FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: April 10 Early Only & Main Slate

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

Yesterday’s FanDuel MLB slates did not play out the way we planned. I still like the Zimmerman play, it made sense at the time, but the Indians bats woke up at the right time for the Tribe. Jordan struggled, fanning four in 4.1 innings but giving up four earned runs. The 13 FanDuel MLB points wasn’t horrendous, but we were expecting something closer to 30+ points.

We did get great offense from the Rays, piling up ten runs. So if you played the offense right, and used Morton (who we did say was safer), they you likely had a solid Early Only slate. My favorite play was Brandon Lowe ($3,000) going yard for 31.4 points. Yoan Moncada stayed hot, and Freddy Galvis was another sneaky value play.

While the Early Only slate was so-so, our Main slate didn’t work out at all. Cody Bellinger somehow was able to accumulate 12 FanDuel MLB points, which is solid considering the Dodgers stack fell flat within a shutout by the Cardinals.

We had a lot of six to nine point plays, which usually works out well if you have a couple double-digit offensive plays along with a 30 to 40 point pitcher. But, Lucchesi surprised me giving up seven runs in just four innings, while also fanning four hitters.

The Wednesday slate is similar to the Tuesday slate, but with better pitching plays. That being said, the plays aren’t as obvious as they first appear. Also, we have some weather conditions that could put a dent in our offensive focus.

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: There’s a monster storm cranking up over the middle part of the country today. As a result, rain and major snowstorms are developing in an odd event for the spring. This event will definitely have an impact on the game in Denver, and the Braves and Rockies are at risk of even playing on Wednesday.

It’s less-likely an issue, but the Rays and White Sox also have some precipitation and wind risks, which could delay or postpone the game. So while you should definitely fade the Braves and Rockies, keep the Rays and White Sox on your MLB DFS weather Radar as well.

Here’s a more details FantasyCPR MLB DFS Weather Report from our won Ricky O!

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

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitchers Early Only Slate

There’s a very obvious top play for the Early Only slate, Trevor Bauer ($12,000). His price-tag makes him difficult to want to play though. The Tigers have a 26.4% K-rate, sixth highest in baseball, so we know Bauer’s 33.3% K rate will come in to play on Wednesday.

I could see Bauer piling up around 50 FanDuel MLB points, again, which is right around his current average and not a far cry from what we typically saw from Trevor last season. I’ll likely use Bauer in some cash-game plays, but, again, his salary eliminates many of the best offensive plays of the slate.

If you’re going to chance it with the Rays and White Sox in Chicago, Tyler Glasnow ($9,400) is a safe cheaper play. But, the White Sox offense is also dynamic right now, and could present a problem for Glasnow, especially with the hard wind blowing on Wednesday afternoon.

While looking at my offensive stacking options for the Early Only slate, I realized neither the Padres nor the Giants starting pitchers appeal to me, the Braves and Rockies are off my list, and Lopez is a loose cannon, for the White Sox.

That leads me to an intriguing fade-the-Bauer play with Matthew Boyd ($8,600). First, a caveat; I’m more nervous about this play after we saw the Indians bats wake up against the Tigers yesterday. But, I do think Boyd has a better chance of slowing those bats down.

First of all, of the two starts we’ve seen from Matthew so far, he’s faced a beatable Blue Jays offense but a very tough Yankees offense in the Bronx. Also, Boyd has yet to pitch in his home ballpark in Detroit.

Somehow, Boyd has managed to pile up 23 K’s in just 11.1 innings, ten against the blue Jays in five and 13 against the Yankees in 6.1. In that time, he did give up ten hits and four walks, along with four runs. But his K-rate is allowing him to be a solid 35 to 45 FanDuel MLB point play, with a ceiling of over 50, assuming he can keep the runs down and climb over six innings.

Fortunately, the Indians do blow the door option for a 50 point play on Wednesday. While they had a better outcome yesterday, and could be on their way to righting the offensive ship a bit, they still have a 30.3% K-rate, the highest in baseball. So even if we get some offense from the Indians on Wednesday, it’s likely Boyd gets a decent amount of strikeouts.

And, given the salary for Boyd, I love the offensive stacking potential, along with a decent 30-ish point play with a 50 point ceiling. For that reason, I’m going with Boyd in most formats, but will also consider Bauer for cash plays.

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitchers Main Slate

Pitching for the Main slate is tougher than it appears, after looking into the metrics. There are several great pitchers, but many of them have difficult match-ups. A good example of that is Brandon Woodruff ($7,300), who I’ve liked in his last start.

