FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Thursday, April 5th

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 17: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs warms up before an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians at Cashman Field on March 17, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Chicago won 11-4. (Photo by David J. Becker/Getty Images) /

Third Base, High End Spend

Early

Nolan Arenado, $4,500

0 at-bats vs. Joey Lucchesi

The Rockies third baseman must think it’s his birthday or something because he gets to face off against another lefty today. We have virtually nothing to go off of for pitcher Joey Lucchesi in the majors. His minor league stats indicate that he gives up plenty of fly balls and hard contact, so Arenado is squarely in my crosshairs to spend up on a big bat.

Late

Kris Bryant,

.286/.286/.429 with 0 HR in 7 at-bats

One of the bats that will garner the most attention on the later slate is Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant. He loves lefties and Brent Suter has a lower ground ball rate and a surprisingly low HR/FB ratio at a career 10.9 percent. Still, Bryant is in Miller Park and it plays as a launching pad. He’s got a carer .849 OPS in Miller Park and will be one of the more popular bats tonight.

Mid-Range

Early

Jeimer Candelario, $2,900

.333/.333/1.333 with 1 HR in 3 at-bats

Truthfully, I’ll likely be 100 percent Arenado today. Third base is really that ugly. However, Candelario provides at least some type of alternative. He hasn’t been good to start the season but James Shields can cure all that ails hitters. The third baseman for Detroit does have a homer on the veteran and it’s possible that it would happen again today. His average and wOBA against righties is mediocre at best. I’ll just reiterate, he gets to face James Shields.

Late

Brandon Drury, $3,000

.333/.500/.667 with 0 HR in 3 at-bats

For his career, Orioles starter Andrew Cashner has a fly ball percentage of 30.8 His hard contact percentage is sitting at 30.3 percent. Both those numbers were even worse in his one start this year. Now he heads to Yankee Stadium and is carrying a low career strikeout rate. Any part of the Yankee offense is in play and Drury is one of the cheaper, somewhat reliable ways to get a part of this game. His splits are about even, with more of his home runs coming against righties.

Value

Early

At least as of now, I’m not looking at any player lower than Candelario.

Late

Thie tier of third base is….not great. If you desperately need the money, you could always take a stab at Colin Moran($2,300) from the Pirates against Homer Bailey. I’d really have to love every other piece of my lineup to pull that one out of the hat, though.