DraftKings MLB Picks April 30: Arrieta is easily the best option

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs warms up before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers, in his first start since being hit by a pitch severeal days ago, at Wrigley Field on April 28, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks April 30: Arrieta is easily the best option

There are 11 games today. With the earlier start time on the Texas-Cleveland game, that game has been left off of the main slate and is only available in showdown mode. Most of the pitching falls into the bargain tier, but the upper tier options look pretty good on this slate. Let’s see if any of them are fade options.

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Boston has a slight chance of rain tonight, but the main concern will be wind. Some for the good, like a 16mph breeze blowing out to left in Wrigley and the same breeze blowing out to right in San Fran. Some not so good like a crosswind in Minnesota, Washington, and Detroit.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. Stacking against a bad pitcher is always a good idea!

For you first time players, if you would like a free $20 in DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 13: Zack Greinke #21 of the Arizona Diamondbacks on the mound in the first inning at Dodger Stadium on April 13, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jake Arrieta ($10,900): The Marlins are hitting just .174 in 46 at bats against Arrieta with only one homer and two RBI to go with seven strikeouts. There is enormous potential here, and I’m not just saying that because Arrieta is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two career Marlins Park starts.

Zack Greinke ($10,200): There is some risk here considering that the Dodgers have ten homers in 140 at bats against Grienke. However, they have only mustered 16 runs. Still, those are not numbers that you want to pay top dollar for. Several Dodgers have good numbers against Greinke, but this is a position where I would pick and choose instead of a full blown stack.

Middle Tier:

Jeff Samardzija ($8,700): Shark hasn’t had a great start to the season, but his career numbers against the Padres make him worth a look. The Padres are only hitting .229 in 83 at bats against Samardzija with two homers, six RBI, and a nice 19 strikeouts. There is good potential here against a Padres team without much of an offense.

Jameson Taillon ($8,100): Taillon has struggled lately, but the Nationals are only hitting .207 off of him in 29 at bats with only one run and eight strikeouts. There is solid potential here, but you may want to wait and see if Taillon is really done struggling yet before sending him out there against a team like the Nationals.

Bargain Pitchers:

Aaron Sanchez ($6,500): Sanchez has turned in four straight quality starts since a rocky opener. He is cheap all things considered. The Twins are only hitting .209 against Sanchez in 43 at bats with only one homer, three RBI, and ten strikeouts. There is quite a bit of potential here for the price.

Brandon Finnegan ($5,400): Finnegan has held the Brewers to a .229 average in 35 at bats with only one homer and seven strikeouts, but the Brewers do have five runs. Finnegan has decent numbers at home in his career. Decent enough to take a chance here on a rather thin pitching slate.

Jhoulys Chacin ($5,100): The Reds are only hitting .222 in 59 at bats against Chacin with only one homer, but they have scored seven runs. The 13 strikeouts are a solid total. There is pretty good potential here for Chacin, especially when you consider his 3.97 ERA in four career starts at Great American Ballpark.

MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 28: Jesse Winker #33 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a RBI single scoring Joey Votto during the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on September 28, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

The wind is blowing out to left with a lefty on the mound for Colorado. We definitely want a piece of Kris Bryant here. Willson Contreras is worth a look too.

Guess what? The Cubs have a lefty going as well, and the Rockies have some right handed power. Nolan Arenado is 2-8 with a homer and two RBI against Jon Lester. Chris Iannetta is only 2-11 against Lester, but he has a homer and three RBI. Ian Desmond is cheap, and is 4-9 with three doubles, a steal, and a run against Lester in his career.

Joey Votto is 6-18 with two walks, a double, two homers, five runs, and four RBI in his career against Jhoulys Chacin. He even has a steal!

This is a great spot for the Diamondback against Ross Stripling. Paul Goldschmidt is 5-12 with two walks, two doubles, a homer, two runs, and three RBI off of Stripling so far.

Middle Tier:

C.J. Cron is off to a nice start in Tampa, and is facing a pitcher that hasn’t given up less than four runs in a start this year. Wilson Ramos and Daniel Robertson are also in play at bargain prices. Stacking both side of this game may not be a bad idea.

Jeimer Candelario is worth a look against the struggling Jake Faria. I considered using Faria against Detroit, but he obviously isn’t at his best right now.

Cody Bellinger is 5-12 with a double and two solo homers against Zack Greinke. Yasmani Grandal is only 7-30(.233) against Greinke, but he has a walk, a double, four runs, and two solo homers off of Greinke.

Brian McCann is 4-12 with two walks, a double, a homer, three runs, and three RBI in his career against Sonny Gray. Yuli Gurriel has a RBI double in his career against Gray in three at bats.

Maikel Franco is 6-15 with a walk, a run, and two RBI so far against Dan Straily.

Hanley Ramirez is 9-19(.474) with a walk, a double, a homer, a steal, six runs, and two RBI in his career against Jason Hammel. Mitch Moreland is also worth a look. Moreland is 3-7 with two doubles and a RBI. Rafael Devers only has one hit in three at bats against Jason Hammel, but it is a solo homer.

Mike Moustakas is 2-8 with a double, a homer, and two RBI in his career against Eduardo Rodriguez. Salvador Perez only has one hit in seven at bats against Rodriguez, but that hit is a solo homer.

Eric Lauer struggled in his first career start, but it was in Coors Field. Things should be better back down at sea level against San Francisco. Just in case they aren’t, Buster Posey and Evan Longoria are worth a look against the young lefty.

