FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Friday, May 4
Welcome into the Friday edition of the FanDuel daily fantasy MLB column! All 30 teams are in action tonight so let’s get right into things.
Yesterday was a good day for us as we put up another score over 200 points! I kind of wish I had been gutsy enough to fade Bryce Harper because he put up a zero and we still had a great score. We have a whopping 15 games today so let’s not spend too much time celebrating slates in the past and get into it ASAP. We’re going to kick things off with one of the best fantasy games of the day. Since the slate is so large, we’re going to condense things just a bit jut to get through things a touch quicker.
Indians at Yankees
Indians Probable Pitcher – Josh Tomlin, RHP
9.16 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 4.83 K/9
Vs LHH – .452 average, .602 wOBA and 50.0 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .277 average, .382 wOBA and 41.5 hard contact rate
So, the Yankees are going to be chalky tonight, even for a 15-game slate. Josh Tomlin is a bad pitcher and has already given up 10 home runs in 18.2 innings so far. Basically any batter in pinstripes is in play tonight and Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will be insanely popular. By the splits Tomlin has shown so far, shortstop Didi Gregorius is the best play tonight. I will almost surely have one or two Yankee bats in my lineup tonight.
Yankee Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Didi Gregorius, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner
Secondary Options – Miguel Adujar and Gleyber Torres
Yankees Probable Starter – CC Sabathia, LHP
1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 5.47 K/9
Vs LHH – .125 average, .309 wOBA and 33.3 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .204 average, .251 wOBA and 30.4 hard contact rate
The Indians side of this game is plenty attractive in and of itself as Sabathia is due some regression sooner than later. It doesn’t hurt that the game is in Yankee Stadium and this could have some serious fireworks. This is the type of game that could win a GPP if you pick the right bats. Cleveland’s offense has started to come to life as the weather has gotten a little warmer which shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Indians Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion
Secondary Options – Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes
Home Run Pick – Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius
Phillies at Nationals
Phillies Probable Starter – Nick Pivetta, RHP
3.27 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 9.27 K/9
Vs LHH – .295 average, .334 wOBA and 28.6 hard contact
Vs RHH – .188 average, .231 wOBA and 16.7 hard contact
The youngster for the Phillies has had a nice season so far and one of the keys has been shutting down righty bats. The Nationals offense has been fairly up and down so far this year due to injuries. This isn’t really a spot where I want to try and pick on Pivetta. However, there is at least one lefty bat that’s always in play and that’s Bryce Harper. I’m not sure how safe he is because Philly could just pitch around him.
Nationals Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Bryce Harper
Secondary Options – Trea Turner and Matt Adams
Nationals Probable Starter – Gio Gonzalez, LHP
2.67 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 9.89 K/9
Vs LHH – .243 average, .257 wOBA and 28.0 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .258 average, .313 wOBA and 31.9 hard contact rate
Gonzalez is almost always an underrated pitcher in real life and he’s a bit more attractive on FanDuel since you won’t get penalized for his walks, which can get high. What’s interesting is the Phillies as a team carry the highest walk rate against lefties at 15 percent. The next closest is the Cardinals at 12.7 percent. This might be a game on a massive slate like this that kind of gets overlooked and I can’t say I’ll have much action from it. Neither pitcher is one to attack but both aren’t the most attractive to use either.
Phillies Hitters to Target
Elite Options – None
Secondary Options – Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco, Carlos Santana
Home Run Pick – Carlos Santana