RADIO
It's Friday, the warm air is finally rolling in and we have a loaded slate of baseball on deck for tonight. What could be better?
First pitch for tonight's games is at 7:05, so get those lineups locked and loaded. No day baseball to distract us cubicle jockeys at work is a little disappointing, but there are few things that feel better in DFS than making a lineup when you have your pick of any player in the majors. Before we talk stacks and players, glance at a few Vegas lines that should be helpful when making close calls. There are a few teams with projected run totals over five runs, which puts them in play as targets for stacks. Those teams are the Indians (5.3), the Diamondbacks (5.1) and the Angels (5). As for the biggest favorites of the day, helpful when deciding cash game pitchers or elevating "safer" options, we have a few I'd qualify as large spreads. The Indians leads the pack at -193, followed by the Dodgers (-185) and the Diamondbacks (-159).
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/28/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options, and of course, value plays. Let's dance.
Offensive Stacks
Arizona Diamondbacks against Kyle Freeland
There's a lot to like about the Diamondbacks this evening. Let's start with Vegas, who not only has the Diamondbacks as the second biggest favorite of the day, but they're also pegged with the second highest run total at 5.1. As far as park factors go, not many teams are playing in a more opportune park for home run smashing. Opposing pitcher Kyle Freeland doesn't have much major league experience either, and he's in for a big test against an Arizona lineup loaded with southpaw killers. My favorites Diamondbacks this evening are AJ Pollock, Yasmany Tomas, Paul Goldschmidt and Chris Owings.
Also Consider: Los Angeles Angels versus Nick Martinez
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Max Scherzer - SP, vs NYM ($11,600)
If you're a cash game player, I hope you don't get tired of players too easily because Mad Max is likely to be a mainstay in them this year (and much like seasons past.) Why Scherzer? Besides the obvious, let's start with the game factors. Scherzer is at home, which happens to be a pretty solid park for pitchers, and he takes on a division rival who's lineup took a huge hit with the Yoenis Cespedes injury yesterday.
After a hot start, the Mets offense has been middling and now they're without their best power hitter. They've struck out in 24% of their at-bats this season against right-handers and own just a .280 wOBA. Vegas happens to like the Nationals in this one as well, as they're currently -150 favorites - not a huge line but nothing to disregard. As for Max, he has been absolutely outstanding this season, crushing value in every start by an incredible average margin of more than 13 points. He has a 11.5 K/9 and adds to that a pretty impressive WHIP of 0.91. He's the best pitcher on the board today by a mile and lands in one of the better situations.
Also Consider: Carlos Carrasco - SP, vs SEA ($10,800)
Lance Lynn - SP, vs CIN ($8,000)
Believe it or not, Lance Lynn has been pretty good in his last two outings. The big right-hander had a down year last season and 2017 didn't start off so hot, but he's looked good recently and his two shaky starts came against the best offenses in the majors. Most importantly, he has been showing strikeout upside, and that's what we're chasing most in tournament formats. If you're playing cash, I don't think Lynn is safe enough yet. In GPP formats, however, he has a nice blend of overall upside (strikeouts, quality start, and win), middle-tier price and a bit of risk.
He takes on the Reds in his home park, a place he's pitched best in his career. The Reds have been pretty good against righties, showcasing an a .300 wOBA, but they're taking a major park downgrade with this game being played in St. Louis. They've (and by they, I mean the projected lineup) also struck out over 27% of the time against right-handers in 2017, and that's a very attractive number compared to the rest of the slate - and any day, for that matter. Lynn is definitely worth a roll of the dice today in tournaments. If you like to play it safe, Scherzer is in play as well because of his strikeout potential, but you're going to have to find a relatively cheap stack to pair him with.
Also Consider: Robbie Ray - SP, vs COL ($8,800)
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Robinson Chirinos - C, vs LAA ($2,600)
Is there anyone benefiting more from Jonathon Lucroy's terrible start? I think not, but I could be wrong. Chrinos has been tearing the cover of the ball so far and, not surprisingly, he's been crushing his price implied value. Tonight, he's in great position to do some more damage in what is a great power hitter's park. Chrinos is displaying some big numbers in a number of departments and he's an easy pick for me today, especially in tournaments. Speaking of those numbers, does a .370 wOBA and .280 ISO split excite you? If that doesn't do it for you, surely the 46% hard-hit rate and 286 ft average batted ball distance over the past 15 days will.
Also Consider: Willson Contreras - C, at BOS ($2,900)
Matt Carpenter - 1B, vs CIN ($3,300)
Carpenter's bat is starting to come alive and he blessed daily fantasy owners yesterday with a walk-off grand slam. Racking up 38+ points in one swing isn't so bad. But back to today, as that's what is most important. Carpenter enters this game with a .382 wOBA and .242 ISO split over the last year against right-handed pitching. That wOBA split creates a real high floor and the ISO north of .250 tells us he's no stranger to delivering outfield souvenirs. At this price, he represents value, upside and salary relief from some of the more expensive options tonight.
Also Consider: C.J. Cron - 1B, at TEX ($2,300)
Jason Kipnis - 2B, vs SEA ($3,200)
Kipnis has returned from his relatively short DL stint and he's looked pretty good swinging the bat thus far, collecting two hits over eight at-bats. Tonight, he's in a pretty opportune spot, hitting in the two-hole of a powerful lineup that is currently projected for the highest run total of the day. Kipnis sports pretty great splits as well, as he has a .368 wOBA and .213 ISO over the past season.
Also Consider: Brad Miller - 2B, at TOR ($3,100) - GPP pivot
Corey Seager - SS, vs PHI ($3,500)
Seager is another guy who got out of the gate a little slow in April and has picked it up lately, beating his price implied value in four of the Dodgers last five games. At this price, I really like Seager as he's the type of guy who can beat value with one swing or by stringing a few hits together. I love the floor his .421 wOBA creates and the upside his .241 ISO split showcases.
Also Consider: Aledmys Diaz - SS, vs CIN ($3,000)
Kris Bryant - 3B, at BOS ($4,200)
I have a feeling Kris and his friends are going to have some fun at Fenway Park this weekend, starting with tonight against Drew Pomeranz. Bryant has really improved his hitting against southpaws and thus far in 2017 he's posted a .438 wOBA and .347 ISO splits, which puts him in elite company. Pomeranz has been solid in racking up strikeouts, but he's also a flyball pitcher who has an ISO allowed this year over .300.
Also Consider: Nicholas Castellanos - 3B, vs CWS ($3,300)
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
A.J. Pollock - OF, vs COL ($4,200)
I mentioned Pollock upstairs as one of my favorite Diamondback players to stack, but I also like him enough to deploy him in the type of lineup I deem "the best option at each position...that I can afford." Pollock is in a situation tonight that is worth paying over $4k in price for. He's the leadoff man for the team projected for the second most runs, takes on an inexperienced hitter, and he has very impressive splits to flash from the past 365 days of baseball he's played - .327 wOBA and a .286 ISO.
Mike Trout - OF, vs TEX ($5,000)
Trout gets a pretty big park upgrade tonight and lucks into facing a pretty inexperienced player. I'm not usually one for spending this high, but I think that Trout will have low ownership in tournaments and his upside - combining home run and stolen base threats - is really unmatched on this slate. For the year, he has a .426 wOBA and a .249 ISO. He's also averaging 0.21 stolen bases per game, which is eighth among all outfielders.
Also Consider: Shin-Soo Choo - OF, vs LAA ($3,300)
MLB News & Injury Alerts
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