MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/18

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Mike Barner on April 3, 20180 Comments

*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/18

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STARTING PITCHERS

Chris Sale vs. Miami Marlins
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $11,400
DraftKings = $12,900

Sale picked up where he left off last year with his first start of 2018, pitching six shutout innings and recording nine strikeouts against the Rays. Sale is one of the most dominant strikeout pitchers in all of baseball, posting a K/9 of at least 10.8 in three of the last four seasons. The Marlins tore down their team over the winter and while they have had a couple of nice offensive showings already this season, facing Sale is a whole different story. Don’t hesitate to pay up to get Sale into your lineup.

Chase Anderson vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Stadium – Miller Park
FanDuel = $7,800
DraftKings = $10,100

Anderson had a breakout campaign for the Brewers last year, posting a 2.74 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 8.5 K/9. His FIP was 3.58 and opponents did have just a .268 BABIP, so he could be in line for some regression this season, but likely not one that significant. He had control issues by allowing three walks in his first start of the season against the Padres, but by allowing just one hit and striking out eight batters, he did not allow an earned run. He’ll get a tougher opponent in the Cardinals on Tuesday, but he can still provide value at this reasonable price.

CATCHER/FIRST BASE

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/18

Freddie Freeman vs. A.J. Cole (Washington Nationals)
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $4,600

Freeman continues to be an on-base machine for the Braves as he already has eight walks in four games this season. He’s done damage as well, recording a home run and five RBI so far. He’ll face a right-hander in Cole on Tuesday, which is good news considering Freeman dominated righties last year with a .422 wOBA. Cole also allowed a .414 wOBA to lefties last year, so this could be the perfect storm for Freeman.

Willson Contreras vs. Cody Reed (Cincinnati Reds)
Stadium – Great American Ball Park
FanDuel = $3,300
DraftKings = $4,600

Contreras is off to a slow start this year, hitting 4-for-21 (.190) with just one RBI. Tuesday brings a favorable matchup though against Reed, who had a 5.09 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 17.2 innings for the Reds last year. He did make 10 starts for the Reds in 2016, but he was even worse with a 7.36 ERA and 1.80 WHIP. Contreras had a .386 wOBA against lefties last year, so it might be worth taking a chance that Tuesday is his first breakout game of the season.

Others to consider: Joey Gallo (first base) and Brian McCann (catcher)

SECOND BASE

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/18

Ozzie Albies vs. A.J. Cole (Washington Nationals)
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $3,200
DraftKings = $3,600

Albies is not off to a great start this season either, recording only two hits in his first four games. He does have a home run, two RBI and three runs scored, helping to salvage some of his lines. The Nationals have a great starting rotation, but he’ll get to face one of their weaker links in Cole on Tuesday. Cole had a 3.81 ERA last year, but his 5.20 FIP suggests that should have been much higher. He also has problems keeping runners off base with a career 1.45 WHIP.

Javier Baez vs. Cody Reed (Cincinnati Reds)
Stadium – Great American Ball Park
FanDuel = $2,800
DraftKings = $4,000

Baez only has two hits through the first five games of the season and has struck out five times while drawing just one walk. He struck out 144 times in 145 games last year and had just a .317 OBP, so his starts in those departments aren’t all that surprising. He batted .315 with nine home runs against lefties last year though, making him possibly worth the risk for your lineup Tuesday at this price.

Others to consider: Whit Merrifield and Rougned Odor

THIRD BASE

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/18

Anthony Rendon vs. Julio Teheran (Atlanta Braves)
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $3,800
DraftKings = $4,300

The Nationals have a potent lineup and Rendon gets the benefit of hitting between Adam Eaton and Bryce Harper on most nights. Teheran will have a tough task ahead of him, especially considering he had a 5.86 ERA and 1.50 WHIP at home last season. He wasn’t any better in his first start at home in 2018 against the Phillies, allowing four runs in 5.2 innings on Opening Day. The Nationals could put up a crooked number Tuesday with Rendon right in the middle of the action.

