DFS MLB Lineups for April 7, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com

For the next six months, each day there’s a good slate of DFS MLB games, we’ll be writing up a group of pitchers and hitters that we’re considering for our cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll also provide a list of stacks to consider, MLB start times, starting pitchers, and game run totals to give you a good idea of where the fantasy goodness might come from on a given night.

Unlike NBA DFS which is generally somewhat predictable from night to night, MLB DFS is a game with a lot of variance. You can make a really solid lineup and still fall short of the cash line. Even the best pitchers have bad nights, and the very best hitters can still go 0 for 4. Trust the process and know that if you’re playing quality lineups, you’ll be a winner in the long term.

Another thing to remember is to always check the weather. Always. Make this something that is part of your basic routine. Baseball games can get postponed! Your players receive no points from postponed games!

4/7/17 TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN

DraftKings Fastball: $33 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
DraftKings Moonshot: $3 buy-in, $110k guaranteed (20 entry max)
DraftKings Perfect Game: $333 buy-in, $110k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $7 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $33 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $3 buy-in, $100k guaranteed

DFS MLB START TIMES, STARTING PITCHERS & GAME TOTALS FOR TODAY’S GAMES

7:05p: Yankees (Severino) @ Orioles (Jimenez): 9
7:05p: Marlins (Chen) @ Mets (Wheeler): 7.5
7:10p: Blue Jays (Liriano) @ Rays (Andriese): 8
8:05p: Athletics (Alcantara) @ Rangers (Griffin): 9.5
8:10p: Royals (Vargas) @ Astros (Fiers): 8.5
8:10p: Cubs (Anderson) @ Brewers (Nelson): 9
8:10p: Twins (Hughes) @ White Sox (Holland): 8.5
8:15p: Reds (Garrett) @ Cardinals (Leake): 8
9:40p: Indians (Tomlin) @ Diamondbacks (Miller): 9.5
10:05p: Mariners (Gallardo) @ Angels (Chavez): 8.5

Best DFS MLB Pitchers for April 7, 2017

Max Scherzer @ PHI ($13k DraftKings, $10.3k FanDuel) – Early Slate
If you’re playing the All Day slate, especially on FanDuel, you’re going to want to pay up a bit for the obvious top pitching option. Since Scherzer’s last preseason tune-up was delayed, he’s now pitching on a Friday devoid of true aces and is capable of putting up monstrous numbers again after going 3-0 with a 2.02 ERA and 11.1 K/9 ratio over 5 starts against the Phillies last season. Philly remains one of the worst offensive teams in the MLB and they’ve long been a punching bag for Scherzer, who sports an incredible 1.78 ERA with a .182 BAA over the last 3 years against the Phils.

Francisco Liriano @ TB ($8.9k DraftKings, $8k FanDuel)
On the main slate tonight, Liriano might have the most upside of any SP, but he also comes with plenty of risk. The mercurial LHP struggled at times while transitioning from the N.L. to the tough A.L. East, but found a home in Toronto with a 2.92 ERA and 9.44 K/9 ratio over 10 appearances with his new team. Tampa posted the highest K-Rate (25.4%) in the Majors with a below average .318 wOBA when facing LHP last year and current Rays are a combined 25-for-99 (.253) with 27 K’s in their collective careers against Liriano.

Zack Wheeler vs. MIA ($8k DraftKings, $6.5k FanDuel)
The Mets stay in their pitcher-friendly ball park tonight and will give their fourth promising RHP a look as Wheeler looks to bounce back from Tommy John surgery with a big 2017 campaign. He was excellent back in 2014 with a 3.54 ERA, 9.08 K/9 ratio and solid 54% Ground Ball Rate over 32 starts and remains one of the more naturally talented hurlers in baseball. The Marlins posted the fifth-lowest collective wOBA (.309) against RHP last year and have a few strikeout-prone batters in their lineup to say the least, so Wheeler has a decent amount of upside in this spot.

Derek Holland vs. MIN ($5.6k DraftKings, $6.2k FanDuel)
A change of scenery could do Holland good as he moves from the Launching Pad in Arlington, Texas to a more spacious ballpark in Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field. The LHP looked sharp in the preseason, striking out 4 batters over 2 IP in his final tune-up, and he’s always been a capable pitcher when injuries haven’t diminished his abilities. Tonight he’ll draw a Twins team that posted a below average .254 batting average along with the second-highest K-Rate (24.3%) amongst A.L. teams when facing LHP and they’re a very young team with little to no experience against a deceptive southpaw in Holland.

