch

Carries Plenty of Upside for DFS at COTA
Chase Elliott

May be A Strong Contender Again at COTA
Chris Buescher

Is Nothing But Consistent at Road Courses
Ross Chastain

May Be An Underrated Competitor for the Win at COTA
William Byron

Is William Byron a Viable DFS Option for COTA?
Carson Hocevar

Needs Clean Race at COTA
Kyle Larson

Could be A Decent DFS Option for COTA Lineups
Ryan Blaney

Could Ryan Blaney be A Sleeper DFS Option for All Formats for COTA?
Chase Briscoe

Should DFS Players Roster Chase Briscoe at COTA?
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Is A Favorable Value Option for COTA DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs

Could Ty Gibbs Be A Rosterable DFS Play for COTA?
A.J. Brown

Patriots "Have Explored Trade Talks" Involving A.J. Brown
Lone'er Kavanagh

Set For UFC Mexico City Main Event
Brandon Moreno

Looks To Bounce Back
David Martinez

Set For UFC Mexico City Co-Main Event
Marlon Vera

In Dire Need Of Victory
King Green

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Daniel Zellhuber

Aims To Snap Two-Fight Skid
Felipe Bunes

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF