FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: Wednesday April 25

Welcome to FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups for Wednesday, April 25th 2018. We’re a fantasy baseball column focused on helping you build a DFS MLB optimal lineup for each slate.

Yesterday was a blood-bath for this FanDuel MLB column. We haven’t had a day like that in a long time! Not only did Charlie Morton ($9,900) have a horrendous four earned runs and two strikeout outing on his hoe field, but our two offensive stacks fell flat.

Morton and the Astros pitching staff unfortunately were shelled by a good Angels offense, this season. Charlie hasn’t had a game like that in a while, but it happened just as we were on him for a DFS MLB optimal lineup. Unfortunately, an Angels stack would’ve been a great play, especially for GPP lineups.

The Dodgers lineup was underwhelming, providing only two runs from the bottom of the lineup against a sub-par Dillon Peters for the Marlins. Meanwhile, after the Padres destroyed the Rockies pitching on Monday, they went cold (with the weather) and were shut out on Tuesday night. The better play was the Rockies offense against the rookie hurler for the Padres. Oh well, we’ll lose some, but we’re going to win many as well.

For FanDuel MLB on Wednesday, we’re going to look at both the Early Only and Main slates of the day, as there are games scheduled starting just after noon through the evening. The Early Only covers four games from 2:10pm ET through 3:45pm ET. The Main slate starts at 7:05pm ET, and all games in between are currently only covered in the ‘All-Day’ slate. We are not focusing on the All-Day slate for today.

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: Most of the weather-related concerns from Tuesday are subsiding on Wednesday. However, we still need to watch some similar weather-risk games from yesterday, like the Rays and Orioles in Baltimore, Diamondbacks and Phillies in Philadelphia, PA. We also should be aware of some shower activity potential during the A’s visit to Arlington, TX against the Rangers. But for now, it appears we’re weather-clear on Wednesday. So, with weather-related considerations addressed, let’s get to the top pitching options…

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitcher Early Only Slate

One of the first thoughts we had when looking at the Early Only slate for FanDuel MLB today was Jeff Samardzija ($8,000) looks cheap against a struggling Nats team during the afternoon. ‘Shark’ had a solid outing against a hot Angels offense this season, providing at least 33 FanDuel MLB points. But looking at the Nationals against right-handed pitchers so far this season, we’re backing off the idea.

The Nats are an above average wRC+ against starting RHP’s this season. They have some dangerous left handed bats at the plate in the lineup, Bryce Harper being the most obvious threat. But even more concerning, they’re a top eight team against RHP’s away from D.C. this year.

In fact, their offense resembles the Angels against RHP’s in this scenario. So we’d likely only get 20 to 30 MLB FanDuel points from Shark, with 30-40 points with a good outing. While he saves you salary, there is a significantly better option on the list for us today.

Justin Verlander ($11,000) is a better play than Samardzija, but his WHIP struggled a bit against the White Sox in Chicago. Also, we just saw the Angels give a hot Charlie Morton fits last night. Jon Gray ($7,500) pitches well in Denver, but he’s off to a rough start. In fact, Gray already saw the Padres in Colorado, and he gave up ten hits, a walk, and seven earned runs. No, thanks.

So while he’s likely chalky, Max Scherzer ($11,500) is, by far, the best play tonight. The Giants are in the middle of the league when facing right-handed pitchers in San Francisco. But Scherzer is no normal RHP. Mad Max has a 2.88 xFIP, the lowest of any starting on the mound for the Early slate, and only Clayton Kershaw bets Scherzer’s xFIP for the entire day.

Max is only giving up 0.55 home runs per nine innings so far this season, has a ridiculously low 0.76 WHIP, and a very high 37.6% K rate. Pared with the 23% K-rate against the average right handed pitcher for the Giants, we think Max is likely to land around 50 FanDuel MLB points, again, tonight. He’ll suck your salary dry, but we’ll find a way to stack attractive offenses with this expensive play at pitcher.

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitcher Main Slate

I hope you’re reading this post and not looking at the pitchers, because Jake Arrieta ($8,800) against a solid D-backs offensive lineup isn’t one of our top picks tonight. We just happened to like the picture. Yes, Jake looks sexy after his ten K and 61 FanDuel MLB point outcome against the Pirates just six days ago. But we’re not expecting to see that same outcome tonight.

Zack Greinke ($9,200) would be more attractive if he wasn’t pitching against the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park. Yes, the Phils have a high K-rate, but they’re doing well against right-handed pitchers, especially in their home park. It’s also a hitter-friendly environment, so fade him.

Trevor Bauer ($9,000) and Jon Lester ($8,400) unfortunately cancel each other out. We could see either offense giving each pitcher a problem tonight. That leaves us with two picks we’d consider solid tonight. Clayton Kershaw ($11,400) is obviously very expensive, and Eduardo Rodriquez ($7,100) has more risk, but also tremendous upside.

Rodriguez is an exciting DFS MLB optimal lineup prospect now that it’s appearing he’s morphed into his old self since his injury last season. Eduardo could give us another six to eight strikeouts tonight, and likely in the mid 30’s to 40’s for FanDuel MLB points.

