Opening Day Fanduel MLB Advice 3/29

Hello everyone, and welcome to the 2018 MLB DFS season! We hope that you’ll stay with our coverage and advice at Goingfor2.com all season, it’s shaping up to be a great one. And always remember, the MLB season is a long one and a grind so don’t be disappointed if things are progressing slowly to start. It’s a process and we’ll get there together! As always, feel free to ask me any questions about your lineups or general advice @FantasyRam on Twitter. I will be touching a little bit of everything in my Fanduel advice articles during the week: cash game plays, players to target in tournaments/GPP, and any other general things to keep in mind for that day. Let’s get started! The slate we are focusing on today is the 3:05 EST Main slate.

Cash Game Targets

For those that may not be as familiar and since we’re at the start of the season, I’ll quickly explain what I mean when I say cash games. This is referring to the type of contest you enter, and these particular ones are the 50/50’s and Double Ups. These contests are where you have to choose a lineup that is better than roughly half the field to double your money. For this strategy I usually like to play it safe and play one of the more trusted pitchers on the slate, and find good matchups for my hitters.

Pitchers

Lots of aces are predictably on the mound tomorrow for Opening Day, but who can you trust in your cash lineups to bring home the money?

Corey Kluber (CLE) – $11,400

Not much needs to be said about “Klubot” and his recent dominance the past couple of years, he’s flat out good. And he draws a nice matchup on Opening Day (night) against the Mariners in Safeco Field, which leans toward pitchers and being spacious. It is a road start, but this early in the year you have to trust the stalwarts from seasons past. Use Kluber in your cash lineups with confidence, he also has a great shot at the win which is a nice 6 points on Fanduel.

Justin Verlander (HOU) – $9,500

If you’re looking to save a little salary down from the high tier of pitchers on Thursday, I think Verlander is a great secondary option against the Texas Rangers. The former Tiger pitched like a man possessed after he was traded to Houston last August, and he should carry that momentum into 2018 with a road date in Arlington first on tap. A pitcher that racks up a lot of strikeouts can quickly move you up the leaderboards, and Verlander has always been known for his ability to punch out batters. Throw in the fact that he will face heavily strikeout prone hitters such as Rougned Odor and Joey Gallo on Opening Day and JV makes for an A-OK plug into your double up lineups.

Danny Duffy (KC) – $7,700

If you’re looking for MORE value, Duffy seems like a great play against a rebuilding White Sox squad. James Shields will start for the Sox, which is great for the prospect of a win for Duffy and the 6 points that accompany it. Additionally (and I know I mention this a lot, but it’s relevant), if Duffy can avoid Garcia and Abreu then the rest of the lineup is manageable and he should be able to rack up some K’s. I will probably be rolling him in a few lineups, the floor seems relatively stable with the KC lefty.

Hitters

Freddie Freeman (ATL) – $4,400

If you can afford him, Freeman is a clear stud and projects to be a great play Thursday at home in lefty friendly Sun Trust Park. The Braves first baseman is facing off against Aaron Nola of the Phillies, but his talent trumps matchups most of the time. Unfortunately a good chunk of his season last year was derailed by a wrist injury, but all reports are that Freeman is healthy and ready to produce in this young, exciting Braves lineup.

Mike Moustakas (KC) – $3,300

As mentioned earlier, the Royals matchup with James Shields and the White Sox at 4:15 and they could tee off on the veteran. With the freak injury to Salvador Perez just on Wednesday, there’s not much firepower around Moose but he can produce in spite of that. The Royals should get plenty of runners on base against Shields, who pitches to contact at this point in his career and gives up a lot of home runs. I really like the price here, and I think the KC third baseman is a good cornerstone piece for your lineup.

Lorenzo Cain (MIL) – $3,100

This is a fantastic spot for Cain in his return to the Brewers, as he is still very cheap on Fanduel and is a great value for the potential speed and pop. Also, Clayton Richard is on the hill for the Padres and although he has his moments, he is very average. The Milwaukee lineup is loaded, so there should be ample opportunities for counting stats for all of the hitters.

Tournament/GPP Targets

Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw (LAD) – $11,700

Kershaw can obviously be included in the cash game plays, however it can be said that Dave Roberts can get weird with his rotations and might yank the lefty prematurely. He’s the most expensive for a reason, but he seems like a great investment as ever even against a reloaded Giants squad.

Kendall Graveman (OAK) – $5,800

In 11 starts at home last season Graveman had a great 2.94 ERA and on Opening Day he will matchup with the Angels in Oakland. He has never been a big strikeout guy which is why he needs to be included in tournament plays, but he has proven he is a capable starter in the major leagues. Even with the new additions to the Angels in the offseason (Ohtani, Cozart) Graveman may be worth the dice roll as the Athletics look to start the 2018 season off on the right foot.

Hitters

Logan Forsythe (LAD) – $2,300

Expected to step in for the injured Justin Turner, Forsythe lines up as a good value play on Opening Day against sudden OD starter Ty Blach (injuries to Bumgarner, Samardzija). He has crushed lefties the last three seasons to the tune of a .887 OPS, and should be in line for a jump start to his statline this year despite likely batting in the bottom third of the Dodgers order.

Giancarlo Stanton (NYY) – $4,600

After his stellar 2017 power barrage, what does Stanton have in store for his Yankees debut? If you are paying up for pitcher you probably can’t afford Stanton in cash, but if you can, then by all means do! He will be in hitter friendly Rogers Center in Toronto to start the season against lefty J.A. Happ, so he is well worth the investment on Thursday.

Other lower owned hitters: Evan Gattis – C ($2,500), Carlos Santana – 1B ($3,100), Ketel Marte – SS ($2,400), Wil Myers – OF ($3,200), Dee Gordon – OF ($2,800)

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