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FanDuel Lineup Picks for Sunday, April 26th
Daily fantasy baseball leagues (DFS) are becoming the thing to do, and here at RotoBaller we are excited to help our users build their bankrolls. I’ll be covering FanDuel lineup picks, sleepers and general advice every Saturday and Sunday. I’ll also be putting my money where my mouth is by entering my final lineup (at the bottom of the article) into one of FanDuel’s many daily fantasy contests, so that RotoBaller users can compete against me.
My goal with these DFS picks, as always, is to try to choose players who will outperform their expectations. These players can be high-cost players, or they can be sleepers, but we are always looking for players that have a chance to return the greatest value. Additionally, since the weekends generally have many afternoon and night games, I’ll make an effort to distribute my picks to cover all the timeslots going forward so that if you are playing an afternoon/night only league this article will still be useful. So, without further ado, my picks for Sunday April 26th.
Editor’s Note: RotoBaller’s Premium DFS Lineup Picks & Tools help you get an edge for your FanDuel lineups with exclusive access to DFS tools and expert lineup picks. Also our DFS batters vs. pitchers tool helps you analyze today’s matchups and make optimal lineup decisions.
Last Sunday’s Review
Last Sunday we played the $6K MLB Bunt. Here is how we did:
Entry: $1
Winnings: $0
Sundays For the Season: -$2
Pick Highlights: Going expensive at pitcher almost paid off as Harvey tossed a great game, got unlucky not getting the win, and we fell a half a point short of finishing in the money. Cheap players that had good histories against opposing pitchers didn't come through for us...I'm looking at you Erick Aybar and Rickie Weeks. However, cheapest player on the board, Garrett Jones, did come through with a three hit day producing 5.75 points and sleeper of the week Torii Hunter saved his day with a late home run giving him a 7 point performance.
Marital Status: “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed”
Offense to Target for FanDuel
San Francisco Giants - Two words...Coors effect
WARNING - Any time a game is in Coors you have a stacking opportunity, but be mindful today that there is a good chance of rain in Colorado, so this is a 4pm game that could get wiped out completely.
New York Yankees - The Yanks got shut down yesterday by Matt Harvey to nobody's surprise, but they have been swinging hot bats lately and go up against soft throwing lefty Jon Niese. Niese has been wonderful so far this season, but he doesn't have the swing and miss stuff that gives the Yankees hitters trouble. I expect a couple of balls to leave the yard tonight on Sunday Night Baseball.
DFS Starting Pitchers To Consider for FanDuel
Gio Gonzalez (SP, WAS) - $8,400
I don't love the pitching slate today, especially the high priced match ups, but Gonzalez is the one guy that I'd take a chance on. He's a strikeout pitcher facing the second most strikeout prone team in the league today, the Miami Marlins. Gonzalez has had good success against Marlins hitters; just ask Giancarlo Stanton who is 2 for 13 lifetime against him without a home run. The game today is in Miami, one of the best pitching parks in baseball. Strikeouts in a great pitchers park...sounds like a recipe for success.
Drew Pomeranz (SP, OAK) – $5,900
Speaking of strikeouts in a great pitcher's park, look no further than Drew Pomeranz in Oakland. Pomeranz faces off with the Astros today. Let's keep it simple and just go down the pitching matchup checklist...Pitcher’s Park? Check. He’s in his spacious home park in Oakland today, one of the ten best pitcher’s parks in the league. Facing bad offense? Check. Houston comes in ranked 22nd in the league in runs scored. Strikeout potential? Check. While Pomeranz doesn’t have electric strikeout stuff per se, Houston comes in leading the league in strikeouts at almost 10/game.
DFS Infielders To Consider for FanDuel
Adrian Beltre (3B, TEX) – $3,200
Beltre has gotten off to a slow start this season, but I don’t see any cause for concern. If anything, the slow start has made this remarkably consistent player more affordable in DFS. Beltre faces off with division rival Hector Santiago today. In 17 career at-bats against the left hander Beltre is hitting .353 with three long balls.
Dustin Pedroia (2B, BOS) – $2,900
Pedroia is hitting second in arguably the most potent lineup in baseball. The power has returned for Pedroia this season, notching four home runs already. Today, Pedroia goes up against Bud Norris in Baltimore who is not afraid to give up a few home runs from time to time. Pedroia is going for around the same price as fellow second basemen Ryan Brett, Taylor Featherston, Danny Muno, and Tyler Ladendorf…not exactly household names. As long as FanDuel keeps valuing him in this range, he'll be in my lineup.
Buster Posey (C, SFG) - $3,800
Not much needs to be said here. We have the top catcher qualified player in the game playing in Coors Field going up against a mediocre left handed pitcher. The reason I list Posey today though is that this is the lowest price point that I've seen him at in quite some time. As mentioned in the "Offense to Target" section, there is rain in the area for this game, so it's a bit of a risk to play Posey, but the reward could be phenomenal.
DFS Outfielders To Consider for FanDuel
Matt Holliday (OF, STL) – $3,200
Holliday continues to be criminally undervalued in FanDuel right now so I will continue to list him here. His price point is in the Angel Pagan, Nori Aoki, George Springer range. Meanwhile Holliday is putting up upper echelon outfield numbers. Holliday is hitting a scorching hot .358 and has gotten a hit in all but one game this season. He finally went deep for the first time yesterday. The long balls will continue to come and Holliday will remain a consistently good value throughout the season.
Ryan Braun (OF, MIL) - $3,200
Braun is off to a slow start hitting just .230 with a single home run early this season, but that has to turn around at some point and there seems to be no better time than today against Lance Lynn. Braun is hitting .318 versus Lynn in 22 career at-bats and has added a home run during that time as well. In these tournament formats, I'm always looking for players that are well priced, but possess big upside. Braun is certainly that.
Andre Ethier (OF, LAD) – $2,200
Ethier is on the board for the cheapest price of the day and until FanDuel adjusts that price Ethier will stay on this list. The issue with Ethier is that he seems to be the fourth man in the Dodgers outfield and if you haven’t watched baseball lately, managers generally only start three outfielders. However, one of those three Dodgers starters, Yasiel Puig, has been out of thee lineup with a pulled hamstring. Ethier should slot right into Puig’s spot and if Puig goes down for an extended period, Ethier becomes a value play every day until his price goes up.
FanDuel Sleeper Value of the Day
Allen Craig (OF, BOS) - $2,200
Craig hasn't gotten a ton of playing time this season in a loaded Boston outfield, but he is in the lineup today, hitting 7th and playing right field. It makes sense. Craig has crushed opposing pitcher Bud Norris in the past to the tune of a .400 average over 20 at-bats including two home runs. After a miserable season last year, Craig is looking to rebound, and manager John Farrell is putting him in position to gain some confidence in this matchup against Norris.
My DFS Lineup on FanDuel
Today I’ll be playing in the $75K MLB Squeeze which starts at 1:08 pm EST. Remember to check your lineups throughout the day. You never want to get a goose egg for a guy that didn’t play.
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