RADIO
The Thursday slate is an interesting one on FanDuel as there a number of different slates. Thus, rather than limiting ourselves, I’ll list my favorite plays across the entire slate (to get my input on a specific slate, feel free to find me on Twitter @DanMarcus3).
Pitching is noticeably bad on this slate, so it may be a day to pay down and hit on some of the elite options available across nearly every game. This can be useful because there should be few highly owned players, even among the chalk, in the all day slate. Below are some of my favorite plays of the day.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/6/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on FanDuel. You can read our DraftKings and Yahoo DFS lineup picks as well.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Gio Gonzalez - vs. MIA ($8,400)
Gio Gonzalez is a difficult pitcher to trust and there isn’t a lot of relief with his $8,400 salary. That said, things do set up rather nicely for Gonzalez, as his left-handedness will help him neutralize key members of the Marlins lineup such as Christian Yelich, Dee Gordon, Justin Bour, and Derek Dietrich. Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton both hit lefties well, so some risk remains but that is more tolerable than usual given the pitchers on this slate.
Eduardo Rodriguez - vs. PIT ($7,100)
Rodriguez is a tournament only option due to his volatility, but he is very reasonably priced given the circumstances. Even with long stretches of struggles last season, Rodriguez was able to strike out nearly a batter per inning. In addition, it is expected to be a cold day with the wind blowing in at Fenway, conditions that often advantageous for a pitcher. Additionally, the Pirates has been woeful through two games scoring very few runs. Depending on your willingness to lock in some risk, Rodriguez is an intriguing option on Thursday.
Andrew Triggs - vs. LA ($5,900)
Triggs is an interesting punt option thanks more to circumstance and less based on his own skills. The Angels are a right-handed dominant lineup as the only likely left-handed batters to be in the lineup will be Kole Calhoun and Ben Revere. While both are professional hitters, they don’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of major league pitchers. Triggs proved himself to be at least passable as a starter in spots last season. Given the success that fellow right-handed pitcher Kendall Graveman had navigating through the Angels’ lineup on Opening Day, Triggs is an intriguing flier that is reasonable given the context of this slate.
Also Consider: Brandon McCarthy vs. SD ($6,300)
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Evan Gattis - C, SEA ($2,700)
Gattis and the Astros have a juicy matchup against Ariel Miranda. We all know of Gattis’ power upside at this point and he should be in the lineup as the Astros take on a lefty starter. The over/under is currently set at 9.5, meaning that there should be plenty of offense. Gattis should have a good chance to contribute, and at only $2,700 ($2,000 cheaper than Posey), he is hard to pass up.
Also Consider: Cameron Rupp - C, @CIN ($2,400), Jason Castro - C, vs. KC ($2,500)
Miguel Cabrera - 1B, @ CHW ($4,000)
It’s never a bad idea to play Miggy, but today it is an exceptionally good idea as he will square off against James Shields. Shields had the look of a washed up pitcher last year, and he surrendered a .915 OPS against right-handed batters. This is a prime matchup, the wind is expected to blowing out at 29 MPH, and Cabrera is still an elite hitter. That makes him a standout choice, even among the elite first baseman.
Also Consider: Mitch Moreland - 1B, vs. PIT ($2,600)
Ian Kinsler - 2B, vs CHW ($3,400)
Kinsler pairs nicely with Cabrera as a mini-stack that should be able to beat up on a good matchup. Like Cabrera, Kinsler has been able to handle left-handed pitching, and I’ve already discussed Holland’s struggles to retire righties. That said, I have little trouble pairing up two elite right-handed batters.
Also Consider: Brian Dozier - 2B, vs. KC ($3,400), Logan Forsythe - 2B, vs. SD ($3,000)
Travis Shaw - 3B vs. COL ($3,000)
Shaw has taken quite a liking to his new team and home park in the early going this season. While it’s unadvisable to chase points, today remains a juicy situation for him and the Brewers, as they will square off against a pitcher that literally no one has heard of him. The runs should keep coming on each side of this matchup and Shaw will likely play a role in plenty of them.
Also Consider: Todd Frazier - 3B, @ DET, David Freese - 3B @BOS
Trevor Story - SS, @MIL ($3,800)
Story is another top priced option to pair with Miguel Cabrera and he is a good option given the circumstances already discussed with Travis Shaw. Chase Anderson has actually been relatively good at controlling the run game, so Story doesn’t have as much stolen base upside as he normally may. As far as ownership, while he hasn’t been bad in his first few games he may have disappointed those who have rostered him in daily lineups. Thus, he should be a low-owned option and there is always plenty of upside in his powerful swing.
Also Consider: Addison Russell - SS, @ STL ($2,700)
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Rajai Davis - OF, vs. LAA ($2,700)
The A’s offense isn’t a world beater so hitting leadoff may not be as lucrative for them as with other teams. However, it still provides upside, and today’s matchup against Tyler Skaggs provides even more. In addition to the fact that Davis is a much more productive hitter against lefties, Skagg’s has also struggled to slow down the running game. Last season, runners were a perfect 11-for-11 against in stolen base opportunities. That gives Davis stolen base upside and is reason enough to roster him today.
Odubel Herrera - OF @ CIN ($3,400)
Herrera is a nice option on most slates because he provides both home run and stolen base upside. That should be no different today given the Phillies matchup against one of the Reds terrible starting pitchers in a great hitting environment.
Jackie Bradley - OF, vs. PIT ($3,500)
Bradley can be interchangeable with Andrew Benintendi, with Bradley a better tournament option and Benintendi getting the nod in cash games. The Sox will have a great opportunity to tee off against young right-handed pitcher Chad Kuhl even given the poor weather. In last year’s breakout season, Bradley posted a massive .901 OPS against right-handed pitching. On top of this, Kuhl was unable to retire left-handed opponents last season surrendering an .854 OPS to them. The only warning against the Boston hitters is that it is unadvisable to stack, as the offensive output should still be stifled overall.
Also Consider: Andrew Benintendi - OF, vs. PIT ($3,300), Khris Davis - OF, vs. LAA ($3,200)
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