Other pitchers to consider: Vince Velasquez (Early Slate), Ivan Nova (Early Slate), Mike Leake, A.J. Griffin

Best DFS MLB Hitters for April 7, 2017

Yoenis Cespedes vs. MIA ($4.4k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel)
Sometimes hitters have great BvP splits against a SP and it confirms what you can picture as a favorable matchup. Cespedes has great power from his back foot and that’s part of the reason why he’s 5-for-16 with a HR in his career against LHP Wei-Yin Chen, who tries to keep righties off balance with a hooking curveball. Yet Cespedes is great at timing up soft throwers and he hit .341 with a .441 wOBA and an impressive 1.081 OPS when facing LHP last season.

A.J. Pollock vs. CLE ($4.3k DraftKings, $3.6k FanDuel)
After his 2016 season was derailed by a freak accident last spring, Pollock slipped through the cracks as an elite DFS option to an extent, but he’s been one of the best plays of 2017 with 7 H, including 2 doubles and a HR, 3 runs, 3 RBI and a SB to produce double-digit FPs in each of his first three appearances. Tonight the D’Backs are a great offense to stack at home against a RHP in Josh Tomlin, who posted the fourth-highest HR/FB ratio (17.7%) amongst qualified pitchers last year. Tomlin had very interesting reverse-platoon splits in allowing RHB to hit .295 with a .356 wOBA last season and isn’t very good at holding on base runners, increasing the upside of a dual threat in Pollock.

Mark Reynolds vs. LAD ($4.2k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel) – Early Slate
Reynolds continued his hot start to the 2017 season with a homer in Milwaukee on Thursday afternoon and now he’ll move to hitter-friendly Coors Field for the first of a 7-game home stand. The Rockies hill face LHP Hyun Jin-Ryu, who is coming off a litany of injuries after putting up some horrific numbers over a limited sample size last season. Reynolds is sporting a .344 wOBA with a .212 ISO mark and 14.3% BB Rate in his career against LHP so he should be able to get on base or bring runners home in a high-scoring affair.

Robinson Cano @ LAA ($4.2k DraftKings, $3.2k FanDuel)
Cano seems really under priced on both main DFS sites ahead of a plus matchup tonight. The Angels signed former Oakland RHP Jesse Chavez after a poor 2016 campaign in which he posted a 4.43 ERA with a matching 4.49 FIP and 15.4% HR/FB ratio with two different teams. The Mariners have owned Chavez and are very familiar with him after playing in the same division, while Cano is 10-for-22 with 2 doubles and 2 walks in his career against a righty that allowed LHB to hit .307 with a .364 wOBA last season.

Other hitters to consider: Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, Brian Dozier, Ryan Braun, Randal Grichuk, Asdrubal Cabrera, Victor Martinez

4/7/17 STACKS

Dodgers vs Kyle Freeland – Early Slate
A popular move is to fade the away team in the first game at Coors Field under the assumption that they’ll need an adjustment period, but that might not be the case for the Dodgers in this plus matchup. The Rockies send rookie Kyle Freeland to the mound for his MLB debut and the Denver native could suffer from some nerves while pitching in front of friends and family. He’s a lefty, so Andrew Toles could draw another spot in the leadoff slot and would make for a great value if he does. Logan Forsythe has been red hot and he’s dangerous against the platoon while platoon specialist Scott Van Slyke will be a very popular GPP play if he cracks the Dodgers lineup.

Indians vs Shelby Miller
Both lineups are worth stacking tonight in a matchup between vulnerable SPs, as D’Backs SP Shelby Miller posted a 6.15 ERA while coughing up a 1.25 HR/9 ratio last year. The dangerous Indians offense became that much better with slugger Edwin Encarnacion in the mix and they could be all over Miller at hitter-friendly Chase Field, where he allowed opposing batters to hit .321 with a .395 wOBA last season. In addition to EE, Francisco Lindor is an elite option while Abraham Almonte is a good mid-tier play as he looks to continue his strong start to the year.

Mariners vs Jesse Chavez
We discussed Cano’s prospects against Chavez, but he’s not the only Seattle bat with great history against the Angels new arm. Nelson Cruz is off to a rough start this year, but in a small sample size, he’s 6-for-14 with 3 homers in his career against Chavez and is at least worth a look in GPP formats. Kyle Seager has also flashed some power against Chavez and will have the platoon advantage here, while new two-hitter Mitch Haniger is still an excellent bargain at $2k on FanDuel. Jean Segura is an exciting dual threat as well and he could serve as the head of a Mariners stack tonight.

Other Stacks to consider: Diamondbacks vs. Josh Tomlin, Cubs vs. Jimmy Nelson, Yankees vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, Rangers vs. Raul Alcantara