FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: April 13th Early & Main Slates

Welcome to another edition of the FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups. We’re focused on a BIG split slate for Saturday. This is a fantasy baseball column working hard to help you build a DFS MLB optimal lineup for each slate.

Friday night’s FanDuel MLB Main slate was an odd one. First of all, we learned a lesson. I stuck with hot rookie hurler Trent Thornton for the Blue Jays, even though I knew there was risk playing a pitcher against a good Rays offense. That was stupid!

The Rays crushed Thornton, who did get three K’s in three innings, but gave up five runs and only lasted three innings. For the Saturday slates, I’m likely more focused on better match-ups, if we can find them.

For offensive, we used Chris Davis to pay up for more expensive plays. Davis ultimately didn’t get any at-bat, which was disappointing, but I still like the value the throw-away pick gave us. Davis likely plays on Saturday, so we may need ton consider his pick again.

Our stacks were mostly focused on the Dodgers and Mets, who did pile up a combined eleven runs. However, we were hoping for bigger nights. Still, I had Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson ultimately in my lineup, and they gave me a combined 56.4 FanDuel MLB points.

Robinson Cano also gave me over 12 points, and Freddie Freeman at least gave me 9.2 points to add on top of the horrendous pitching play. Fortunately, before the lock I snagged Alex Gordon, who’s been on our radar lately and has been absolutely on fire at the plate.

Gordon smashed a home run, two doubles, and a single, adding more points for a run and three RBI’s. Ultimately, Alex’s 40.7 FanDuel MLB points allowed me to somehow end the night with a 1.5-2X cash return, all from cash plays, thanks to his offense and other low scoring games. We may need to play Gordon again for Saturday’s Main slate.

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: For the Early Only slate, we’re mostly clear but there are some rain chances and temperatures will be quite chilly in some games. Our RickyO gives you a solid Early Only FantasyCPR Weather Report.

For the Main slate, my main concern is Arlington, Texas, where it’s supposed to rain for a good portion of the day. However, it currently looks like the game will get played, however there’s a possibility for a delay. Keep an eye on this one, as it has a potential impact on any Athletics and Rangers plays.

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

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitchers Early Only Slate

The Early Only slate for FanDuel MLB is not easy. This slate only four games in this slate, so eight total starting pitchers. Other sites, like FantasyDraft for example, included the Rays game for the Early Only slate, so we could’ve snagged Blake Snell in that tool.

However, FanDuel isn’t offering Snell in this slate, which frankly makes this very challenging. At first, I found that frustrating, but then realized it’s going to make for a more interesting slate. No-Snell forces the players to spread out ownership over a wider group of pitchers.

Kyle Hendricks ($8,200) is a tempting play in Wrigley Field, but the Angels 17% K-rate is one of the lowest in baseball and Hendricks isn’t exactly piling up K’s, nor is he pitching in long outings right now. So he’s a pass, but at some point we should see Kyle’s metrics get better this season.

Scanning through the rest of the pitchers, I ended up focusing on two pitchers in the same game. Michael Pineda ($8,600) is facing Tyson Ross ($7,300) in Minnesota. It’s going to be COLD there! That likely means neither pitcher is on the mound for more than five or six innings. However, the hitters will also be struggling with the biting cold while hitting baseballs.

Trying to pick between these two pitchers is difficult. They each have a higher K-rate, but Ross has been going longer innings, at least slightly. Tyson has a great game against the Royals, fanning eight hitters against a team who isn’t striking out often this season.

But, the Twins have a .348 wOBA, the sixth best in baseball. Meanwhile, the Tigers have a .256 wOBA, the third worst in baseball, along with a very high 26.7% K-rate, fourth worst in baseball. So, while Ross seems like a ‘safe’ bet in general, his match-up is screaming risk. But Pineda has a fantastic match-up and the highest K-rate (31.3%) among all starting pitchers for this slate.

So, I’m leaning toward Pineda as my top pick, but either is worth the choice compared to the rest of the options for this slate.

