RADIO
Welcome back to another split-slate Wednesday. Not a whole lot better than twice the number of chances to win in a single day than normal. I won't even knock the early slate and the ugly pitching options - becuase I'd rather have the chance to play an ugly slate and the Main slate than suffer in my cubicle with no daytime MLB.TV to watch.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/18/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to shoot me a message on Twitter @kpLuch.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Jacob Faria - SP, vs TEX ($5,500) - Early Slate
I'm a big believer in Faria's "stuff", but there's no doubt that he has gotten off to a rough start - at least in his first two outings. While control issues still persist, he did look good in his last appearance, striking out seven and walking just two batters en route to smashing his price implied value. Today, in the four game early slate, he's my guy in tournaments as I think he has a good chance to lead those eight pitchers in strikeouts and he comes at an absolute bargain bin price. He matches up well with the Rangers, who have one of the leagues highest strikeout rates (28%) of the young season. And, believe it or not, the Rays and their lowly offense are actually favorites in this game, and the Rangers are projected for 3.7 runs. Faria isn't really cash game safe, but none of these guys in the early slate are very safe options at all. I'd rather roll the dice with Faria in tournaments, knowing he has high strikeout upside and the low price allows me to stack the two offenses with the top run projections - the Orioles and Brewers.
Also Consider for Early Slate: Kevin Gausman - SP, at DET ($7,300)
Carlos Carrasco - SP, at MIN ($9,300)
Cookie Carrasco had one rough go to open the season and looked pretty damn good in his last two appearances, combining for 10 strikeouts and allowing just three earned in 15 complete innings. Tonight, his matchup with Minnesota is a good one - they have one of the lowest run projections of the day at 3.6, the Indians are moneyline favorites (-120), and they are very strikeout prone against right-handed pitchers, with their projected lineup owning a 26.5% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season. Combining 2017-18 numbers, Carrasco owns an impressive 1.1 WHIP, 0.9 HR/9 and a 10.1 K/9.
Also Consider for Main Slate: Gerrit Cole - SP, at SEA ($10,600); Kenta Maeda - SP, at SDP ($8,800); J.A. Happ - SP, vs KCR ($8,900)
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Russell Martin - C, vs KCR ($2,300)
Martin has produced a couple monstrous games and then fell dormant for the past week or so. I am happy to buy low today in tournaments as the price is near the minimum and the matchup is excellent. For starters, there is great lineup context that Martin hits in the heart of with the Blue Jays having a strong lineup and the top run projection of the day at 5.1. Ian Kennedy is an exploitable pitcher and Martin is a reverse splits guy, owning stronger numbers against right-handed pitchers than he does lefties. For the past year, he's postred a .356 wOBA split and a .209 ISO mark.
Eric Thames - 1B, vs CIN ($3,400)
Going back to the Thames well again today, as doing so in the early season is often profitable and the man can go on big hot streaks. He returned from a nagging injury last night with a big home run and faces off against another right-handed pitcher tonight with a very fair, mid-tier price tag. Thames hits in the middle of the order for the top projected offense of the early slate, and boasts a very strong .278 ISO split against right-handed pitching. Adding to his allure is that he'll likely face a Reds' bullpen that has been taxed over the last few days.
Sean Rodriguez - 2B, vs COL ($2,400)
Second base is an interesting position tonight as there aren't many mid-tier priced options. Several studs are listed around or above $4k, and those below $3k don't offer a whole lot of upside. As such, I'd like to save some cash and run with Sean Rodriguez, who's hitting in the middle of a pretty strong, upstart Pirates lineup and faces a poor pitcher in Kyle Freeland. Rodriguez's splits are relatively strong, too, and he's a much better hitter against lefties, boasting a wOBA and ISO split that are 100 and 50 points higher, respectively.
Yangervis Solarte - 3B, vs KCR ($3,500)
I would highly recommend getting a bunch of Blue Jays in your lineup today, most especially in cash games where we don't have to get cute with ownership. Solarte takes on a has-been in Ian Kennedy and is also coming off a huge night. He's likely to hit fourth today in this powerful lineup and can swing a big stick himself. He owns a .347 wOBA and .200 ISO split against right-handed pitching.
Francisco Lindor - SS, vs MIN ($4,200)
Berrios is a good pitcher and a fairly tough matchup, but Lindor is incredibly hot right now and I give him the edge in this matchup - especially since the switch-hitter will be on the left side of the plate. Dating back to last season, his ISO splits (.203) reveal he does most of his extra-base hit damage from that side, and he has an incredible 52% hard hit rate over the Indians' past 11 games.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Curtis Granderson - OF, vs KCR ($2,500)
I'm a little surprised they priced Granderson so low today, but I won't complain about it as pitching in the main slate leans towards the expensive side. Hitting at the top of this Jays order, Granderson is a value play with big upside, thanks to the matchup and the splits that he boasts. The .356 wOBA and lineup context creates a nice floor, and the upside is represented in his .258 ISO split.
Scott Schebler - OF, at MIL ($2,800)
Schebler has been on the disabled list shelf for a week or so now, but there are rumblings that he'll be back in the Reds' lineup today. If so, I like him quite a bit as a sleeper with good upside in a hitter's park. It's a very small sample, but he got off to a good start and he is notorious (among these OF below $3k) for taking right-handed pitching deep. It's fairly hard to find guys in this price range with the upside that he brings, highlighted by his .340 wOBA and moreso by his .279 ISO split.
Also Consider: Rhys Hoskins - OF, at ATL ($4,800)
