MLB Lineup Advice for Draftkings and Fanduel – 4/11/16
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We’re in for another round of home openers today and many of the league’s top pitchers are making there second start of the season. So there are better pitching options to choose from and also tougher hitting match ups to attack, but the value is out there. Let’s see where some of it is.
Top Pitchers
Max Scherzer (DK – $13,100, FD – $11,600) – Scherzer’s start got pushed back a day due to weather and he now gets a rematch against a weak Braves lineup. Scherzer allowed two runs in seven innings and racked up seven Ks, a decent outing but not worth his high price tag. However, if we look deeper, he only allowed three hits, two of which were home runs, so he was a bit unlucky. He is still the pitcher with a 2.63 SIERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 30.7% strikeout rate and the braves are still a weak offence. There’s no safe pitcher today in cash games.
Sonny Gray (DK – $9,600, FD – $10,400) – If you’re looking to save some money in cash games, especially on Draftkings, Sonny Gray is a great option. Gray was a reliable option in cash games almost all of last year and picked up right where he left off with a 23 pt DK/ 45 pt FD outing in his first game against the Sox. Gray had a 3.80 SIERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 20.3% strikeout rate in 2015. With his average strikeout rate, he likely wont win you any GPPs, but he’s about as solid as they come in cash and is a very reasonable price on DK.
Aaron Nola (DK – $8,500, FD – $6,800) – If you’re looking to save at pitcher to load up on bats or to go cheap with your SP2, Nola is a tremendous option. In his rookie year last year he put up a 3.66 SIERA and 21.4% strikeout rate, making him a much better pitcher than his price tag suggests. Nola gets a great matchup against a Padres team that was held scoreless in its series against the Dodgers before finally being able to put up some runs on possibly the worst rotation in baseball in the best hitters park. The Padres will also have a bit of the Coors effect today (first game after Coors teams generally struggle), so that’s a plus in his column as well. The Padres were 28th in baseball last year against RHP with a 0.299 wOBA and 25th with a 21.7% strikeout rate. Nola has tremendous upside in this matchup and is a great play in all league formats.
Other Options: Michael Wacha and David price in GPPs, John Lester and Andrew Cashner in Cash
Top Hitters
Bryce Harper OF (DK – $4,900, FD – $5,200) – Bud Norris allowed a 0.385 wOBA to LHH and a 0.379 wOBA to RHH last year, so the entire Nationals lineup is in play, but if Bryce Harper is going to be priced under $5K on Draftkings against a weak righty, he’s almost a lock for cash games. He’ll be very highly owned, so likely not a great GPP option, but he’s hard to ignore at this value. Harper boasted an insane 0.478 wOBA and 0.354 ISO against RHP last year, so he could be in for a monster day.
Eric Hosmer 1B (DK – $4,300, FD – $3,100) – Hosmer always flies under the radar at 1B. And as you learn if you regularly check in here for my favorite plays, I like to find a 1B option in the low $4K price range in a great spot. It’s such a deep position that you don’t need to pay for the top guys to get reliable and high-upside production. Hosmer faces Colin McHugh, who was absolutely lit up by the Yankees in his first outing and will be looking to lower is 135.00 ERA (not a typo). McHugh didn’t look right and is in for another tough outing against the Royals. Hosmer put up a 0.378 wOBA and 0.192 ISO against RHP last year and should be in for a nice day at a reasonable price.
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Billy Hamilton OF (DK – $4,000, FD – $2,700) – If Hamilton is able to get on base, he’s almost guaranteed to steal multiple bags against John Lester, whose biggest weakness is holding runners. He’s a better play if hitting at the top of the order, hoping to get five ABs, but a solid GPP play if he’s in the lineup. Also a stronger play on FD, where he’s a bit cheaper.
Top Stacks
Boston Red Sox vs. Yovani Gallardo (Bal)
Washington Nationals vs. Bud Norris (Atl)
Seattle Mariners v. Colby Lewis (Tex)
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