In theory, Woodruff’s 3.36 xFIP and 13 strikeouts per nine innings is exactly the type of pitcher you want in a difficult FanDuel MLB Main slate. The problem is the match up.

Yes, the Angels offense has had struggles to start the season, but they’re hitting better at home. The worst part, the Halos have a league low 15.3% K-rate. So, they’re basically the worst offense to pick a pitcher against right now.

Another example, for different reasons, is Jake Odorizzi ($7,400). With a solid 3.38 xFIP and 16.2 K/9 inning strikeout rate, Jake is the perfect type of MLB DFS pitcher. The problem is, the metrics are skewed with only two outings this season.

Odorizzi had a fantastic first start against a Cleveland Indians offense who has the highest (31.3%) K-rate in baseball. In that outing, Jake had eleven K’s in just six innings, with 52 FanDuel MLB points. But, in his next outing against a good Phillies offense, he had trouble finding the strike-zone and was yanked with just 0.2 innings pitched, giving you -7 points.

The Mets do have a 27.7% K-rate, fourth worst in baseball. But the K-rate metrics for the Mets and Nats are a little deceiving right now, considering they’ve each been facing Cy Young award winners, and some of the top pitching in baseball, out of the NL East. So I’m concerned that rate will plummet for each team as they play teams outside of the East.

But, that also makes Odorizzi a very appealing GPP play, in the event that his start does play out the way his first outing did. He’s worth a very risky consideration in FanDuel MLB tournament play.

Even though he had a rough first two outings, Noah Syndergaard ($10,100) faced a Nationals team who has a strong history against Thor. We’ll see his metrics climb after those starts. But, the Twins aren’t exactly the best offense to use Syndergaard against, and he’s pricey.

James Paxton ($9,800) and Collin McHugh ($8,800) are each top four options for Wednesday night, and I’m likely going with one of those two (McHugh over Paxton) if I can’t find a better option. But, I did.

Remember how the Angels have the lowest K-rate in baseball right now? Well, Frankie Montas ($8,300) fanned six Halos in just six innings, giving up only three hits and one earned run for a quality start, win, and 43 FanDuel MLB points.

Montas had to follow that start up with a tough match-up against the Astros in Houston. The Stros were able to get ten on-board in five innings and scored two earned runs. But, Montas was able to fan another five hitters. He didn’t get a QS or win, but the 24 FanDuel MLB points from Frankie against the Astros that was a solid outing.

Frankie and the A’s are in Baltimore this week, facing an Orioles team who was off to a hot start. But, now at home, the O’s are 1-4, and their offensive metrics are plummeting back to earth. The O’s have a decent .309 wOBA, but their K-rate is now 24%, 13th worst in baseball.

This appears to be a match-up where Montas should get a quality start, win, and could even climb over six strikeouts. If that happens, we’ll get 45 to 50 FanDuel MLB points out of a $8.3K pitching play. That should make Montas the best value of the night.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Early Only Slate

I’ve already crossed the Braves and Rockies off my list assuming their game gets cancelled. If we get to lunchtime and it’s still potentially playing, I may pivot. Until then, assume they’re a strong fade. I’m also inclined to at least start my morning off avoiding the White Sox and Rays, until I know more about that weather as well.

With that in mind, I’m focused mostly on stacking the Padres and Giants, assuming each pitcher has trouble and we grab most of the runs from that game in San Francisco. I’m also looking at playing some Tigers, mostly as one-off value plays, with the assumption that Boyd is my best pitching play.

This may seem obvious, but if you’re using Bauer instead of Boyd, my favorite one-offs are the Indians. The Tribe should still get some hits and walks, given Boyd’s propensity for a high WHIP. But, I’m not confident the Indians will pile up as many, eight, runs as they did on Tuesday.

So, of this group, who do we like? Well, the Giants offense is fairly lackluster right now, and while the Padres have a lefty on the mound, I still like Brandon Belt‘s ($3,000) rock solid career OBP. I’m also considering Brandon Crawford ($2,200) as a value play, if needed in the event I use Bauer.

From the Padres, even though Rodriguez is a solid pitcher, I’m looking at doing more of a true four-team stack. Manny Machado ($4,000) had a weak six points yesterday, but he could bounce back on Wednesday. If you’re new to MLB DFS, one thing to keep in mind…never use the game log to allow you to drift away from great hitters.

Wil Myers ($3,200) is probably one of the most underrated MLB DFS hitters in baseball right now. His salary allows us to play him in all formats, regardless of the pitcher, and his versatile offense allows us to feel confident we should at least get some points from his pick. I also like Fernando Tatis Jr. ($3,400) and Hunter Renfroe ($3,700) from the Padres, assuming you’re going with Boyd.

