FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: Thursday April 12

Welcome to FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups for Thursday, April 12th 2018. We’re a fantasy baseball column focused on helping you build a DFS MLB optimal lineup for each slate.

We couldn’t get a column out yesterday, which was unfortunate. Our favorite plays for yesterday fell just short of getting you into the winning circle for GPP, but for cash games we had an easy home run for you.

Nick Pivetta ($7,500) looks like a very underrated pitcher at the start of the 2018 season, and he’s clearly someone you need to have on your radar each time he starts. For a modest salary, Pivetta lasted seven innings, qualifying for a quality start, and fanned seven hitters while only giving up two runs.

So starting with 40 FanDuel MLB points from our pitcher, we were able to cash easily with our Pirates and Angels stack, while also slipping Ben Zobrist ($2,500) into an OF spot, hitting cleanup for the Cubs.

Some of the notable offensive plays were Justin Upton ($3,600), with 21.2 FanDuel MLB points, Mike Trout, Starling Marte, Andrelton Simmons, and David Freese. Frees was dirt-cheap, only $2,200, and had a home run, two runs, and a single for 24.9 FanDuel MLB points.

For FanDuel MLB this Thursday, there is an Early Only and Main slate option. So for now, FanDuel is completely punting the Pirates and Cubs game this afternoon. That leaves only the Tigers, Indians, Cardinals, and Reds left for the Early slate, which is unappealing to us. So our focus will only be the five games in the Main slate.

Before we get there, a reminder to never take a DFS MLB optimal lineup as ‘bible’ for your personal lineup each day. Use the suggestions as guidance. Also, make sure you follow final lineup thoughts throughout the day on our twitter account @FantasyCPR or me @mattymcmatt17 look for late breaking lineup news.

Weather Note: Across the US today, the weather is mostly fantastic for baseball, continuing to increase the odds for greater offense. The one risk is a thunderstorm possibility in Boston, which could delay, or even postpone, the Yankees and Red Sox game. However, it’s only a risk and could still be played. With weather mostly clear today, let’s get to the top pitching options…

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitcher Main Slate

At the pitching spot, we feel our options are limited, as this slate is ugly tonight. We’re not touching the Yankees or Red Sox starting pitchers. Not because of the weather, but we don’t feel either pitcher will get through the game with more than 30 FanDuel MLB points. So let all of the crazy BoSox and Yanks grab Rick Porcello ($8,200) and Sonny Gray ($8,400) tonight. We’re off them!

Instead, our key focus for tonight is Gio Gonzalez ($8,600) and Jose Berrios ($9,000). Do NOT pay down for a pitcher tonight, we’ll explain why later. While Gray has one of the best xFIP’s, 3.7, starting on the moudn today, we’re already taking him off the table. That means the next best xFIP for the Main slate is Gio, with 4.18 since early last season.

With a 9.5% walk rate, Gonzalez can be frustrating to own. Gio also struggled two years ago, and was a fantasy baseball bust for many season-long players. So you’ll hear some DFS MLB players say they avoid him. That limits his ownership, which we like.

The upside from Gio is, even though he has a high walk rate, his WHIP is a low 1.19 and he only gives up 0.89 home runs per nine innings. The southpaw also has a solid 23% K-rate, and consistently gives you 30 to 40 MLB FanDuel points each outing. Also, Gio is $400 cheaper than Berrios.

However, Jose already has a 55 FanDuel MLB point game against the Orioles this season, giving up just three hits and one walk, along with six strikeouts and the win for a complete game. In fact, Berrios has one of the few complete games already this season.

Jose followed that up with a rough start against a solid Mariners offense, giving up six hits and five runs. However, in just 4.2 innings, Berrios had seven K’s and still managed 20 FanDuel MLB points. Jose’s WHIP and home run per nine are identical to Gio’s, but he has a lower 7.4% walk rate.

Since last season, Berrios’ K-rate was only 22.8%, but we believe 23-year-old’s strikeout rate is clearly climbing during the 2018 season. At home against the White Sox in chilly weather conditions, Jose is our best bet at around 50 FanDuel MLB points, and likely gets us at least 40 points tonight.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Main Slate

We’re starting to sound like a broken record, but we love the Angels stack again tonight. Last week, we realized the Angels offense was hot, and consistently facing sub-par pitching. For some reason, no one seemed to be ‘on’ stacking the Angels, so it’s an approached we’ve been focused on, and it’s working.

With consistent low ownership, we recommend stacking the Angels again tonight against Ian Kennedy. While Ian had some success with the Royals over the last year, he’s giving up 1.8 home runs per nine innings, has a 1.29 WHIP, and a 9% walk rate. So in Kansas City, we love guys like Mike Trout ($5,300), Justin Upton ($3,800), Andrelton Simmons ($3,500), and maybe a value play at 3B like Luis Valbuena ($2,900). Even with a $9K pitcher, you can afford a four-man Halo stack like this.

The other four-man stack we really like will most certainly be low-owned. No one likes focusing on offense in San Diego, but we’ve seen some big hitting games there already this season. And with Bryan Mitchell starting for the Padres, we have to stack the Giants.

Mitchell isn’t giving up many home runs, only 0.62 per nine, but that’s mostly a relief stat for the Yankees in 2017, and we think it’ll climb this year. While Bryan pitched a solid game against the Astros, in Houston, last outing, he gave up eight hits, five earned, and a home run to the Rockies in San Diego earlier this month. That should open the door for guys like Joe Panik ($2,800) and Andrew McCutchen ($2,900) to stay hot tonight.

Finally, for mini-stacks, or two man team stacks, tonight, we also like the Nationals and Twins. The Twins are facing top prospect Lucas Giolito, who’s still battling some control issues. FanDuel MLB has the Twins at lower salaries today, maybe due to the weather, but it’s hard to ignore a value play like Logan Morrison ($2,200) likely hitting cleanup for the Twins.

The Nats are in a better offensive situation, weather-wise, and have Rockies struggling starting pitcher Chad Bettis on the mound in Washington, D.C. tonight. With Adam Eaton out of the lineup, Brian Goodwin ($2,600) continues to be a value play, likely within the top six of the Nats lineup.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineup

Wrapping up our thoughts, we think we like Jose Berrios as the top pitching option tonight. Berrios has the highest ceiling, around 50+ FanDuel MLB points. But swapping down to Gio is the safer bet, getting you 30-40 points, and gives you $400 back for your offensive stacks.

We’re still on the Angels for offensive stacks tonight, and recommend even getting expensive with those plays as you’ll have plenty of value in your lineup already. Speaking of value, the Nats and Twins have lots of value in their lineup tonight, and the Giants are a cheap but effective play in San Diego.

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at the sample lineup for the Main FanDuel MLB slate on Thursday, April 12th:

P             Jose Berrios ($9,000)

C/1B      Logan Morrison ($2,200)

2B           Joe Panik ($2,800)

3B           Luis Valbuena ($2,900)

SS           Andrelton Simmons ($3,500)

OF           Justin Upton ($3,800)

OF           Mike Trout ($5,300)

OF           Andrew McCutchen ($2,900)

UTIL        Brian Goodwin ($2,600)

Remaining Salary: $0

Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for today. You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building FanDuel NHL lineups. We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.

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Best of luck in your FanDuel MLB contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis across MLB, NBA, NHL, and EPL this spring!