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitchers Main Slate

Justin Verlander ($10,500) is the most talented pitcher in this slate, and his FanDuel MLB salary makes sense. However, the match-up is terrible. The Mariners have a .383 wOBA, just a tad below the Dodgers for the best offense in baseball, right now. They get even better at home.

In many other match-ups, I’d consider playing Verlander. Also, Justins play should get better as we progress into the late spring and summer months. For now, in this type of match-up, he’s oddly a hard-fade.

After Verlander, the rest of the slate looks kind of rough. I wouldn’t be surprised if many FanDuel MLB players were intrigued by Merrill Kelly ($8,300) after his strong outing against the Red Sox. The rookie earned a quality start in an eight inning nine-K game against Boston last outing. But when he faced the Padres, in a pitcher’s park, he only had three K’s in six innings.

I’m not sure what we’re getting from Kelly against the Padres, now in Chase Field. Especially if the roof is open. For that reason, I’m looking for other safer plays, but Kelly is an intriguing GPP play.

Before we get to the ‘safe’ cash game, or all-format, play at the starting pitcher position, there’s another GPP option I thought I’d never consider. Homer Bailey ($6,600) against the Cleveland Indians generally sounds like a terrible idea. And, it may be.

But, we’ve had some surprising results from the cheaper pitchers this spring, and Bailey’s metrics are a little deceiving. Yes, he’s giving up ten runs in ten innings, but he’s also faced the Mariners and Twins, two of the top six offenses in baseball so far this season. Meanwhile, Homer has also somehow managed to pile up 15 strikeouts in just ten innings.

It’s entirely possible Bailey piles up another six to nine strikeouts against a Tribe squad currently with the highest K-rate in the majors, 28.9%. You have to avoid the run production the Indians will likely get, and don’t bank on a quality start, but Bailey is a decent play for 30 to 40 FanDuel MLB points with a very cheap salary and low ownership.

Unfortunately, I think the safe play is obvious, Adam Wainwright ($8,500). We’re getting a mid-salary range pitcher who’s facing an offense with a 26.5% K-rate, fifth worst in baseball, and he currently holds a 29.3% K-rate, one of the best in this slate, after facing decent hitting Pirates and Padres offenses.

Wainwright will be the starting pitcher anchor I’ll use in most of my lineups and in most of the FanDuel MLB formats.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Early Only Slate

With Pineda and Ross as my top two pitchers, I’m fading the Tigers and Twins for the most part. However, I still like the Twins offense, so we may grab some ‘one-off’s’ like a red-hot Max Kepler ($4,000) to get a piece of their run production.

For offensive stacks, you can almost just pick any two teams and grab their best players in the lineup. That is, assuming you have Chris Davis ($500) back in your lineup picks. We plugged Davis into our lineup yesterday, assuming he’d at least get a pinch-hitting play, but we knew the pitching match-up likely yanked him from the batting order. And, it did.

However, Chris’ lefty bat likely pulls him back into the lineup at Fenway, with right-handed Rick Porcello on the mound for the Red Sox. At some point, Davis is going to get a hit, but even getting a walk, Sac-Fly RBI, or run is awesome for only $500. Also, this low salary allows us to really load up on the top offensive talent for this slate.

With so many offensive stacking options, we need to narrow them down. I like the White Sox and Yankees the most, in the Bronx on Saturday afternoon. I’m likely doing two or four man stacks from each of those teams in all formats.

From the Yankees, you could really just pick whomever fits into your lineup. From the White Sox, I’m most focused on the value we get from Rookie Eloy Jimenez ($2,400), along with Yoan Moncada ($3,800) and Tim Anderson ($4,000). Anderson’s offensive metrics are on another planet right now, and will eventually regress, but we’re going to keep playing him while he’s hot.

