MLB DFS DraftKings.com & FanDuel.com Lineups & Picks for April 4, 2018
Baseball is back with a great slate of MLB DFS games scheduled for Wednesday, 4/4/18. The main slate on DraftKings includes five games starting at 7:07 p.m. EST, while FanDuel’s main slate also includes five games starting at 7:07 p.m. EST.
For today, we’re listing our top MLB DFS pitchers, hitters, and stacks to target in Cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. The info below can also be used for crafting your daily fantasy baseball strategy at FantasyDraft.
Please note the advice below is relevant for daily fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, and lots of other factors. This is important to consider when constructing a roster. Remember that more than in other sports, variance is a huge part of baseball. Even Jose Altuve can go 0-for-4 on a given night, and Max Scherzer can get lit up by a weak team.
Weather can also play a huge role in MLB DFS on a nightly basis, and lineups are constantly shifting. So always, always check the starting lineups and weather reports when playing for an MLB slate.
4/4/18 MLB DFS TOURNAMENT PICKS
7th Inning Stretch: $7 entry, $150k guaranteed (DraftKings)
Fastball: $33 entry, $70k guaranteed (DraftKings)
Jumbo Rally: $9 entry, $125k guaranteed (FanDuel)
Grand Slam: $33 entry, $70k guaranteed (FanDuel)
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Best MLB DFS Pitchers for April 4, 2018
Johnny Cueto vs. SEA ($9.6k DraftKings, $8.5k FanDuel)
Limited last year by recurring blister issues, Johnny Cueto started 2018 off right by spinning seven innings of one-hit, shutout ball at the Dodgers. At 32 years old, he isn’t necessarily on the downswing of a storied career and he’ll have to function as the Giants ace until Madison Bumgarner returns from surgery. Cueto can’t count on much run support from the Giants league-worst offense (through six days), but he’ll face a Mariners team with an above average 23.3 percent K-Rate and at the park with an extremely low run factor out in San Francisco. This contest opens with a low 7-run Over/Under, giving both SPs appeal as relative values.
Felix Hernandez @ SF ($8.8k DraftKings, $7.5k FanDuel)
Much like Cueto, Felix Hernandez is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2017 campaign and return to his former days of glory. He was victimized by the long ball last year (1.77 HR/9 ratio), but avoided hard contact with a 15.4 percent line drive rate while holding an extremely dangerous Indians lineup to 2 hits and no runs over 5.1 IP on Opening Day. Now he’ll face a Giants team that finished dead last in collective ISO (.132) and wOBA (.296) last season and has only managed six runs through five games to open 2018. Perhaps Cueto and “King Felix” turn back the clock with an old-timey duel tonight in a pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Jon Gray @ SD ($8.5k DraftKings, $8.0k FanDuel)
His approach was solid in his first start of the year, but Jon Gray was hurt by the fast turf at Chase Field to a degree and his .429 BABIP through one outing is clearly unsustainable. He makes for an appealing tournament play tonight at spacious Petco Park, where he’s posted a 3.21 ERA, .233 BAA and 12.83 K/9 ratio over three career starts. The Padres finished dead last in collective batting average (.236) with the second-highest K-Rate (25.3%) in the Majors when facing RHP and Gray was far more effective when pitching away from Coors Field.
Aaron Sanchez vs. CWS ($7.8k DraftKings, $6.2k FanDuel)
Another player who seemed to struggle last year due to constant blisters, Aaron Sanchez has tons of upside as he heads into his fourth MLB season. He posted a 22.3 percent K-Rate with a 2.53 SIERA as a rookie and a 20.4 percent K-Rate in 2016, so it’s not like the strikeout potential isn’t there with a fastball that tops out over 97 MPH. He drew a brutal matchup in his season debut against the slugging Yankees, but faces a White Sox team tonight that posted the sixth-highest K-Rate (23.7%) with a weak .162 ISO mark against RHP last season.
Other pitchers to consider: Carlos Martinez, Sean Manaea
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Best MLB DFS Hitters for April 4, 2018
Nolan Arenado @ SD ($4.9k DraftKings, $4.5k FanDuel)
Even the expansive confines of Petco Park can’t necessarily contain the power of Nolan Arenado, who is 32-for-106 (.302) with 8 HRs and a .947 OPS in San Diego over the last three seasons. Arenado has already homered off a lefty this season after batting a ridiculous .420 with a .534 wOBA and 26.7% HR/FB ratio against LHP last year. Tonight’s LH starter for the Padres, Clayton Richard, has essentially only ever retired Arenado due to blind luck, as the all-star third baseman is 10-for-16 with two walks over 18 career plate appearances against Richard.
Jose Martinez @ MIL ($3.8k DraftKings, $2.9k FanDuel)
Brewers RHP Jhoulys Chacin posted notably poor road splits while with the Padres last year, so he should be a good target at Milwaukee’s much more hitter-friendly ballpark. Chacin coughed up 2 HRs over 3.1 IP in his season debut and should have a tough time handling Cardinals hulking slugger Jose Martinez. The 6-foot-6 righty slugged 14 bombs with a .379 wOBA over 106 games with the Cards last season and is off to a blistering start in 2018 with a stellar 35.7 percent line drive rate and .983 OPS through his first four games. He’s almost a National League version of Aaron Judge the way he’s able to draw walks or crush mistakes, so he makes for a solid option in any format on tonight’s short slate.
Jed Lowrie vs. TEX ($3.3k DraftKings, $2.5k FanDuel)
One of the more polarizing options tonight is Rangers RHP Doug Fister, who posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in losses but cruised with a 1.95 ERA and .171 BAA in five wins last year. Fister could be worth using in tournaments but could be a better target with some of the Athletics dangerous lefties considering LHB hit .293 with a 39.6 percent hard contact rate against Fister in 2017. Jed Lowrie is one of the more conservative plays to consider, while young sluggers Matt Olson ($4.2k, $3.4k) and Matt Chapman ($3.7k, $3.7k) are more of boom-bust options. Lowrie is 8-for-27 with 5 XBH in his career against Fister and thrived with a .354 wOBA and 30.6 percent line drive rate at Oakland Coliseum last season.
Kevin Pillar vs. CWS ($3.2k DraftKings, $3.0k FanDuel)
While he was drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft with high expectations, White Sox RHP Carson Fulmer has been decisively unimpressive thus far. He posted a 6.20 xFIP with a 1.54 HR/9 ratio last season and will pitch on the fast turf at Rogers Centre this evening. Kevin Pillar was 9-of-10 on SB attempts at home last season and notably stole three bags in a single inning to help Toronto defeat the Yankees over the weekend. He’s rocking a 36.4 percent hard contact rate with zero soft contact recorded against RHP in the first week of the season and that’s clearly a recipe for success.
Other hitters to consider: Jose Abreu, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, Matt Chapman, Adrian Beltre, DJ LeMahieu, Yadier Molina, Elvis Andrus, Justin Smoak, Ryan Rua
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MLB DFS Stacks to Consider for April 4, 2018
Cardinals vs. Jhoulys Chacin (Brewers)
Rockies vs. Clayton Richard (Padres)
Blue Jays vs. Carson Fulmer (White Sox)
