FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: March 30

Welcome, again, to the FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups article. We’re a fantasy baseball column focused on helping you build a DFS MLB optimal lineup for each slate.

Looking back at Opening Day, one of my favorite days of the year, we had several hits but also several misses. I wasn’t high on Jose Berrios, given his regression in the second half of last season. Well, that was a mistake, given he piled up 63 FanDuel MLB points with ten K’s, 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball, and took the win with a quality start.

Apparently, we did see the Indians shortfalls in just one game! Noted.

So, yes, Berrios would’ve been the best pitching play given his salary was only $8.9K. However, we were also right in that it would be worth paying up for a top arm. Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and Justin Verlander each had over 55 FanDuel MLB points. That is important to remember for Saturday’s Early Only slate.

For offense, stacking the Dodgers wasn’t evident enough for us. I didn’t expect Zack Greinke and the D-backs bullpen to look that dreadful. So we missed Joc Pederson smacking two home runs in the same game, for 53.6 FanDuel MLB points.

However, stacking the Yankees bats worked well, especially if you focused on some of the value plays like Luke Voit ($3,500) at first base. Luke piled up 38 FanDuel MLB points.

The Rangers value stack also worked well, with Elvis Andrus ($2,800) and Nomar Mazara ($2,700) each going yard. Remember, we think Mazara is a consistently hot spring player. So for now, always consider Mazara for your lineups when on the field.

The Friday night slate was a little more straight forward, with German Marquez the chalky top play. But, again, we had a cheaper Matt Shoemaker ($7,000) sneak in there and drop over 50 FanDuel MLB points into a minimal number of lineups.

Also, the Dodgers stayed hot and Paul Goldschmidt woke up in a huge way, providing just short of 70 points with just his pick. Evan Longoria was one of my sneaky picks of the night, and if I had more time to write, yesterday, you would’ve known that. I didn’t, but I have lots of time and thoughts for Saturday’s two prime slates.

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: Today is mostly fantastic for baseball, with cloudy skies on the east coast but mostly slightly cool to warm temperatures across the U.S. The biggest concern is rain in Cincinnati, but I don’t expect any postponement or delays. Wind will be an impact, blowing out of fields in Kansas City, Texas, and Philly.

With weather-related considerations addressed, let’s get to the top pitching options…

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitchers Early Only Slate

It’s not that surprising that a ‘pay up for the top arm’ theme develops in the opening series of the MLB season. We do have top pitching from each team throwing off the mound for the first two or three games.

However, some teams are getting deeper into their rotation, and there’s a clear drop off in pitching talent developing for MLB DFS this weekend. It’s pretty clear who has their second versus third pitchers in the rotation on Saturday, and it’ll be even more evident on Sunday.

With that in mind, you should really consider one of the top four arms, Trevor Bauer ($11,000), James Paxton ($10,400), Noah Syndergaard ($10,000), or Stephen Strasburg ($9,800). But, which one?

Bauer is tempting, but his K-rate dropped off a bit late in the season, last year, as he was recovering from an injury. Trevor has looked solid during the spring season, but I need more than just solid from this bunch.

Sydergaard has been oddly dreadful against the Nationals in his career, winning only three of 12 starts. Even worse, Noah is 0-3 in five starts in Nationals Park, where they’ll be today, has a 1.67 WHIP there and horrendous 5.79 ERA. The more I dug into Syndergaard, the more I started to think about stacking the Nationals, which we’ll get to shortly.

Strasburg is likely the better side of the Nats and Mets affair, but even Stephen has some glaring faults. Stras looked great in the spring, but again he gave up some key hits, often home runs like one to the Mets Conforto this spring, making him still a risky play, but solid shot at 30 to 40 points with a high volume of strikeouts.

Which, leads me to Paxton. I spent most of my morning researching how to NOT play James, because he’s a clear chalky play. I’m hoping most MLB DFS players are being drawn to Bauer, Stras, or Thor thanks to name recognition.

But, it’s very clear to me Paxton is the top play of the slate. He has the best chance to win, he’s the best chance to ten K’s, and he’s your best chance at around 50 FanDuel MLB points. So, he should be in every Early Only lineup you build!

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitchers Main Slate

The Main slate for Saturday could not be more different than the Early Only slate. As we just pointed out, the Early Only slate has more of an Opening Day feel. You have a handful of top pitching options, and you had to narrow down your picks among greatness.

Well, the Main slate is nowhere near that type of play. Eduardo Rodriguez ($8,900) has the K luster, and likely does pile up a decent amount of points from strikeouts. But, Rodriguez also gives up almost two home runs per nine innings and is facing a red-hot Mariners offense in Seattle. Nope!

Yu Darvish ($8,600) is facing his old Rangers team in Texas. It’s likely he’s comfortable there, but again there are still some questions about this play. Darvish is supposedly healthy, but he hasn’t pitched in a regular season Major League game since May 20th of last year. He’s had some consistent injury issues, and his stats last season were lackluster. At best, Yu is a great GPP play.

