MLB DFS DraftKings.com & FanDuel.com Lineups & Picks for April 19, 2018
Baseball is in full swing and there is a great slate of MLB DFS games scheduled for Thursday, 4/19/18. The main slate on DraftKings includes 5 games starting at 7:05 p.m. EST, while FanDuel’s main slate also includes 5 games starting at 7:05 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.
4/19/18 MLB DFS TOURNAMENT PICKS
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Pittsburgh Pirates (+100) at Philadelphia Phillies (Over/Under – 7.5 runs)
Pirates third-year RHP Jameson Taillon ($11.1k, $9.3k) is on fire to begin the season with a 3.12 SIERA, 0.69 WHIP and 24% K-Rate through three outings. While he faces his toughest test yet in the form of the hot-hitting Phillies, Philadelphia is posting the eighth-highest K-Rate (25%) in the Majors this season.
Jake Arrieta ($7.6k, $8.3k) has managed to avoid serious damage against two awful offensive teams (Miami and Tampa) but his velocity continues to decline and his 5.6% swinging strike rate is notably poor. Arrieta allowed lefties to post a .354 wOBA with a 16.9% HR/FB ratio last season and was tagged for 3 ER and 2 HR over just 2.1 IP in his last trip to Pittsburgh.
Gregory Polanco ($4.6k, $4.2k) has launched 3 HRs over 34 career at-bats against Arrieta and is a great GPP option with a 21.2% HR/FB ratio and 39.5% hard contact rate when facing RHP this season.
Corey Dickerson ($4.0k, $3.7k) is another lefty outfielder to consider in tournaments if he draws the start while Josh Bell ($3.8k, $3.3k) could pay off as a longshot considering he’s 7-for-14 with 2 HRs in a small sample against Arrieta.
Adam Frazier ($3.1k, $2.1k) should continue to lead off for Pittsburgh with Josh Harrison (hand) on the shelf and that makes him a fantastic value on FanDuel.
Rhys Hoskins ($4.8k, $4.7k) is a matchup-proof stud capable of producing against the Pirates young ace. He’s reached base in all but one start this season and trails only Boston’s Mookie Betts with a .485 OBP so far.
Sean Kingery ($4.0k, $4.0k) could pay off as a tournament play with low ownership. He’s a dual threat with plenty of upside if he can get on base against the battery combination of Taillon and Pittsburgh catcher Francisco Cervelli.
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New York Mets (-105) at Atlanta Braves (Over/Under – 9)
The Braves are second in the National League in runs scored so far this season and present a very tough matchup for Mets RHP Matt Harvey ($6.3k, $7.5k), who has been tagged for 8 ER and 17 hits over two outings following a solid season debut.
A Braves stack would revolve around Freddie Freeman ($5.1k, $4.4k), but he was hit by a pitch Wednesday and should miss at least one game with a wrist injury. In his absence, switch hitter Charlie Culberson ($2.5k, $2.1k) should start and serve as a cheap play at first base.
Ryan Flaherty ($3.0k, $3.1k) produced a HR and 4 RBIs last night and could move up in the order if Freeman is out.
Young switch hitter Ozzie Albies ($4.3k, $4.3k) has tons of GPP appeal due to his speed and he has a very solid floor with multiple hits in five of his last seven appearances.
Harvey allowed lefties to hit .326 with a .426 wOBA and notable 2.68 HR/9 ratio last season, so those two studs are great options along with leadoff man Ender Inciarte ($3.5k, $3.3k) and reliable LHB Nick Markakis ($3.2k, $3.3k).
Hot-hitting shortstop Dansby Swanson ($3.3k, $3.5k) could round out a Braves stack.
For the Mets, RHB are the strongest options consider Sanchez allowed righties to hit .338 with an equally notable 2.68 HR/9 ratio last season.
Anibal Sanchez was off to a great start this season but apparently suffered a hamstring strain that will keep him out tonight. The Braves will go with young RHP Matt Wisler in this spot and he’s ripe to target after posting a 5.00 ERA with 1.49 HR/9 ratio in his last full season back in 2016.
Wisler is allowing lefties to post a .379 wOBA with a 6.03 FIP against the platoon, so the Mets have several appealing stacking options in this spot led by standout OF Michael Conforto ($4.8k, $3.9k). Brandon Nimmo ($3.1k, $3.3k) is a very economical option on DK and comes with a solid floor-ceiling combination in this matchup.
Asdrubal Cabrera ($4.0k, $3.9k) is another great GPP play given his potential to log multiple hits and flash power against weaker righties.
Shortstop Amed Rosario ($3.0k, $2.4k) is starting to heat up and could serve as a quality value at that position while Yoenis Cespedes ($4.2k, $3.5k) is a worthy tournament option with plenty of pop in his bat.
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Miami Marlins (+180) at Milwaukee Brewers (Over/Under – 8.5)
The Marlins are indisputably one of the worst offensive teams in baseball this year and that makes Brewers RHP Chase Anderson ($9.5k, $7.9k) even more reliable than usual. The righty has been a solid Cash option over the past couple of seasons and is off to another solid start with a 2.82 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over four outings this year.
Miami counters with young lefty Dillon Peters ($5.0k, $5.6k), who throws hard, but has given up a 16.2% HR/FB ratio and with a 12.1% BB rate so far in his career. Peters has also posted an 11.37 ERA with a 2.84 HR/9 ratio over 12.2 IP on the road and faces a Brewers lineup with plenty of righties capable of tagging him.
