Fansided

FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Sunday, April 22

By Adam Strangis

BOSTON - APRIL 10: A New York Yankees fan reacts after Giancarlo Stanton strikes out for the second time in the game. The Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on April 10, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - APRIL 10: A New York Yankees fan reacts after Giancarlo Stanton strikes out for the second time in the game. The Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on April 10, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – MARCH 26: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros singles in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers during a spring training game at Minute Maid Park on March 26, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – MARCH 26: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros singles in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers during a spring training game at Minute Maid Park on March 26, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Second Base, High End Spend

Jose Altuve, $4,500

N/A

The Astros took young gun Lucas Giolito to the woodshed last night and that could very well happen again tonight. White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez has shown sign of fulfilling his promise and has been borderline unhittable against right handed hitting so far. None of that matters against the reigning A.L. MVP as he’s been smashing righty pitching since last season. Altuve is actually hitting for a higher batting average against the handedness so far and the rest of the stats won’t be far behind. The Astros are basically matchup proof at this point as is Altuve.

Also Consider – Ozzie Albies, $4,300

Mid-Range

Whit Merrifield, $3,400

.167/.167/.167 with 0 HR in 6 at-bats

He may seem to be a favorite of this column, but I’ll always be interested in Merrifield when there’s a lefty on the mound opposite him. The Tigers are throwing Francisco Liriano who can be a roller coaster pitcher. Sometimes he’s lights out, other times he’s getting lit up. Merrifiled has always feasted on lefty pitching in his career and that’s held true especially this year. It’s only 29 plate appearances but Merrifield has a .385 average, 1.102 OPS and a .475 wOBA. Merrifield has good pate discipline which could help him combat a pitcher like Liriano, who can be wild.

Also Consider – Dixon Machado, $2,800

Value

Joey Wendle, $2,800

N/A

This play is simple – Phil Hughes cannot get left handed batters out. He faced 101 lefties last season and gave up a .383 average, 1.107 OPS and a stratospheric .457 wOBA. This will be the first start of the season for Hughes and that may lead to even poorer results than normal. To be clear, Wendle is nothing special and there’s nothing in his stats that say he’s some great play. You’re just hoping Hughes struggles and you can get a few cheap points to afford Kluber or a big bat that you want.