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Daniel Marcus highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 4/9/18, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
FanDuel's pricing tightened significantly over the weekend to the point where it's once again difficult to find regulars who are priced under 3K. With Noah Syndergaard, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander all on the slate, it'll be important to spot mispriced players in cash games. There are also some pretty terrible pitchers to stack against in tournament plays, and this article will mix in analysis builds in each scenario.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/9/18.
You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings as well as other sports. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @DanMarcus3.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Noah Syndergaard- SP @MIA ($10,800)
If I’m paying up tonight pitcher, Syndergaard is my guy. Scherzer is the safer bet to work deep into the game, but Syndergaard has obvious strikeout upside, is $300 cheaper, and has the best matchup of the top tier of pitchers.
Jon Gray- SP, vs. SDP ($7,700)
In GPP contests where I’m looking to jam more elite hitters into my lineup, Gray is a pretty clear-cut option to pay down for at the position. He will likely be chalky, though the fact that he’s pitching at Coors could scare away some ownership. It shouldn’t. Though his numbers are slightly worse when he pitches at home in his career, he posted better numbers at home in both 2016 and 2017. The matchup is also excellent -- the Padres have the second highest K% as a team and have averaged just 3.22 runs per game in the early returns of 2018.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Brian McCann- C/1B, @MIN ($3,000)
With FanDuel’s new roster setup, it will likely be fairly rare that it’s optimal to choose a catcher to fill this slot. However, if paying up at pitcher is the route you choose tonight, there needs to be some savings to put together a decent lineup. This is a relatively easy spot to do just that. Lance Lynn allowed 1.8 HR/9 to left handed batters last season and was similarly touched up by lefties in his opening start of the season, allowing a grand slam to Colin Moran and a double to Gregory Polanco.
Whit Merrifield- 2B, vs. SEA ($3,100)
Despite striking out at under a 10% strikeout season, Merrifield is batting just .222, influenced heavily by his .238 BABIP. Monday, Merrifield will draw a home matchup against Marco Gonzales. Last season, when facing lefties at home, Merrifield posted a wRC+ of 164 to go along with a .361 ISO. With those numbers, Merrifield’s quiet start to the season could be over on Monday night.
Adrian Beltre- 3B, vs. LAA ($2,800)
Beltre is simply mispriced, and it isn’t clear exactly why. He’s a consistent cash game option hitting in the middle of the Rangers lineup, has five extra-base hits this season, and has a strong H v. P history versus Garrett Richards. More specifically, Beltre has batted predominantly fourth in the Rangers’ lineup this season and is 13-for-43 with a .558 slugging percentage and .906 OPS against Richards throughout his career.
Aledmys Diaz- SS, @BAL ($2,600)
There isn’t a ton to pick on with Diaz’s matchup against Bundy, but Diaz is curiously priced as an everyday player who has power upside. He’ll go to one of the best offensive parks for right-handed hitters (better than any other environment he’s been in this season) and I’m not convinced Dylan Bundy is a shutdown pitcher yet -- let’s not forget he allowed 1.45 HR/9 at home to right-handed batters last season.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
A.J. Pollock- OF, @SF ($3,900)
The pick of Pollock admittedly flies in the face of the reasoning for Aledmys Diaz, but a matchup against Derek Holland is simply too good to pass up. Pollock posted a .248 ISO against lefties last season, and even though that number dipped on the road, he should be propped up by the matchup with Holland who is well...bad.
Jesse Winker- OF, @PHI ($2,800)
Despite not yet recording an extra-base hit this season, Winker is a viable cash game play due to his ability to get on base and his position in the lineup as the leadoff hitter in the Reds’ lineup. Last season, Ben Lively allowed a .369 wOBA to left-handed batters. That combined with a positive park environment combine to make Winker a very strong cash play on this slate for those are set on rostering one of the three elite pitchers on the slate.
