Baseball is Back! Opening day part one is upon us and we have a small three game slate to kick off the season. Monday has a full slate of games, but some action on a Sunday is always fun. Since this is the start of a new season, that means we have no currents stats to look at, but we can judge things on the previous season, and take some notes from spring training. We have baseball from now until the fall, so hopefully this is a successful season for you and your fantasy teams. Let's get into it!

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/2/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on FanDuel.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @DFS_Tom.

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FanDuel DFS Pitchers

Jon Lester - P, @ STL ($10,000)

The Cubs are going with Lester on opening day to start their defense of their World Series title, and they picked the right guy. Lester was 2-0 vs the Cardinals last year, posting a 0.87 ERA and only giving up 11 hits in 20.2 innings pitched. He really seemed to have their number last year, and I would guess the Cubs want to get off to another good start this year, and we will be seeing much of the same from Lester. Last year for the months of March and April, Lester had a 0.93 WHIP and 8.65 K/9. So has really good upside on the strike out potential, and shouldn't give up more than two walks per game. He should be able to pick up the win with the run support we know the Cubs can provide.

Chris Archer - P, vs NYY ($9,400)

Archer had a bit of an up and down season last year, but the potential for a player of his caliber is very high. Just some quick stats on him from last year: 4.02 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 233 Strikeouts, 201.1 Innings pitched. His ERA wasn't great, but he average over one strike out per inning last year. So in terms of fantasy value, that is great because strike outs get you points, and if he can rack up a bunch of them, it should leave you in good shape. The reason I think Archer is a good pick today is because of the Yankees lineup, it's very young. Many people are saying the future is bright in the Bronx, but the young players are going to struggle a bit, and a pitcher like Archer can jump at that and get you some fantasy points along the way.

 

FanDuel DFS Infielders

Paul Goldschmidt - 1B, vs SFG ($4,300)

Goldschmidt is somewhat the face of the Diamondbacks, and last year he did his best to prove that. He finished the season with, 24 HR, 95 RBI, and .295 AVG. Those are some solid numbers and he should be on a path to have similar production this year. Pick hitters is tough the first few days of the MLB season, since all the best pitchers are on the mound. But you have to roster somebody, and it might as well be Goldschmidt who hit for .429 AVG off lefty pitchers at home last year. Going against Bumgarner is never an easy thing to do, but at home, Goldschmidt seems to have the key to hitting lefties, so this this is the spot for him.

Evan Longoria - 3B, vs NYY ($3,200)

Longoria is always a good option for third base, we know he is batting in the top half of the lineup, and he hits for a good combination of average and power. Last season, he hit 36 HR, 17 of those came in home games, and 16 of those 17 were against right-handed pitchers. Got that all? Point is, if he is going to hit a homerun at home, it will be against a right-handed pitcher. Longoria did start the season a bit slow last year, only batting .232 for March/April. But he has 22 hits in 23 games, so its likely you will get some production from him.

Brandon Crawford - SS, @ ARI ($2,400)

Crawford is a really solid play since he was hammering right-handed pitchers on the road last year. He had a.295 AVG and .347 OBP. Really strong numbers when you are on the road. This is not surprising since his home field is AT&T Park which is one of the best pitchers parks in the league. You generally know what you are going to get from Crawford, he probably won't go deep, but he gets on base, and if you stack him with other Giants' players, you should have a good chance to cash in on some points.

 

FanDuel DFS Outfielders

Yasmany Tomas - OF, vs SFG ($2,900)

Tomas is one of the up and coming young power hitters in the league and showed that last year by putting up 31 HR. He has some real power and has a bit of a sneaky match up vs Bumgarner today. As I mentioned above, going against Bumgarner is tough, but Tomas hit .328 AVG at home vs left-handed pitchers last year. For a player that is known more for the long ball, rather than consistent hitting, that is a great number and something you want to look at. He is cheap and has a the upside, could also be low owned in a GPP, due to his match up.

Dexter Fowler - OF, vs CHC ($3,400)

This pick is mostly due to the narrative going on. Fowler won the World Series last year with the Cubs, but in the off season, he signed a five year, $82 million dollar deal with their rivals, the Cardinals. Now, I know that's just the business side of the game, but it could also be in the back of his mind in this game, and he wants to show them that he is worth the money. He hit .293 AVG vs left-handed pitchers last year, and drew 19 BB. This is more of a gut pick, simply playing the narrative street card here.

Aaron Judge - OF, @ TAM ($2,300)

Judge was recently named the starting right fielder for the Yankees, and this is your chance to buy low on him. As I mentioned in the part about Chris Archer, the Yankees have a ton of young players, and they will prob go through some rough parts this season. But, the energy they have at the start of the season, could see them sneak in some highlights before the end of the first week. We saw some flashes of this late last year, and the power Judge has is pretty clear. So if you are willing to take a risk on a young player, especially in a GPP, I think now is the time. Who knows, maybe he has a multi home run game to start the season.

 

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