Lorenzo Cain ($4.0k, $3.2k) posted a 37.8% hard contact rate against lefties last season and is 7-for-20 off LHP this year. He’s a quality option in any format.
Ryan Braun (calf) may sit out tonight’s game, opening the door for a host of cheap options that thrive against the platoon. Domingo Santana ($3.0k, $2.7k) and Hernan Perez ($3.0k, $2.2k) are capable of providing great returns in this plus matchup and are worth considering depending on their placement in the lineup.
Jonathan Villar ($3.1k, $3.2k) is worth a look in tournaments but is a risky option as always.
Jesus Aguilar ($3.1k, $2.4k) could draw the start at first and he crushed lefties with a 53.2% hard contact rate and .301 batting average against the platoon last season. But Peters has been vulnerable against lefties as well, so don’t shy away from Eric Thames ($4.7k, $3.6k) if he’s starting and hitting towards the middle of Milwaukee’s lineup. Christian Yelich ($3.8k, $3.6k) is also back in the Brewers lineup and remains dangerous against a vulnerable young lefty.
Anderson is actually more vulnerable in RvR matchups, so if you want to consider any Marlins bats look at Starlin Castro ($3.6k, $3.1k) as a solid Cash option and consider J.T. Realmuto ($3.5k, $2.7k) as the catcher with arguably the most upside on this slate.
Cameron Maybin ($2.9k, $2.2k) could also provide salary relief if batting high in the order.
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San Francisco Giants (+150) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Over/Under – 9)
Zack Greinke ($10.6k, $8.9k) has provided mixed results in two tough road starts at the Cardinals and Dodgers, but could bounce back at home against the light-hitting Giants. Current Giants are 74-for-308 (.240) with 64 Ks in their careers against Greinke, who might’ve lost some velocity, but many of those veteran hitters have lost plenty of bat speed as well. Greinke struck out 8 over 8 shutout innings in his last meeting with San Fran and is posting the highest K-Rate (29.2%) of his career with a 2.50 SIERA that belies his actual ERA of 5.29 through three starts.
Giants LHP Ty Blach ($5.7k, $6.0k) draws a seemingly tough matchup against the righty-heavy D’Backs lineup, but Arizona actually struggled with a collective .243 average and 24% K-Rate against LHP last season. Blach is still not a recommended Cash play with a 26% line drive rate and meager 4.9% swinging strike rate this season.
After a cold start, Paul Goldschmidt ($5.0k, $4.1k) has found his power stroke with 4 HRs over his last seven appearances. He’s a career .333 hitter with a .435 wOBA against LHP and has done most of his damage against the platoon this year, making him one of the top bats to target tonight.
Chris Owings ($3.2k, $2.5k) is an intriguing value to consider but he’s been less effective against LHP over the past couple seasons.
A.J. Pollock ($4.7k, $3.2k) is the best partner to stack with Goldschmidt. The dual-threat outfielder has posted a .360 wOBA with a 12.9% HR/FB ratio in his career against the platoon and has swiped 21 bases off lefties as well. His price tag is down after a few quiet games, which gives him even more appeal in GPP formats.
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Boston Red Sox (-107) at Los Angeles Angels (Over/Under – 8.5)
The hottest team in baseball scorched Angels new ace Shohei Ohtani and drove him from the game early on Tuesday night. So even though he’s off to a good start, young RHP Nick Tropeano ($5.4k, $6.3k) is not a recommended play against an elite offensive team.
Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez ($7.3k, $7.1k) remains an intriguing GPP option with the backing of the hottest offense in baseball behind him. The lefty hasn’t faced the Angels since his rookie year and has improved dramatically since then, recently baffling the Orioles with 8 Ks over 6 strong IP.
Mike Trout ($5.2k, $5.3k) posts lower power numbers when facing LHP and Shohei Ohtani ($4.6k, $4.0k) is also less dangerous in LvL matchups should he battle through his blister issue and play tonight.
The best Angels batters to consider might be Justin Upton ($4.5k, $4.2k), who hit .344 with an impressive 29.3% HR/FB ratio when facing lefties last season. Zack Cozart ($4.4k, $3.8k) is an intriguing play at SS after hitting .337 with a .296 ISO mark against LHP last season.
Mookie Betts ($5.4k, $5.1k) is absolutely en fuego to open a prospective MVP campaign. The dual-threat leads the Majors in batting average (.389), wOBA (.533) and runs scored (19) atop a potent Red Sox lineup. He should be worth the money against Tropeano, who is allowing a troublesome 33% line drive rate this year and gave up a 1.84 HR/9 ratio in 2016.
J.D. Martinez ($4.5k, $3.9k) appears to be over the early jitters after signing a big contract with Boston and he’s a great stacking partner to consider with Betts. Hanley Ramirez ($4.6k, $3.7k) is more of a GPP option despite his hot start, but all three batters could have huge nights once again.
Tropeano has posted a 1.57 WHIP and 4.94 xFIP in his career against the platoon, but has limited homers when facing lefties. So Rafael Devers ($3.7k, $3.5k) and Tzu-Wei Lin ($2.9k, $2.3k) might serve as excellent Cash options with their upside attached to the overall success of Boston’s offense.
Eduardo Nunez ($3.8k, $3.4k) is another solid Cash play to consider and Andrew Benintendi ($4.3k, $4.1k) could be worth using in tournaments.
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