We have a larger 12-game Monday slate with a few aces to go around since the off days and postponements have thrown all of the aces off the same day. Don't worry, there's a few bums around to stack up against. Is there any one pitcher that we must have? Can we pay down to get the big bats? We'll explore that and a couple of stack options for tonight's slate.
Rain is going to be the dominating feature in the New York landscape again. The game was suspended yesterday in the top of the first after Marcus Stroman threw just nine pitches before the sky opened. I'm shocked they didn't just call a rainout to begin with. Rain is likely all day in New York, so I'll be avoiding that game again. Baltimore could have some rain issues as well, but the postponement threat looks low right now.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 4/11/2021. 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. Let's get to it!
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Gerrit Cole – NYY at Dunedin(Toronto) ($11,000)
Cole wasn't great against the Jays in New York on Opening Day, logging only 5.1 innings. Chalk that up more to the Yankees not letting him pitch deeper into the game. The fact is that the Jays have an alarmingly high career strikeout rate against Cole (33.6%). That was on display in the opener as well when Cole recorded 8 of the 16 outs via strikeout. No one else has anywhere near the strikeout potential that Cole has. He's worth paying up for today even if he does give up a couple of runs.
Potential Alternate Play
Freddy Peralta – CHC at MIL ($7,600)
The Cubs offense is a total wreck, having scored just 26 runs in nine games. Peralta's last start was at Wrigley six days ago. He racked up 45 FanDuel points in just five innings despite walking four batters. Peralta can be a little wild, but he offers nice strikeout potential and hasn't allowed a run yet this season. On top of that, the Cubs are lifetime .157 hitters against Peralta with no home runs and a 34.4% strikeout rate in 51 at bats. He doesn't have the upside of Cole, but Peralta shouldn't hurt you if you want to take a chance on a Cole fade in GPP's.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Ryan Mountcastle – 1B, BAL vs. SEA ($3,000)
Justus Sheffield got pummeled by the White Sox and their right-handed power in the opener. One of these days, Sheffield will put everything together. Today wont be that day. Baltimore is heavy with right handed batters anyway. I prefer Mountcastle as the main piece here since he bats cleanup. but chances are that I wont run any one single Oriole. I'll have a few. Maikel Franco and Cedric Mullins make the cut.
Whit Merrifield – 2B, KC vs. LAA ($4,000)
Merrifield is about the only Kansas City hitter that kept hitting after the opening series against Texas. He's hitting .393 with three homers and 10 RBI already. Cobb was rained out yesterday, which is good news for the Royals and their plethora of right handed hitters. Cobb has a reverse split thing going throughout his career. Royals righties could provide some good value tonight.
Evan Longoria – 3B, SF vs. CIN ($3,300)
Longoria and Wade Miley are very familiar with each other from their days in the A.L. East. Six of eight of Longoria's hits off of Miley have gone for extra bases. Three have cleared the wall. I wouldn't really chase after Miley here. The park factor and the fact that Miley is a crafty veteran that just figures out how to get people out doesn't bode well for a stack. However, Longoria is off to a nice start on the season and has had success against Miley in the past. I'll take it.
Gleyber Torres – 2B/SS, NYY at Dunedin(Toronto) ($2,700)
Torres is too cheap here. Robbie Ray may rack up the strikeouts, but he has issues with home runs, especially to right handed batters. Torres is off to a slow start, but he's batting fifth in a potent lineup that profiles well against tonight's starters. Guys like Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are gobbling up the RBI in front of Torres, but that won't always be the case. We need some cheap bats to go with Cole. Torres has plenty of upside as one of those cheap pieces.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Tyler Naquin– OF, CIN at SF ($3,800)
The 29-year-old former top prospect in the Cleveland organization seems to have finally figured it out. Naquin has smashed five homers and driven in 14 runs already this year. Oh, and he's batting leadoff against Aaron Sanchez, who is primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher. Naquin smashes both of those pitches. Nick Castellanos profiles well too if you want to pull a mini Reds stack. I don't think I would full stack this since San Francisco isn't a hitter's park.
Ramon Laureano – OF, OAK at ARI ($3,400)
MadBum has looked more like a regular bum since his 2017 motorcycle accident. He is still pretty tough on lefties, but Arizona's ballpark isn't helping his cause either. Righties have always hit Bumgarner well, but the splits are far more pronounced since the accident. Laureano is off to a fast start this year and finally tallied his first long ball yesterday and he has swiped five bags already. I want some right-handed A's power today.
Mitch Haniger – OF, SEA at BAL ($3,100)
Dean Kremer has control issues and the Baltimore bullpen was severely taxed over the weekend. This is not shaping up well for the Orioles. Haniger bats leadoff for an offense that is heating up against a wild starter and basically no bullpen. A pitching machine may be more successful against Seattle today. Haniger is where I'll start my stack, but several Mariners profile well here, including Kyle Lewis, Kyle Seager, and Ty France.
FanDuel DFS Stacks Options
- Seattle Mariners
- New York Yankees
- Oakland A's right handers
- Baltimore Orioles right handers