Jeimer Candelario vs. Jakob Junis (Kansas City Royals)
Stadium – Comerica Park
FanDuel = $2,700
DraftKings = NA

The Tigers are rebuilding and Candelario is considered one of the important parts of their future. He played well in 27 games with the Tigers last year, hitting .330 with a .406 OBP. While he likely can’t keep that up in 2018, he did post a .270 average and .350 OBP during his career in the minors. He’ll bat second and from the left side of the plate against Junis on Tuesday, who allowed lefties to bat .274 against him in 2017 compared to righties batting just .246. He’s only available on FanDuel as DraftKings is not including this game in their early slate.

Others to consider: Kris Bryant and Alex Bregman

SHORTSTOP

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/18

Xander Bogaerts vs. Jose Urena (Miami Marlins)
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $4,400

Bogaerts is red hot to start the season, recording at least two hits in four of his first five games. He’s hit for power as well with one home run and five doubles. He’ll face the default ace for the Marlins in Urena on Tuesday, who allowed five runs in four innings against the Cubs on Opening Day. Urena has a career FIP of 5.07, so Bogaerts could play a big role in a potential offensive explosion for the Red Sox in this game.

Alcides Escobar vs. Matthew Boyd (Detroit Tigers)
Stadium – Comerica Park
FanDuel = $2,200
DraftKings = NA

Escobar recorded his first hits of the season Monday against the Tigers, going 2-for-3 with a double, triple and a run scored. He only hits eighth in the Royals lineup, which hurts his value in DFS based on the limited amount of at-bats he gets batting that low in the order. However, he gets a favorable matchup against Boyd, who allowed a .357 wOBA against righties last year compared to just .313 against lefties. Escobar is very cheap and could allow you to add a couple of big sluggers to your entry with the savings he will provide. He’s only available on FanDuel as DraftKings is not including this game in their early slate.

Others to consider: Trea Turner and Elvis Andrus

OUTFIELD

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/3/18

Bryce Harper vs. Atlanta Braves (Julio Teheran)
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $4,600
DraftKings = $5,300

Harper is off to a torrid start this season, batting .417 with a .550 OBP, three home runs and seven RBI. Talent has never been the question with Harper as he usually produces when he’s healthy. He has also owned Teheran during his career, batting .459 with seven home runs and 17 RBI in 45 career plate appearances against him. Harper is expensive, but he also has tremendous upside Tuesday.

Adam Eaton vs. Atlanta Braves (Julio Teheran)
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $3,800
DraftKings = $4,700

Speaking of hot starts, Eaton is 8-for-13 with two home runs, five RBI and seven runs scored through just three games. He’s hitting leadoff for one of the best lineups in baseball, so he is going to have plenty of opportunities to provide value. The Nationals may be cautious with him to start the season after he was limited to just 23 games last year, but he didn’t play Monday, so expect him to be back in the lineup and providing value Tuesday.

Mitch Haniger vs. Ty Blach (San Francisco Giants)
Stadium – AT&T Park
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $3,400

Haniger completes today’s trio of outfielders who have started off the season well as he is 5-for-8 with two home runs and a double so far this season. He’ll face a lefty in Blach who struggled to get out righties last year, allowing a .350 wOBA to them compared to just .261 against lefties. If you want to pay up to get Harper in your lineup, Haniger is a viable budget-friendly option to consider pairing him with.

Others to consider: Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gomez

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 14, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Austyn Varney on August 14, 20170 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, August 14, 2017

STARTING PITCHERS

Jose Quintana - Chicago Cubs - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab

Jose Quintana Vs. Cincinatti Reds
Park – Wrigley Field
Vegas O/U – N/A

Yesterday, we were blessed with an amazing core of pitchers. They pitched very well and the chalk guys didn’t hurt too much. Today is a whole different story. Pitching is extremely limited and the only ace we do have in Greinke is facing the Diamondbacks in Chase Field. Instead, we’all move a few spots down and take a look at Jose Quintana against the Reds. While Quintana isn’t a high upside, strikeout pitcher, he’s very consistent and can nearly be locked in for 6 innings. Quintana has been good against both sidedness of the plate with a .293 wOBA and 9.58 K/9. He’s as safe as you’ll find on the slate and his price is very fair. He will be popular, but that’s fine in cash games where the alternatives aren’t great.