Bargain Shoppers:

Lance Lynn is in for a rough night. Kendrys Morales is perfect against Lynn with a single, two homers, and five RBI in his career against Lynn. He isn’t the only one. Russell Martin is 7-18(.389) with three walks, two doubles, a homer, two runs, and three RBI off of Lynn. Yangervis Solarte is 4-14 with two walks, three doubles, two runs, and four RBI off of Lynn. Enjoy your cheap Blue Jays stack!

Josh Bell is 1-3 with a two run homer and a walk in his career against Tanner Roark. Francisco Cervelli singled in his only at bat against Roark in his career.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – SEPTEMBER 19: Addison Russell #27 of the Chicago Cubs, right, celebrates with Jon Jay #30 after scoring off of an RBI double by Javier Baez during the fifth inning of a game on September 19, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Javier Baez is expensive, but he has crushed pitching at Wrigley no matter who it comes from. Again, with a lefty on the mound and the wind blowing out, Baez and Addison Russell get a boost in potential.

Jose Altuve is 11-30(.367) with a double, two runs, and a RBI against Sonny Gray.

Middle Tier:

Whit Merrfield is perfect in his career against Eduardo Rodriguez so far. He has three singles in three at bats with a run and a RBI off of Rodriguez. Ryan Goins likely wont play, but if he does, his only hit in two at bats against Eduardo Rodriguez is a three run homer.

Trevor Story and DJ LeMahieu are worth using against Jon Lester, but they haven’t had much success against Lester so far.

Corey Seager gets a price break facing Zack Greinke, but maybe he shouldn’t. Seager is 6-14(.429) with five walks, a double, two homers, six runs, and four RBI in his career against Greinke. Chase Utley also has three doubles, a homer, and two RBI against Greinke, but he is only 6-26 off of him.

Jose Peraza is only 1-4 against Jhoulys Chacin, but the hit is a solo homer, and he is batting at or near the top of a pretty potent lineup.

Bargain Shoppers:

Joey Wendle is off to a good start as well, and still comes pretty cheap. Every Ray with a bat in his hands is in play against Jordan Zimmerman.

Jonathan Villar is 2-4 with two walks, two runs, a steal, and a RBI off of Brandon Finnegan.

Dixon Machado doesn’t have much for power, but he gets on base quite a bit, and is facing a struggling starter.

Robbie Grossman is back in the fold with Byron Buxton out for a while. Grossman is 2-4 with a double and a pair of RBI in his career against Aaron Sanchez. Eddie Rosario is perfect against Sanchez with a walk and two singles against Sanchez.

Miguel Rojas is 1-2 with a solo homer in his career against Jake Arrieta. That is the only career homer for the current Marlins against Arrieta.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

FanDuel MLB: BOSTON, MA – APRIL 11: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox, right, celebrates with Hanley Ramirez #13 and Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a grand slam during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on April 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

J.D. Martinez is 2-6 with a homer and three RBI in his career against Jason Hammel. Jackie Bradley is also worth a look. Bradley is 2-6 with a homer and two RBI in his career against Hammel.

George Springer is only 4-16 against Sonny Gray, but he has three walks, a homer, two steals, two runs, and two RBI against him.

Giancarlo Stanton is 9-18 with three walks, two doubles, a homer, four runs, and four RBI in his career against Charlie Morton. Brett Gardner is 3-4 with a walk, a double, two runs, and two RBI against Morton.

A.J. Pollock is 2-6 with a walk, a solo homer, and two runs so far against Ross Stripling. David Peralta is worth a look as well. Peralta is 5-12 with four doubles, three runs, and a RBI against Stripling.

Rhys Hoskins is 6-8 with a walk, a double, three homers, five runs, and seven RBI already against Dan Straily. Odubel Herrera is 4-11 with two walks, a double, a homer, two runs, and two RBI off of Straily. Even Nick Williams gets in on the action. Williams is 4-10 with two walks, a double, a triple, three runs, and two RBI against Straily.

Ryan Braun is 3-7 with a walk, a solo homer, and a steal in his career against Brandon Finnegan. Hernan Perez is also worth a look. Perez is 3-12 with two doubles, two steals, a run, and four RBI off of Finnegan.

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Middle Tier:

Even though the Rays have a great matchup against Jordan Zimmerman, Denard Span is the only outfielder that I’m really in on. You have to pick and choose with a weaker lineup like this.

Nick Castellanos and Leonys Martin both look like really good options against Jake Faria tonight.

Joc Pederson is 4-12 with a walk, three doubles, a homer, two runs, and two RBI in his career against Zack Greinke.

Bargain Shoppers:

Albert Almora has been solid for the Cubs this year, and faces the same benefits as the rest of the Cubs righties. The only difference is that he comes at a cheaper price than the rest.

The Reds outfield is cheap. Probably cheaper than they should be. Adam Duvall is 2-6 with a double, a homer, and two RBI against Jhoulys Chacin. Billy Hamilton is 1-3 with a triple and a run off of Chacin. Of course, the caveat is that both of them are struggling.

I’m a fan of Andrew McCutchen here against young lefty Eric Lauer. Austin Jackson could be worth a look as well, but he will most likely be lifted once Lauer gets chased.

Next: MLB DFS Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. Still in NBA mode? No worries, we have the NBA DFS covered for the playoffs as well!