However, while Clayton Kershaw looks oddly un-sexy so far this season, getting the Marlins lineup in Los Angeles is the best match up of the night. Yes, we’ve only gotten one ‘over 40’ FanDuel MLB point outcome from the southpaw this season, but the 64 point shutdown pitching he delivered to the Diamondbacks in L.A. recently is what we’re expecting from Clayton tonight.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Early Only Slate

Felix Hernandez is no longer the pitcher he once was, especially this season. His 4.82 xFIP isn’t one of the worst today, but the third worst this season of all pitchers starting on the mound for the Early only slate. Felix has a modest 1.24 WHIP, but he’s giving up nearly 1.7 home runs per nine innings.

That bodes well for some of the big bats in the White Sox lineup this afternoon. It’ll be tough getting one of the best WAR’s in baseball in your lineup, Jose Abreu ($3,900). But it’s feasible this afternoon.

Abreu is hitting 3rd for the White Sox, and likely boosts other plays you can include in your stack like rookie Yoan Moncada ($3,800) and Yolmer Sanchez ($3,100) each hitting before Abreu in the lineup. Also, Tim Anderson ($3,200) is a sneaky play hitting fifth, and the Sox are high on Trayce Thompson ($2,200) hitting seventh in their lineup after getting him in a trade from the Dodgers.

In the same game, we like the idea of stacking the Mariners against James Shields and the White Sox this afternoon. Shields has been generally terrible, and stacking the Mariners top hitters in place of some of the White Sox top hitters is a good play, but you can also snag some value picks like Mike Zunino ($2,800) at the C/1B slot or Dee Gordon ($3,400) leading off in the OF.

Finally, while Samardzija looked decent in his first outing, we think the Nats could be another sneaky, and low-owned play, for some offensive picks. Michael A. Taylor ($2,700) is finally getting more expensive, but considering his production lately, he’s a bargain. And Matt Wieters ($2,300) is very cheap and appears to be getting comfortable in their lineup after his DL stint.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Main Slate

Many fantasy baseball players consistently talk about Ronald Acuna, the exciting rookie prospect for the Braves. Season-long fantasy baseball team owners and DFS MLB optimal lineup operators are eagerly awaiting his arrival. But there’s another, not as well known, Ronald rookie we should have on our radar.

We’ve talked about Ronald Guzman ($2,500) a few times over the last couple of weeks. The lefty first baseman is only hitting .182 after nine game appearances. But the 23-year-old Dominican Republic native already has three doubles and a home run, along with six RBI’s and three runs. Guzman’s average sunk after going 0-7 in this home series against the Athletics. But with Kendall Graveman on the mound tonight, we think Guzman’s value improves significantly.

With Guzman already a value pick in the C/1B spot, and our eyes on the 2.82 home runs per nine innings from Graveman this season, we’re now considering stacking the Rangers. Graveman also has the second worst WHIP among all starters in this slate (we’ll get to the worst in a minute). So with that in mind, we also like Delino DeShields ($2,700) in the outfield along with Nomar Mazara ($3,200), and Jurickson Profar ($3,000) at shortstop. In fact, we’re now getting three of the top six Rangers lineup spots thanks to Guzman’s value.

So who has the worst WHIP this season among the starters tonight? That would be the Orioles Alex Cobb. We’ve been waiting for days to stack the Rays against Cobb, but thanks to weather issues it continued to be delayed. There’s still some weather risk tonight, but we think they’ll get this one in, even if there’s a delay. So we love the value from 34-year-old veteran Denard Span ($3,100), Carlos Gomez ($2,800) likely hitting in the 3-spot, Daniel Robertson ($3,100) a 3B likely hitting fifth, and Joey Wendle ($3,100) at second base hitting sixth.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineup

For the Main FanDuel MLB slate, we like Eduardo Rodriguez for at least a GPP play, but we’d mostly use Clayton Kershaw in the pitcher spot. The Early Only slate is easier, play Max Scherzer. Mad Max has been one of the best DFS MLB optimal lineup options at the pitcher position this season, and could exceed 60 again tonight. Kershaw may see his second 60 outcome by the end of the night.

For offensive stacks, we love a cheap White Sox lineup early, but will also grab some Mariners and Nationals, who have decent match ups as well this afternoon. Tonight, we’re very high on the Rays, a match up we’ve been waiting for a few days now. Also, the Rangers have a juicy power-hitting situation in Arlington, Texas. But keep an eye on the weather for both games.

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at the sample lineups for Early Only and Main FanDuel MLB slates on Wednesday, April 24th:

FanDuel MLB EARLY ONLY Sample Lineup:                FanDuel MLB MAIN Slate Sample Lineup:

P          Max Scherzer ($11,500)                                      P            Clayton Kershaw ($11,400)

C/1B   Mike Zunino ($2,800)                                           C/1B    Ronald Guzman ($2,500)

2B       Yoan Moncada ($3,800)                                       2B          Joey Wendle ($3,100)

3B       Yolmer Sanchez ($3,100)                                     3B         Daniel Robertson ($3,100)

SS       Tim Anderson ($3,200)                                         SS          Jurickson Profar ($3,000)

OF      Dee Gordon ($3,400)                                              OF         Nomar Mazara ($3,200)

OF      Trayce Thompson ($2,200)                                  OF         Carlos Gomez ($2,800)

OF      Michael A. Taylor ($2,700)                                   OF         Delino DeShields ($2,700)

UTIL   Matt Wieters ($2,300)                                          UTIL      Denard Span ($3,100)

Remaining Salary: $0                                                        Remaining Salary: $100

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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