Jerad Eickhoff @ San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park
Vegas O/U – 8.5

Listen, pitcher is bad. We can’t be picky tonight and after Quintana, I’m not willing to trust anyone. Jerad Eickhoff is a very talented young arm with a ton of potential and upside. He’s sported a .293 wOBA and strikes out nearly a full batter per inning. The K’s haven’t been huge for Eickhoff his entire career, but they’ll likely come with age and experience. The Padres, as we know, stink against righties. They have held just a .308 wOBA and have struck out nearly 26% of the time, which leads the league. Eickhoff may not be “safe”, but he’s definitely “safer” than a lot of these arms on the slate. He should get you at least 5 or 6 innings and come through with the win when it matters.

OFFENSIVE STACKS

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Ian Kinsler - Detroit Tigers - LineupLab

Detroit Tigers @ Martin Perez (Rangers)
Park – Globe Life Park
Implied Total – 5.19

While the Rockies are the obvious stack here, you didn’t need me to tell you that. If you are interested in a Rockies stack, they’ll be popular and have as much upside as anyone. We’re going to take a look in Arlington and peer down at this often troubled Tigers lineup. They face off with Martin Perez, who is a southpaw (lefty) with some major issues. In 97 innings of work, Perez has posted a .373 wOBA and 16 homers. Wow. He now faces a team with as many righties as you could hope for. Ian Kinsler and James McCann are my 2 favorites, with Castellanos and Miggy a close 3/4. This lineup isn’t too concentrated and you can definitely get exposure to some of them for cheap.

Main Stack – Ian Kinsler, James McCann, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Upton
Sneaky Stack – Justin Upton, James McCann, Victor Martinez, Nick Castellanos

Chicago Cubs Vs Asher Wojciechowski (Reds)
Park – Wrigley Field
Implied Total – N/A

Main Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, Alex Avila
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Austyn Varney on July 5, 20170 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup – July 5, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup for July 5th, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Starting Pitchers

Alex Wood
Opponent – Vs. ARI
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas Favorite (LAD -220)
Vegas Total (8.5)

We saw Clayton Kershaw dominate these D-backs last night, going 7 innings, striking out 12 and grabbing the W. I’m by no means comparing the bottom-line talent of these 2, but Wood and Kershaw have a lot in common. They are both funky lefties with weird deliveries and dominant 5-pitch arsenals. Wood has picked up a lot from Kershaw and I’m sure the NL West foes are very appreciative. Wood is 26 years old and has been in the majors for 3 years, though never showing this type of consistency and production. He’s striking out over 10 batters per 9 innings and walking barely over 2. He’s been able to pinpoint his fastball and hold better command of his offspeed, which is his 2-strike out pitch. He’s holding a .220 wOBA against righties and a .217 against lefties. There is no reason to dislike this kid as a pitcher and I will argue that he is top 10 right now in the league. The match-up tonight with the Diamondbacks tonight is good, but not great. The D-backs hit lefties better as a team, but also lose Peralta and Lamb, who are big reasons for their overall success.The D-Backs also see a ballpark downgrade from Chase to Dodger Stadium, where the ball dies in the outfield. Wood is inherently risky to a degree, but still the safest on this slate and at his price, don’t be scared in any format.

