DraftKings Early MLB Picks For April 16

Sep 12, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the DraftKings sign board during the match with FC Dallas playing against New York City FC at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For April 16

There are eight games going on this afternoon, which gives us plenty of options to choose from. Who should you spend on? Let’s hit the stats!

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players.

Matt Harvey and Josh Tomlin have little experience against today’s opponent, which is no surprised given the interleague nature of the game. Therefore, no Mets or Indians hitters will be in here. The Cubs also only have seven at bats against Christian Bergman. You wont see any Cubbies on the list either, but they could be worth playing.

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Next: Pitcher Picks

Apr 10, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Bets:

Jake Arrieta ($10,300): Most of the aces this afternoon have poor histories against today’s opponents, or at least histories that don’t warrant taking a chance at their price. Arrieta is the exception. He has held the Rockies to a .204 average in 54 at bats, but they have hit two homers and driven in ten off of him. Still, the ball usually doesn’t really fly out of Wrigley until later in the summer. Arrieta is worth the risk.

CC Sabathia ($7,100): Sabathia has handled the Mariners quite well in his career. Seattle is hitting .248 off of the big lefty in 109 at bats, but the have just one homer and nine RBI to go with 39 strikeouts. Sabathia’s age keeps him out of my top slot, but if you argue that CC is a better value, I wont disagree.

Honorable Mention:

John Danks ($6,800): Danks has struggled for much of the last two seasons, but history is on his side against the Rays. They are only hitting .234 off of him in 64 at bats with just five RBI and 14 strikeouts. The Rays aren’t a particularly good lineup, and there is some risk involved, but Danks could pay off.

Marco Estrada ($6,100): Yes, against the Red Sox. Yes, against David Price (whom the Blue Jays have hit well, by the way). Hear me out. Estrada is holding the current BoSox lineup to a paltry .191 average in 94 at bats. They have hit three homers and driven in rate, but Estrada had the last laugh with an impressive 19 strikeouts. He wont be widely owned, and has a good shot at 30 points.

Dark Horse:

Chris Young ($5,900): This is a dice roll with stats to back it up. The A’s are only hitting .211 off of Young in 71 at bats. They have homered off of him twice, but only driven in three (both homers were by the same guy, Sam Fuld, who is on the disabled list). He doesn’t strike out many, but the odds are in his favor for a win and decent points.

Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?

Apr 12, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) hits a two run RBI double against the Oakland Athletics during the eighth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

You have heard our FanDuel experts Matt Rogers and Brian Tulloch talk about “stacking” pieces of a lineup against certain pitchers. Here are the stacks that could work well on DraftKings today, based on past statistics.

If you need me to tell you not to use Ricky Nolasco against the Angels, daily fantasy may not be your thing. There really is no excuse for the Twins to be using Nolasco, let alone people trying to win money in daily games. Albert Pujols ($4,400) is 13-25(.520) with five doubles, three homers, and 11 RBI against Nolasco. Yunel Escobar ($3,500) is a strong play once again. He is 11-31(.355) with two walks, three doubles, a homer, and three RBI against Nolasco.

Felix may be King, but his numbers are serf-like against the Yankees. The Bombers have hit .283 off of him in 219 at bats with eight homers and 24 RBI to go with only 54 strikeouts. Jacoby Ellsbury ($4,000) is 9-31(.290) with two walks, a double, two homers, and three RBI against Felix. Brett Gardner ($3,600) is 10-30(.333) with five walks and a pair of RBI. However, the must-play bat of the day is Mark Teixeira ($3,800). Tex has blasted Felix in his career. He is 22-69(.319) with nine walks, four doubles, six home runs, and a whopping 13 RBI. You have to play Tex today. I don’t care how many others play him. You can’t afford to miss out if he lights up Felix again.

Okay, the Blue Jays haven’t battered David Price like the Yankees have King Felix, but it’s close. The Jays are hitting .263 off of Price in 171 at bats, but they have hit a whopping 12 home runs off of the Red Sox ace and driven in 28. Price has racked up 43 strikeouts, which mitigates some of the risk, but not enough to justify paying for him. Kevin Pillar ($3,000) has a solo homer off of Price in three at bats. Troy Tulowitzki ($3,800) likes Price so far. He is 4-6 with a double, a home run, and six RBI already! Edwin Encarnacion ($3,700) is only 9-39, but three of those hits are home runs and he has six RBI. Jose Bautista ($4,000) has done most of the damage, going 16-49(.327) with seven walks, three doubles, five homers, and 11 RBI. Bautista looks to be a great bargain today.

Brandon Finnegan‘s early numbers against the Cardinals are not very good. In only 23 at bats, the Cards have homered four times. One each by Brandon Moss ($3,300) and Randal Grichuk ($3,200). The other two are from Matt Carpenter ($4,000) in only five at bats.

Jay Bruce ($3,600) and Brandon Phillips ($3,300) have actually hit Adam Wainwright well in their careers. Bruce is 11-36(.306) with five walks, two doubles, two homers, and eight driven in against Wainwright. Phillips is 16-54(.296) with three walks, a double, a homer, and four driven in.

Next: More Notes For 4-16

Apr 12, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) hits a home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

Yes, I realize that I recommended Marco Estrada above, but David Ortiz ($4,900) has hit two homers and driven in four in his 12 career at bats against Estrada. He may be worth a look this afternoon.

The Twins are off to a dreadful start to the year, but Jered Weaver isn’t the pitcher he used to be. If you really want to try players that aren’t widely owned, Kurt Suzuki ($2,600) is an interesting play. He is 15-52(.288) against Weaver with three walks, five doubles, a homer, and five RBI off Weaver. Trevor Plouffe ($3,700) has more RBI (six) than hits (four) in 14 at bats.

Erasmo Ramirez has struggled some against the White Sox. Brett Lawrie ($3,400) is 4-7 with two doubles against him. Avisail Garcia ($3,400) has a three run homer off of him.

Carlos Gonzalez ($3,700) may be worth using at Wrigley today. He is 2-6 with a two run home run off of Arrieta in his career.

Adam Lind ($2,900) is a platoon player, and conventional wisdom says that he would sit against Sabathia. Don’t be so sure. Lind is the only current Mariner that has been able to hit CC. Lind is 7-15 with four RBI against him.

If the Mets play Alejandro De Aza ($3,400), he could be worth a look. De Aza was 3-11 with two walks and a solo home run off of Tomlin with he was with the White Sox.

Next: FanDuel Value Picks For April 16

Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks!