DFS MLB Lineups for April 17, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com

For this baseball season, 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.

The best advice we can give this early in the season is to remember that baseball is a game of variance. You can make a really solid lineup and still fall short of the cash line. Even the best pitchers have horrible starts, and the best hitters in the game can still go 0 for 4. Baseball is funny like that. 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!

4/17/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN

DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $350k guaranteed  
DraftKings Fastball: $33 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Home Plate: $20 buy-in, $30k guaranteed (3 entry max)
FanDuel Rally: $7 buy-in, $77k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $55 buy-in, $235k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $4 buy-in, $200k guaranteed

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

7:05p: White Sox (Holland) @ Yankees (Montgomery): 8.5
7:15p: Pirates (Nova) @ Cardinals (Lynn): 8
7:35p: Padres (Weaver) @ Braves (Garcia): 8.5
8:05p: Brewers (Anderson) @ Cubs (Lackey): 8.5
8:10p: Indians (Salazar) @ Twins (Gibson): 8.5
8:10p: Angels (Chavez) @ Astros (Morton): 8.5
10:05p: Rangers (Griffin) @ A’s (Cotton): 8
10:10p: Diamondbacks (Ray) @ Dodgers (McCarthy): 7
10:10p: Marlins (Koehler) @ Mariners (Miranda): 8

Best DFS MLB Pitchers for April 17, 2017

John Lackey vs. MIL ($10.2k DraftKings, $9.6k FanDuel)
I’ll probably be fading top-priced SP Danny Salazar against a Twins team that’s rolling right now and has hammered him in the past and opt for a safer option. Lackey was extremely reliable at home with a 2.62 ERA and .201 BAA at Wrigley Field and got off to a great start at home with a 10-strikeout performance against the Dodgers last Wednesday. Tonight he’ll face a Brewers team that’s striking out more often (27.9% K-Rate) than any other team in the Majors after leading the league with a 25.5% K-Rate last season, and Current Brewers are 20-for-81 (.263) with just 6 XBH in their careers against Lackey.

Robbie Ray @ LAD ($9.8k DraftKings, $8k FanDuel)
A reasonable bargain on FanDuel, Ray is worth a look on other main DFS site given his impressive start to the season and the quality of this matchup. The Dodgers posted the lowest wOBA (.275) in the Majors against lefties last year and are sporting a below average .289 wOBA to open the year. Meanwhile, Ray has struck out 14 and allowed just 7 hits and 3 ER over 12.1 IP so far this year and he struck out 33 over 25 IP (4 starts) last season.

Derek Holland @ NYY ($5.7k DraftKings, $6.8k FanDuel)
I would understand Holland opening the season at a discounted rate because of how he’s performed over his last few campaigns and all the question marks surrounding his health, but he’s come through twice and is still close to the bottom of the board on DK. The lefty has coughed up just 5 hits and 2 ER over 12 IP this season and faces a Yankees lineup that’s very lefty heavy. Southpaws are generally a little safer to use at Yankee Stadium because it’s deepest in left-center and it’s tougher for hitters to pull one over the short RF fence in a LvL matchup.

Other pitchers to consider: Brandon McCarthy, Jharel Cotton, Ivan Nova, Jordan Montgomery

Best DFS MLB Hitters for April 17, 2017

Kris Bryant vs. MIL ($5k DraftKings, $4.3k FanDuel)
Bryant’s production has come in waves this season, but he’s clearly an excellent option whenever the Cubs face a mediocre SP. Chase Anderson has allowed RHB to hit .288 with a .357 wOBA throughout his four-year career and he struggled with a 36.1% GB Rate to post a 5.09 FIP and 1.66 WHIP over 31 appearances last season. Bryant is deadly against homer-prone pitchers and he could serve as the heart of a Cubbies stack tonight.

Brian Dozier vs. CLE ($4.9k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
I’m not sure if I’d be willing to outright recommend a Twins stack against Salazar, but you could consider their most dangerous hitter against a pitcher that he’s owned in the past. Dozier is 12-for-26 with 6 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Salazar, who gave up 12 ER and 5 HR to post a 10.13 ERA over three meetings with Minnesota last year and has a reputation for inconsistency despite his ample talents.

Giancarlo Stanton @ SEA ($4.4k DraftKings, $4.1k FanDuel)
If you’re seeking upside with an outfielder or two, Stanton has to be towards the top of your list. The Marlins slugger came through with 2 HR in a plus matchup against LHP Jaime Garcia last week and is now hitting .375 against lefties this season after posting a .391 wOBA last year and a ridiculous .505 ISO mark against the platoon two seasons ago. Mariners southpaw Ariel Miranda has been homer-prone thus far with 3 long balls allowed over two starts and he gave up a 1.86 HR/9 ratio over 12 appearances as a rookie last year.

Other hitters to consider: Freddie Freeman, Wil Myers, Max Kepler, Yasiel Puig, Dee Gordon, Jake Lamb, J.T. Realmuto, Matt Joyce

4/17/17 STACKS

Indians vs Kyle Gibson
When Kyle Gibson struggles, he really struggles, as evidenced by the 11.18 ERA he put up in losses last season. He’s off to a rough start this year and has been as homer-prone as any SP with a 33.3% HR/FB ratio thus far. Current Indians are a combined 40-for-125 (.320) with 6 homers in their careers against Gibson, while their best hitters in Edwin Encarnacion, Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley lead that charge. Abraham Almonte has been a solid value as a breakout candidate for the Tribe and Francisco Lindor is the most tempting option with his dual threat upside and 8-for-10 mark with 2 SB in his career against Gibson.

Cubs vs Chase Anderson
The defending champs have yet to an impressive stride offensively, but have plenty of collective upside in a matchup against vulnerable RHP Chase Anderson. While he’s only allowed 1 ER over 13 strong innings to open the year, he’s still sporting a 3.89 xFIP and should start to regress towards his numbers over the past couple of seasons. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are the sluggers with the most upside while Ben Zobrist could be a lightly owned player who can succeed in this matchup. Also consider backstop Willson Contreras against a pitcher that’s been vulnerable when facing righties.

Braves vs Jered Weaver
Yes, it’s only the Braves toothless offense, but every team is essentially worth a look when they host declining RHP Jered Weaver. The Padres veteran is already sporting a 7.48 FIP with a 28.6% HR/FB ratio after posting the lowest Ground Ball Rate and second-highest HR/9 ratio (1.87) in the MLB last year. Power-hitting lefty Freddie Freeman should serve as the base of this stack while Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis could also do some damage. Adonis Garcia could heat up in this matchup and Brandon Phillips will be worth a look in GPP formats.

Other Stacks to consider:
Astros vs Jesse Chavez
Mariners vs. Tom Koehler
Padres vs. Jaime Garcia