Looking back at the Tigers, Josh Harrison ($2,500) is a great value play fade-the-Bauer move at 2B, and Niko Goodrum ($3,100) and Nicholas Castellanos ($3,500) are currently the two best offensive players from Detroit’s lineup.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Main Slate

Assuming you don’t go with Syndergaard or the Yankees and Astros match-up for pitching, you have endless options for offensive stacking in the Main slate. This is fortunate, because there are some dynamic hot hitters at the plate Wednesday night, facing some dreadful pitching.

One general game I like a lot for stacking is the Phillies hosting the Nationals again in Citizens Bank Park, in Philadelphia, PA. This game ended in a 10-6 extra-innings win for the Nats last night, and that was with very good starting pitchers on the mound.

The Phillies have a .351 wOBA, seventh best in baseball, and the Nats currently have a .337 wOBA, the 11th best in baseball. One thing to consider for each, especially the Nationals, is that their wOBA includes facing some of the best pitching in baseball, multiple times.

The Nats have former Phillies starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson on the mound, and he struggled against the Phils in D.C. first outing. Although, he’s also very familiar pitching in this ballpark, and may have a better outcome than last week.

Meanwhile, the Nats have Nick Pivetta on the mound, who’s struggled in two outings this season, piling up a 6.52 ERA and 2.11 WHIP in 9.2 innings. Against RHP’s this season, the Nats have a .329 wOBA which is tied with the Astros for 10th best in baseball.

Between the two teams, you can really pick one or both to stack. Living in D.C., I’m a Nats fan so I’m inclined to look at Ryan Zimmerman ($2,900), Juan Soto ($3,800), and Victor Robles ($3,400) for one of my stacks. But that won’t stop me from also mixing in someone like Maikel Franco ($3,500) at 3B.

Another stack I REALLY like on Wednesday night is the Oakland Athletics against the Dan Straily and the Orioles in Baltimore. Staily has only made it through 1.1 innings this season, and he was crushed.

Meanwhile, the A’s bats are red-hot right now, with Marcus Semien ($3,100) and Ramon Laureano ($2,700) very good MLB DFS values as they continue to offer up hits, home runs, and stolen bases. But, this also seems like the type of match-up where Khris Davis ($4,000) adds another home run to his current five total.

Another team I’m looking into is the Pirates against Yu Darvish and the Cubs. That feels weird to write, but Darvish doesn’t look right, yet, and someone like Adam Frazier ($3,300) could benefit. At the very least, he’s a great one-off play from the stacks.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineups for April 10th 2019

Bauer is an obvious top play for the Early Only slate, and Glasnow is a safe pitching play if you don’t feel there will be any weather-related impacts in Chicago. But Boyd is my favorite overall MLB DFS pick for this slate, as he has a solid opportunity to land over 30 FanDuel MLB points, with a very high ceiling.

With the savings you’d get from Boyd, it’s easy to pick some of the top hitters from the Padres and Giants offense. Also, you can snag some top fade-the-Bauer hitters from the Tigers lineup. If you go with Boyd, you need to find some value plays from the Tribe.

In the Main slate, Syndergaard or either Paxton/McHugh are solid plays. But Frankie Montas appears to have the best match up and should offer the best value. Especially considering the many offensive stacking options we have in this slate.

I’m most focused on the Nationals and Phillies, likely piling up a lot of total runs, over all, among the several games this evening. But the A’s also appear to have the most ideal match-up, and should be apart of any stacking you do with the Nats and Phils. Meanwhile, the Pirates are a sneaky play against Darvish, and you should at least fit Frazier into your lineup.

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the Early Only and Main FanDuel MLB slates for Wednesday, April 10th 2019:

Early Only                                                                            Main

P                Matthew Boyd ($8,600)                              Frankie Montas ($8,300)

C/1B        Brandon Belt ($3,000)                                  Ryan Zimmerman ($2,900)

2B             Josh Harrison ($2,500)                                 Adam Frazier ($3,300)

3B             Manny Machado ($4,000)                           Maikel Franco ($3,500)

SS             Fernando Tatis Jr. ($3,400)                          Marcus Semien ($3,100)

OF             Hunter Renfroe ($3,700)                             Ramon Laureano ($2,700)

OF             Niko Goodrum ($3,100)                                Juan Soto ($3,800)

OF             Nicholas Castellanos ($3,500)                   Victor Robles ($3,400)

UTIL          Wil Myers ($3,200)                                        Khris Davis ($4,000)

Remaining Salary: $0                                                       Remaining Salary: $0

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!