Trevor Bauer
Opponent – Vs. SDP
Park – Progressive Field
Vegas Favorite (CLE -215)
Vegas Total (9.5)

Trevor Bauer is not a highly-valued DFS pitcher. He’s not going to dominate a good team and he’s never going to burst out as one of the league’s top pitchers. He is Trevor Bauer and you know the risk you get with that name. He will still walk his batters and go 3-2 a bunch of times. Giving up big innings after that is really the only way he gets lit up. He’s been pretty average against both lefties and righties, though a 2.96 xFIP against righties suggests positive regression going forward. He’s also striking out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings and holding batters to a dub 32% hard contact rate. He faces the Padres, who got absolutely obliterated by Corey Kluber last night. As a team, they hold a .301 wOBA against righties and strikeout at an astronomical 25.6% rate. Vegas only projects 2 teams to score under 4 tonight and that’s the Padres and Diamondbacks. If that turns out to be true, we’re certainly in a perfect position. Speaking of pricing, Bauer is pretty cheap. You can use that to your advantage on a slate that has some very nice and expensive offenses to choose from.

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5 2017 - Carlos Santana - Lineuplab

Offensive Stacks

Cleveland Indians Vs. San Diego Padres (Luis Perdomo)
Park – Progressive Field

Luis Perdomo is used to pitching in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, so this move into Progressive Field is something he surely isn’t looking forward to. He’ll face off with the Indians, who are one of the more lethal offenses in the game. The Indians are currently projected to put up 5.75 runs and trail just the Rockies in terms of implied team totals. Perdomo has struggled against lefties more so in 2017 (.380 wOBA), but flipped that in 2016 with a .355 wOBA against righties. His BABIP is slightly lower however, so we should start to see righties put up some numbers. The problem with the Indians is that they almost have too much to choose. Starting at 1B, you’ll have to pick between a and Edwin Encarnacion. It will come down to batting order on that one. Next, you move into Kipnis and Brantley, who are the safest of the bunch. They hit righties well and should be right at the top of that order. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez seems like they should be mainstays of the stack, but it’s just not a reality. Both FD and DK will cap you, forcing you to roster a max of 4 or 5 of these guys. All in all, the offense is not at all concentrated and you can;t be surprised to see production come from anywhere.

Main Stack – Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez
Sneaky Stack – Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Scott Feldman)
Park – Coors Field

I know, I’m getting a little too sneaky with this one. All jokes aside, the Rockies are projected to put up 6.33 runs and that’s not something you can ignore. They face off with Scott Feldman, who has gone through some weird times as a major leaguer. He’s bounced from to bad and back about 4 times, while sitting right in the middle right now. He’s allowed a .320 combined wOBA and hasn’t gotten blown up very often. However, I don’t think it’s going to last much longer. He has actually seen a severe dip in velocity and that may be why hitters are struggling. He held a .380 wOBA against leftie sin 2016 and I expect that number to return there by the time it’s said and done. As for the Rockies offense, they aren’t nearly as deep as the Indians, and especially with the injury to Desmond. Blackmon and CarGo are the 2 obvious ones and I don’t see stacking the Rockies without both. After that, Arenado and Reynolds are next. They are both safe and the 2 guys I would stick in my cash game stack with Blackmon and CarGo. Moving a bit lower in the order, keep an eye out for Raimel Tapia and Trevor Story. They both hold some very solid upside in this match-up and very well deserve a spot on some GPP’s. In terms of ownership, I think it will be relatively low for Coors Field. Take advantage.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds
Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 4, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Austyn Varney on July 4, 20170 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 4, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Michael Fulmer - MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Michael Fulmer
Opponent – Vs. SFG
Park – Comerica Park
Vegas Favorite (DET -205)
Vegas Total (10)

On the early slate, the pitching options aren’t nearly as strong. We’ll touch on the late slate later, but we have a bunch of aces to choose from. The early slate is less fruitful, but we definitely have stronger options than last night. We’ll start with Michael Fulmer, who is facing the Giants at home in Comerica Park. Fulmer, at 24 years old, has been very impressive. He did come up as a big prospect, but nobody thought he would develop as fast as he has. He’s posted a .257 combined wOBA and his peripherals back it up. He’s striking out nearly 8 batters per 9 innings and walking just under 2. He’ll face off with the Giants today, who hold the lowest wOBA against righties in all of the league at just .280. Comerica Park is a very spacious one and while it’s not as big as AT&T Park, it still holds its own. The Tigers are a -205 favorite and face Matt Cain, so the win should be there as long as Fulmer is decent. All in all, pitching is pretty ugly on this early slate and Fulmer gives you some solid security.

