Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Late MLB Picks April 5

Mar 26, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (59) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings Late MLB Picks April 5

There are only four night games on the first getaway day of the season. Half of the pitchers are still priced over $8,000, so its not like we get the bottom of the DraftKings barrel here. Who are the best ones to build our lineup?

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The money line was at 104.15 last night. My lineup was done in by zeroes from Brad Miller, Logan Forsythe, and Giancarlo Stanton. In the other lineup, I had Jharel Cotton, so that’s how that went.

The winning lineup had an impressive 199.05 DraftKIngs points. Bolstered by Chris Sale‘s Boston debut and a strong outing by James Paxton, he also had Francisco Lindor‘s huge night. Lindor even outscored the pitchers

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. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

Danny Valencia is the only Mariner to have faced Joe Musgrove so far. He is 0-4 with a walk against him.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: Pitcher Picks

Mar 10, 2017; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) warms up before a spring training game against the Houston Astros at First Data Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Bets:

Jeff Samardzija ($9,200): Despite a rough year last year for Shark, he has pretty good career numbers against Arizona. The Diamondbacks are only hitting .237 against him in 97 at bats with just one homer. However, they have scored nine runs and only struck out 21 times. That’s a little lower than his normal strikeout numbers, but this is a small slate of games to choose from. You can do worse.

Matt Harvey ($8,100): Harvey has really good numbers against the Braves. Atlanta is hitting just .217 against him in 92 at bats with just one homer, eight runs, and 21 strikeouts. The numbers are slightly better than Samardzija’s, but Harvey hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 4th. His numbers weren’t all that great last year, but he has looked strong this spring. There doesn’t seem to be any abnormal limitations on Harvey, so if you take the chance, you may be rewarded handsomely.

Honorable Mention:

Marcus Stroman ($8,700): This is mostly potential-based, since Stroman has not fared well against the Rays in his career. The .259 average in 116 at bats you can live with, but Stroman has only struck out 17 and given up 15 runs. He has outstanding strikeout potential, but he hasn’t shown it against the Rays yet.

Robbie Ray ($8,300): Ray has allowed 19 hits in only 66 at bats(.288) to the Giants, but he has struck out 21 and only given up one homer. The Giants have scored seven runs, but the strikeout totals are intriguing since the Giants usually don’t strike out much.

Dark Horses:

Blake Snell ($7,100): Snell allows quite a few base runners, but he does a good job of limiting the damage. Toronto is hitting .240 against him with a homer and six RBI in 25 at bats, but they have struck out six times, and most of the damage was done by one player. It’s a risk using a lefty against the Blue Jays, but Snell has held his own against them so far.

Ariel Miranda ($5,400): The Cuban import was solid in his first year in the majors last year. He especially flashed strikeout potential. He struck out six Astros in just 22 at bats and allowed only four hits. Now the bad news: three of those hits were home runs. He is going to give up runs, but the strikeout potential softens the blow a little.

My picks: Samardzija, Harvey

Next: More Notes For 4-6

Mar 29, 2017; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) doubles during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Carlos Beltran($3,800) has one hit in three at bats against Ariel Miranda. lt is a three run homer. Carlos Correa($4,800) has two hits in three at bats with a solo homer against Miranda. George Springer($4,500) has one hit in three at bats. It is a solo homer.

Troy Tulowitzki($3,700) has one hit in three at bats against Blake Snell. It is a grand slam! Devon Travis($3,600) has three hits in four tries against Snell. All of them are singles, but he has driven in a run.

Corey Dickerson($3,400) is 4-14(.286) with a walk, two doubles, a homer, and two RBI against Marcus Stroman. Evan Longoria($4,100) is 8-22(.364) with a walk, two doubles, two homers, and four RBI against Stroman. Logan Morrison($3,300) could be worth playing if he starts. LoMo is 3-12 with a walk, a homer, and four RBI off of Stroman.

Matt Kemp($3,900) only has one hit in six at bats against Matt Harvey. It is a three run homer. Brandon Phillips($3,300) is only 3-12 against Harvey, but he has a walk, two doubles, and two RBI.

Brandon Belt($4,100) has three hits in seven at bats with a walk, a double, a triple, and three RBI against Robbie Ray. Nick Hundley($3,300) is 3-8 with a walk, a double, and a solo homer against Ray. He is worth playing if he starts.

Jay Bruce($3,500) is only 11-49 against fellow lefty Jaime Garcia, but he has a walk, a double, a homer, and five RBI off him. Lucas Duda($3,500) has a walk and a solo homer in three at bats against Garcia. Wilmer Flores($3,200) has three hits in seven tries with a homer and three RBI off of Garcia.

Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks, while Matt Rogers tells you what pitchers to target in his FanDuel pitching articles. Don’t play FanDuel without them!

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

My lineup: Evan Gattis(C), Belt(1B), Jose Altuve(2B), Longoria(3B), Tulowitzki(SS), Dickerson(OF), Springer(OF), Beltran(OF). When in doubt, stack Astros against the lefty!

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our NBA, NHL, and EPL picks!