In the preseason, we brought you Daily League Strategy Part 1 and Part 2. Now, all season long, I will be giving you my advice on whom to start in your daily fantasy lineups. Initially, this advice will cater to those who play on Fanduel. They offer some of the best gaming options for beginners, intermediate, and expert level players. Our job here at RotoBaller is to make your daily fantasy gaming experience a fun and successful one. Whether you are new to the daily fantasy scene or have been playing for years, our columns will be up-to-date and useful for all levels of experience. If you are new to the scene, tweet me at @RotoCole and I will personally show you the ropes. Let’s win together. Ladies (one or two reading this) and gentlemen, here is your late game Daily Fantasy Baseball lineup advice for all games on April 22th, 2013:
Last week was going great, as we were 3-1 heading into Friday's games. On that night, the Atlanta Braves had the privilege of facing Wandy Rodriguez. Well, nobody could foresee Wandy hurling his best game ever (7 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 5K, W) against one of baseball's best offenses. Nobody could see it coming, as the Uptons, Chris Johnson, and Gattis all seemed primed for huge performances. But guess what? That is baseball and just like those Braves hitters, we've got to have a bad short-term memory so that we can get back at it today. Let's go 4-1 in 50/50s this week.
Monday's Must Start: P Felix Hernandez ($9,100) - This matchup is GOLD for Felix. The only thing that would make it better is if King Felix were at home, but he should dominate regardless. He went 8 innings and struck out 12 five days ago against Detroit, and they have a much better offense than Houston. Cheaper options like Griffin and Correia are too risky for me; I want the sure thing, and Felix is as close as it gets.
Case of the Mondays: SS Alexei Ramirez ($3,200) - Just 7-40 in his career against Justin Masterson and went 0-3 yesterday. Should be sat in all formats and don't even think about stacking the White Sox against Masterson.
RotoCole's Primary FanDuel Lineup:
P: Felix Hernandez ($9,100) - Our must start of the day is worth every penny!
C: Buster Posey ($3,100) - Still priced as if he is slumping and had a missile home run yesterday. Today he faces Wade Miley, whom he is 4-7 with a homer against in his career.
1B: Ryan Howard ($3,100) - While he is the most likely candidate to go 0-4 with 4 Ks today, he is also the most likely to homer. He has three career hits against AJ Burnett, all for home runs. I refuse to watch him hit his fourth on someone else's roster.
2B: Neil Walker ($3,000) - I'm going with a Pittsburgh stack today. I like their chances to absolutely blow up Jonathan Pettibone's major league debut. He has an ERA over 9.00 through his two AAA starts this year. Somehow, the Phillies convinced themselves that bringing him up to face even better hitting is the answer to his early struggles. Walker should hit him well.
3B: Pedro Alvarez ($2,700) - While he hasn't completely busted out of his slump, he does have a hit in each of his last four starts and homered in two of those. I like him against the unproven rookie today.
SS: Jimmy Rollins ($3,300) - Went 3-5 yesterday with a triple and although he has struggled against Burnett, I like him at $3,300.
OF: Andrew McCutchen ($4,600) - Part of my PIT stack and one of baseball's most exciting players. Could have a huge game today.
OF: Garrett Jones ($3,300) - He just continues to fly under the radar but is one of baseball's better hitters. He should crush the rookie tonight.
OF: Aaron Hicks ($2,300) - In his last four games he has just one hit, but he also has 4 R, 6 BB, 1 RBI and 2 SB. I'll pay the minimum for that production.