Corey Kluber
Opponent – Vs. SDP
Park – Progressive Field
Vegas Favorite (CLE -305)
Vegas Total (8.5)

It basically comes down to Clayton Kershaw vs Corey Kluber in cash games on this main slate. They both have pretty solid match-ups and you obviously can’t go wrong either way. We’ll look at Kluber here, who is cheaper and has been exceptionally great this season. He’s sported a .227 wOBA against righties and a .293 against lefties, while striking out over 11 batters per 9 innings. Kluber looks to be back to the pitcher he was in 2014, when he was a top 3 pitcher. His hard contact rate, line drive rate, and pull % are all way down from last season, when he struggled a bit. The Indians are a crazy -305 favorite and the win is already almost in the bag. He faces the Padres, who we know all too well. They’ve ranked 3rd worst in the majors with a .301 wOBA and strikeout a ton at 25.6% hard contact rate. Progressive Field is rather average for hitting and Kluber has posted a wOBA under .250 there for many years. All in all, Kluber is going to have a good game and it just comes down to what the others do. Kershaw, Darvish, Price, and Hernandez are also on the slate and have as much upside as anyone. Kluber is coming in as the top option in terms of point per dollar, but don’t be afraid to go elsewhere.

Offensive Stacks

Detroit Tigers Vs. San Francisco Giants (Matt Cain)
Park – Comerica Park

I’m going with 1 offense on the early slate and 1 on the main slate, starting with the Tigers. The Tigers will face off with the Giants, at home in Comerica Park. It is the middle of summer and if you’re wondering why it seems like every day-time game has a high O/U, that’s why. The country is hot and we’re no longer seeing 50-degree weather up north. This Tigers game is sitting at 10, though the Tigers are implied to score over 6 of those. They face off with Matt Cain, who is absolutely horrible. He may actually be one of the 3 worst pitchers in the entire league at this point. Cain has allowed a .358 wOBA to righties and a .368 to lefties. He’s barely striking out 5 batters per 9 innings and giving up an LD rate of nearly 26%. Cain is simply horrible right now and coming from AT&T Park, Comerica is a downgrade for him. The Tigers are the top offense on this early slate and I’ll make sure to have a ton of exposure. J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera both hit righties phenomenally and they are my 2 favorites. Ian Kinsler and Alex Avila are also pretty safe and should see 1/2 in the order. After those 4, you can go anywhere. V-Mart, Castellanos, and Upton are all in play and can be argued over Kinsler or Avila.

Main Stack – J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Alex Avila
Sneaky Stack – J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos, Victor Martinez

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Homer Bailey)
Park – Coors Field

Wow, the Rockies are currently holding an implied run total of 7.10. It’s the highest I remember seeing this year and I don’t think Vegas is wrong. Homer Bailey is coming into Coors Field. Yes, the Homer Bailey who gives up home runs for fun. The Homer Bailey who hasn’t pitched since 2014 and struggled for about 2 years before that. He’s only pitched a few innings over the last few years, but has looked all but good. The Reds management has now decided it would be wise to start him in Coors Field against the Rockies. With a 7 implied run total, there isn’t a player on this roster I would talk you off of. CarGo, Arenado, and Blackmon are obviously elite and in a class of their own within the lineup. LeMahieu and Reynolds come in next and both can be played in cash games. Tapia and Story are both great tournament plays and in cash games, I can’t blame you. The game is sitting at a 13 over/under and it looks to be getting bet up as of now. All in all, the Rockies are easily the top offense on the slate and while they may be popular, I have no reservations to go contrarian.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu
Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story

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