There are a bunch of newer names on this list, but one I’m familiar with from lasat season is Dereck Rodriguez ($7,700). The Giants hurler, son of Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez, is a solid play against the Padres in San Diego.

I’d be all over D-Rod, except I’m more intrigued by Brandon Woodruff ($7,300). Paul Goldschmidt got hot yesterday, which does present risk. And the Cardinals have a solid offensive unit, one of the better units in the National League. But, Woodruff, while mostly in relief work, has some very impressive pitching metrics from last season.

He will likely give up four to six hits, maybe two to four runs, but Brandon has the ability to last six innings and is a very cheap shot at seven to ten strikeouts on Saturday night. Yes, there’s risk here, but I think Woodruff has the least amount of risk among all of these generally risky starters, and has the highest upside potential, aside from Rodriguez and Darvish.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Early Only Slate

Remember how I was shocked at how bad Noah Syndergaard is in Nationals Park? Well, I still think he’s a solid target for offensive stacking. For one, the Nationals have one of the better lineups in baseball, and did pile up some hits and walks against last year’s Cy Young award-winner deGrom.

Even better, I noticed the Nationals are being aggressive on the base-path, making guys like Trea Turner ($4,200) and Victor Robles ($2,800) very attractive plays. We’re likely getting a solid six base points from this play, with the potential for 20 to 25 points.

But, I also like the Mets in this game, as Stras often gives up home runs, and runs, in bunches and this is a team who can do that. Michael Conforto ($3,200) may not have a hit yet this season, but he did take Stephen deep during the Spring. Also, Jeff McNeil ($2,800) is a sneaky play at 3B.

Another game I love to stack on Saturday afternoon is the White Sox and Royals in Kansas City. Lopez is on the mound for the Sox, and while he has a high K-rate, he also gives up way too many home runs, which is great for the Royals offense. Meanwhile, Junis has a generally high ERA, and the White Sox have cheap offensive plays, making it easier to afford Paxton.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Main Slate

I realize Eduardo Rodriguez has historically had some upside. He has a high K-rate and early last season he was shutting lineups down left-and-right. But, that ended abruptly. Also, the Mariners offense is clearly red-hot since their trip to Japan.

It’s not like the Mariners haven’t seen top pitching either. On Thursday, they made Chris Sale look human again. And last night, Nathan Eovaldi got absolutely destroyed. So, guys like Edwin Encarnacion ($4,000), Ryon Healy ($3,200), Tim Beckham ($2,700), and Mitch Haniger ($3,900) are very attractive plays against Rodriguez and his home run rate.

The big stack I like for the Main slate are the Dodgers staying hot in Los Angeles against Zack Godley and the Diamondbacks. Four guys I can fit into this lineup are Max Muncy ($4,200), Kike Hernandez ($3,200), Joc Pederson ($3,500), and A.J. Pollock ($3,300). All four fit either you play Rodriguez or Woodruff tonight.

I don’t love the Cubs as much as the Mariners and Dodgers, which are clear stack targets, but I could also play some combination of these guys with Ben Zobrist ($3,200) who, if he remains a starter tonight, could stay hot with his bat.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineup for March 30th

For the Early Only slate, I love the Mets and Nationals, but not for pitching. I’m likely plugging some mini-stacks into my lineup from each team. For pitching, Paxton seems like a chalky play, but he’s definitely the best and really should be in every lineup.

I also like the White Sox and Royals for offense in the Early Only slate.

For the Main slate, I’m considering Darvish and Dereck Rodriguez, but I’m most intrigued by the value Woodruff provides, while also projected to have very low ownership. Both Dereck and Brandon give you plenty of salary back to stack expensive offensive plays like the Mariners and Dodgers.

I’m also likely to sprinkle some Cubs value plays in there, along with some Angels in Oakland. With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the Early Only and Main FanDuel MLB slates for Saturday, March 30th:

Early Only                                                                              Main

P                James Paxton ($10,400)                                Brandon Woodruff ($7,300)

C/1B         Yonder Alonso ($2,600)                                 Max Muncy ($4,200)

2B             Yoan Moncada ($3,300)                                 Kiké Hernández / Ben Zobrist ($3,200)

3B             Jeff McNeil ($2,800)                                        Ryon Healy ($3,200)

SS             Trea Turner ($4,200)                                       Tim Beckham ($2,700)

OF             Leury Garcia ($2,200)                                     Mitch Haniger ($3,900)

OF             Michael Conforto ($3,200)                            Domingo Santana ($3,500)

OF             Victor Robles ($2,800)                                    Joc Pederson ($3,500)

UTIL          Ryan O’Hearn ($3,500)                                  A.J. Pollock ($3,300)

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 MLB lineups.  We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.

Best of luck in your FanDuel MLB contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis across MLB, NFL, PGA, and NASCAR this summer!