MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/2019

Wednesday brings a lot of day games across the majors, leaving just five games to choose from for the main evening slate in DFS. While quality pitching options are hard to come by, the night still has plenty of great hitters to choose from. Let’s dive into the positions to see which favorable matchups stand out. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our MLB Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Gerrit Cole vs. Texas Rangers
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington
FanDuel = $11,200
DraftKings = $11,400

This might be the night to spend up on pitching. With so few games, aces are hard to come by. Enter Cole, who thrived with a 3.04 xFIP and 34.5 percent strikeout rate in his first season with the Astros last year. He was particularly dominant across his four starts versus the Rangers, holding them to a 1.00 WHIP and recording 40 strikeouts across 25 innings. The Rangers biggest addition to their lineup during the offseason was Asdrubal Cabrera, so they aren’t exactly in any better shape this season.

Ross Stripling vs. San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $9,300
DraftKings = $10,200

If you want to save a few bucks at starting pitcher, Stripling is at least cheaper than Cole. The Giants have scored a total of 14 runs in their six games, two of which came on a home run by starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday. As a team, they have a total of three home runs. Their lineup is severely lacking talent, setting up Stripling with the potential to shine. He held the Diamondbacks scoreless in his first start of the season and is coming off of a career-high 27 percent strikeout rate in 2018.

CATCHER

Austin Barnes vs. Derek Holland, San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $2,500
DraftKings = $3,900

With Holland on the mound for the Giants, the Dodgers should be a popular team to stack. They have several big names who could provide production but don’t sleep on Barnes. He’s already homered twice this season and has a career .343 wOBA against left-handed pitchers. He doesn’t cost much on either site, which should help if you decide to pay up at starting pitcher.

Others to consider: Willson Contreras and Robinson Chirinos

FIRST BASE

Anthony Rizzo vs. Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $4,400
DraftKings = $4,900

Another stack that should have a high ownership percentage is the Cubs against Teheran. Teheran has recorded an xFIP of at least 4.72 in back-to-back seasons and only had a 22.4 percent strikeout rate last year. Rizzo has his fair share of problems against left-handed pitchers, but he has a career .376 wOBA against righties. With his power upside, he could be a bat to pay up for.

Others to consider: Mitch Moreland and Yuli Gurriel

SECOND BASE

Ben Zobrist vs. Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $3,400
DraftKings = $3,900

Rolling along with options to include in a Cubs stack against Teheran, we check in with Zobrist at second base. He’s hit leadoff when the Cubs face a righty, leaving him in an ideal spot with Kris Bryant, Rizzo and Javier Baez hitting behind him. He recorded a .358 wOBA against righties last year and could provide some significant salary relief that could prove crucial when constructing your entry.

Others to consider: Jose Altuve and Enrique Hernandez

THIRD BASE

Rafael Devers vs. Marco Estrada, Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $3,300
DraftKings = $4,100

Estrada has never been a big-time strikeout pitcher, but last year was really bad with his 16.4 percent strikeout rate. He also allowed a whopping 29 home runs across just 143.2 innings. He’s given up 1.4 HR/9 for his career, so stacking power hitters on the Red Sox could be a sound strategy. It’s going to be hard to add the likes of J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts if you spend up at starting pitcher, so Devers is a cost-effective option to consider. Lefties held him to a .347 slugging percentage last year, but he slugged .464 against righties.

Others to consider: Justin Turner and Alex Bregman

SHORTSTOP

Carlos Correa vs. Mike Minor, Texas Rangers
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington
FanDuel = $3,200
DraftKings = $4,800

The Rangers starting staff is one to target throughout the season. They will be throwing their “ace” on Wednesday, but Minor would be a back-of-the-rotation starter on most teams. Last year was his first full season as a starter since 2014 and he didn’t exactly shine with a 4.53 xFIP. Correa has a career .366 wOBA against lefties, so he’s set up nicely for this matchup. His price is high on DraftKings, but he could be a steal on FanDuel.

Others to consider: Javier Baez and Marcus Semien

OUTFIELD

A.J. Pollock vs. Derek Holland, San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,600

The Dodgers have been hanging crooked numbers right out of the gate, which has helped Pollock accumulate six RBI and five runs scored across six games. Maybe even more impressive than the counting stats is the fact that he’s struck out one time across 28 plate appearances. In what could be another high-scoring contest, he makes a lot of sense hitting in the heart of the Dodgers’ lineup.

Kyle Schwarber vs. Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $4,600

Schwarber isn’t going to impress anyone with his batting average, but he made significant improvements last year with his eye at the plate that resulted in a 15.3 percent walk rate. He also mashed 26 home runs, which is certainly his calling card. Although he has a career 70 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, he’s someone to target versus righties based on his career 125 wRC+ against them. If you decide to go with a Cubs stack, Schwarber is another excellent option.

Robbie Grossman vs. Nathan Eovaldi, Boston Red Sox
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $2,600
DraftKings = $3,400

If you want to pay up for a starting pitcher, you are going to need to take some chances on cheap options. Grossman could provide value in this matchup against Eovaldi because he has been hitting leadoff this season against righties. Eovaldi was sharp during his time with the Red Sox last year, but he’s been prone to giving up base runners, leaving him with a career 1.35 WHIP. He’s also not a big strikeout pitcher with his career 17.6 percent strikeout rate, so don’t be surprised if Grossman finds his way on base a time or two in this matchup.

Others to consider: George Springer and Ronald Acuna Jr.

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.