If you go with two-man stacks of each, the other offenses I’m looking at stack, or snagging one-off’s from, are the Red Sox and Cubs. Daniel Descalso ($3,400) at 2B for the Cubs and Andrew Benintendi ($3,700) in the OF for the Red Sox are each hot right now and worth the salary.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Main Slate

For the Main slate, and you’ll see this in the example lineup, we like many stacks. For the example, I’m going to demonstrate some players we like most out of each stack, including value plays. However, it might work better if you just pick two, or three, lineups and stick with those top plays from each lineup.

In Chase Field, likely with the roof open, I like the Diamondbacks on Saturday night. They have a .334 wOBA, which is tied with the A’s for smack-dab in the middle of all major league baseball teams for offense.

For the most part, I’m trying to find right-handed bats like Christian Walker ($2,500), Wilmer Flores ($2,200), and Adam Jones ($3,800). Jones is on fire to start this season, and is generally a great offensive play. Walker and Flores are struggling, but they should do bounce back against lefty Matt Strahm, who’s also struggling to start the season for the Padres.

I like the Mets and Braves again in SunTrust Park, as well, but I’m leaning heavily toward the Braves, over the Mets, with lefty Jason Vargas starting for the Mets. In six innings, so far this season, Vargas has a 6.70 xFIP, the worst of all starters in this slate. He’ll face some tough right-handed batters, and Josh Donaldson ($3,500) is heating up at the right time for us.

While the D-backs and Braves are my top two stacks, and the Mets on the list, I also like several one-off plays from other teams. Marcell Ozuna ($3,600) has been hitting the ball very well and is facing a struggling Tanner Roark, in Monterrey Mexico.

As we mentioned earlier, we plugged Alex Gordon ($3,900) into our lineups last night, which helped us cash in most formats. Gordon is currently on a torrid offensive pace and has the ability to really pile up 30+ FanDuel MLB points due to his ability to earn points from any offensive category each game.

Also, Marco Estrada is a right-handed pitcher facing a few lefty Rangers bats in Arlington. Specifically, Nomar Mazara ($3,600) has a history of crushing righties early in the Spring each season. Also, Elvis Andrus ($3,400) has been a hot bat as well for the Rangers.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineups for April 13th 2019

For the Early Only slate, the pitching isn’t ideal. I like both Ross and Pineda, leaning toward Pineda because of the match-up against a very good Twins offense. But, you could make a decent argument for either pitcher.

For offense, I’m most focused on stacking the White Sox and Yankees in the same game. It’s easily affordable with Chris Davis dirt-cheap no-hitting FanDuel MLB salary. I’m also likely grabbing some Cubs and Red Sox, while maybe sneaking some hot-hitting Twins into the lineup.

Verlander may be the best arm for the Main slate, but Wainwright is the safest. Unfortunately, Ada will likely be the chalk play of the slate, so consider Bailey or Kelly if you’re looking to fade the ownership, add some risk, and need some GPP pitching plays.

For offense in the Main slate, I’m mostly looking at stacking some D-backs and Braves, while also considering the Mets lineup in SunTrust Park. The Rangers have some hot hitters in Arlington, and I will find a way to fit Ozuna and Gordon into my offense as well.

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the Early Only and Main FanDuel MLB slates for Saturday, April 13th 2019:

Early Only                                                                           Main

P                Michael Pineda ($8,600)                             Adam Wainwright ($8,500)

C/1B        Chris Davis ($500)                                          Christian Walker ($2,500)

2B             Daniel Descalso ($3,400)                            Wilmer Flores ($2,200)

3B             Yoan Moncada ($3,800)                               Josh Donaldson ($3,500)

SS              Gleyber Torres ($4,500)                              Elvis Andrus ($3,400)

OF             Eloy Jimenez ($2,400)                                  Marcell Ozuna ($3,600)

OF             Andrew Benintendi ($3,700)                     Alex Gordon ($3,900)

OF             Max Kepler ($4,000)                                     Adam Jones ($3,800)

UTIL          Tim Anderson ($4,000)                               Nomar Mazara ($3,600)

Remaining Salary: $100                                                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!