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Mike Schwarzenbach highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 4/28/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
We've got more night games than usual for a Wednesday and with it all the fun that goes into breaking down larger slates. The pitcher pool features pair of aces in Carlos Rodon ($11,000) and Tyler Glasnow ($10,800). The Tampa Bay hurler will be a popular play thanks to his crazy 39.7 percent strikeout rate, but don't sleep on Rodon versus a whiff-happy Tigers team. Further down the list, we've got plenty of intriguing options like German Marquez ($8,200) pitching on the road, Alex Cobb ($8,000) facing the Rangers, and even Ryan Weathers ($6,300) is in play as a punt option on the mound.
That doesn't mean the slate is weak on hitting options, however. The Yankees offense began to wake up last night in Baltimore where they'll play again on Wednesday as road favorites. The Astros, Cardinals, and Blue Jays will also be popular with high implied run totals.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 4/28/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. With that out of the way, let's get t0 my winning picks!
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Carlos Rodon - CHW vs DET ($11,000)
Rodon is the highest-priced pitcher on the slate and that's part of his appeal. Of the managers that pay up for pitching, most will flock to Glasnow and the incredible floor he provides with all of those K's. Don't get me wrong, I love Glasnow, but a matchup with a patient A's team is scary for a pitcher like Glasnow who relies on batters chasing pitches outside the zone. I don't mind paying the extra $200 for Rodon versus the ultimate pitching matchup, the Detroit Tigers.
The Motor City Kitty's have the highest strikeout rate in the Majors overall and whiff a whopping 34.2 percent of the time against lefties. They are the only club in the Majors with an OPS under .500 versus southpaws. Almost any lefty is in-play versus the Tigers but Rodon is on a different level than most. The 28-year-old is sporting a 16 percent swinging-strike rate this season and has put up at least seven K's in all three of his starts, obviously including his no-hitter vs Cleveland. He's in a great position for a win as a -210 favorite at home. Don't be afraid to fire up Rodon at $11K.
GPP Play
Alex Cobb - LAA at TEX ($8,000)
Cobb got roughed up by Houston in his last start but is in a nice bounce-back spot at Texas. Before that dud versus the Astros, Cobb made two strong starts with seven and 10 strikeouts, respectively. He's got a 99th percentile whiff rate through three starts thanks to a revamped pitch mix. Cobb is throwing exclusively sinkers, splitters, and curveballs this season and it has batters either whiffing or pounding the ball into the dirt. Both of his breaking pitches have whiff rates over 38 percent and Cobb's ground-ball rate is over 53 percent dating back to last season. Something Cobb is doing is working and I don't see the Rangers having as much success as their in-state counterparts. Texas has the highest whiff rate versus right-handed pitching so there's some cash-game upside for Cobb as well.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Paul Goldschmidt - 1B, STL vs PHI ($3,500)
Goldy hasn't done much this season but a matchup versus Vince Velasquez is a tried-and-true method to start hitting better. The 33-year-old is still making great contact as he's sporting a 52.3 percent hard-hit rate which ranks in the 88th percentile among qualified hitters. His opponent, Velasquez, is a fly-ball pitcher with a FB% over 40 percent for his career. Eventually, another one of those hard-hit balls will leave the yard and I'm betting that happens versus Velasquez or one of Philly's underwhelming relievers.
Tommy Edman - 2B/OF, STL vs PHI ($2,800)
I promise there's more to this slate than the Cardinals, but the Redbirds are in a great spot and Edman is the engine that makes the train roll in St. Louis. Velasquez walks way too many batters with a BB% over 12 percent dating back to the beginning of last season. We already talked about his propensity for giving up the longball; see where this is going? Velasquez is always a pitcher to target with hitters and Edman should do plenty of the damage. He's scored at least six FanDuel points in four of his last five games and offers the flexibility to play at 2B or in the outfield helping fit other expensive Cardinals bats into the lineup.
Manny Machado - 3B, SDP at ARI ($3,400)
This play is simple. Taylor Widener is not striking anyone out this season (19.6% strikeout rate) and giving up fly balls at a 46 percent rate. Machado, on the other hand, is scalding the baseball with a hard-hit rate near 60 percent and a plethora of other encouraging Statcast data. The Padres are one of the top stacks on the evening and Machado is a big part of it.
Nico Hoerner - SS, CHC at ATL ($2,500)
Fantasy baseball managers seem to have forgotten how popular Nico Hoerner was at the very end of draft season. The 23-year-old was scalding the ball, playing to a .364 batting average and a 1.055 OPS in Cactus League play. He started the season at the alternate site and fell off the radar in fantasy baseball. Well, Hoerner is back in the windy city and has batted leadoff in back-to-back games with three hits. I like the Cubs offense to bounce back tonight and Hoerner is an affordable piece of that lineup.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI at STL ($4,400)
This is a reminder that Bryce Harper exists and is one of the best players in baseball. He's as hot as they come right now, in his last 10 games, Harper is batting .432 with a .865 slugging percentage. He's got four homers, 10 runs scored, and even two stolen bases in that span. Harper is locked in and my favorite hitter on the slate to pay up for, just watch the weather in St. Louis as the day moves on.
Dylan Carlson - OF, STL vs PHI ($3,100)
Another affordable Cardinal bat, Carlson has been a staple in this column for days and there's no reason to start fading him versus Velasquez. The 22-year-old switch hitter has been bumped up in the lineup, batting second in his last five games. In those five games, he's got nine hits. Keep playing Carlson.
Michael Brantley - OF, HOU vs SEA ($3,300)
This is the first Astro to make the column but they are very much in play versus the righty Justin Dunn. I'll highlight Brantley here who is riding a six-game hit-streak and has a career-OPS 130 points higher versus righties than lefties. He'll hit second for Houston and is never a bad investment at his price on FanDuel. Dunn allows a .378 wOBA to lefties compared to .245 versus righties in his career so he is a pitcher we can attack with LHB.
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