Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 4/15/17

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Pitcher

Chris Sale FD 11500 DK 11500
Opponent - TB (Odorizzi) Park - @BOS
FD - 41.87 DK - 27.58
Tampa is in Fenway this weekend and today they will face the not so pleasant task of going up against Chris Sale on the mound. Sale has been quite impressive in two starts with Boston, giving up 8 hits and fanning 18 in 14.2 innings. The Rays as a team had the third worst K% in the majors last season, and are holding true so far in 2017 with a 27.9% through their first ten games. This bodes well for Sale who sported a 10.43 k/9 last season with the other Sox. The Rays are projected at 3.3 runs which may be generous. Boston has been slow to give Sale much in the way of run support so far this season, but if they can scrape together a few runs today, Sale should see his first W with Boston, and is a sure bet to strike out at least 8 hitters making him about as sure a play in cash games as you'll find anywhere on the slate. He'll eat a hefty little chunk of your salary, but there are plenty of nice spots to save up on bats today to make that happen.

Corey Kluber FD 10000 DK 10200
Opponent - DET (Verlander) Park - @CLE
FD - 38.14 DK - 25.1
Another guy still looking for his first win of the 2017 season is Corey Kluber. Kluber had a shaky start to the season against the Rangers when he gave up 5 earned runs on 6 hits in 6 innings, but a blister on his finger was pointed to as a probable cause for that. His next time out against the Diamondbacks, he looked better posting a quality start holding Arizona to 3 runs (2 earned) with most of his trouble all coming in the fourth inning when he gave up three straight singles, leading to two runs, then was pulled in the sixth after yielding a solo shot. Kluber will have his work cut out for him, as on the other side of this contest is Tigers ace Justin Verlander, so he will have to keep the Detroit offense in check if he wants to get the win tonight. The Tigers are sporting a .330 team wOBA dating back to last season, but are also striking out at 21.3%. If you're not looking to spend all the way up for Sale, or just want a pivot with reasonable upside Kluber could be your guy.

Strongly consider Jake Arrietta on the early slate

Catcher

Russell Martin FD 2300 DK 3700
Opponent - BAL (Asher) Park - @TOR
FD - 8.92 DK - 6.43
The Orioles are calling Alec Asher who they recently acquired from Philadelphia up from AAA to make the start today against the Blue Jays, which means we like the Jays today. Asher got 5 starts for Philadelphia as a September call up last year and was serviceable, but only threw for 27.2 innings, striking out 14. Martin has only 1 hit so far this year for the Jays and is currently hitless through 8 innings against Baltimore as I write this, but he also started out sluggish last year before finally breaking loose, and what better time for him to come around then against the young Baltimore righty.

Matt Wieters FD 2900 DK 3200
Opponent - PHI (Hellickson) Park - @WSH
FD - 7.03 DK - 5.16
Catcher's pretty much a wasteland today, even the two players we're giving you here don't fill me with warm fuzzy feelings, but they're both in decent spots when you look at who they're facing down when they step in the box. For Matt Wieters, that would be Phillies right hander Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson looked good in Philly last Sunday against the Nats before leaving the game in the fifth with cramping in his right forearm. He will return to the mound today, once again against the Nationals this time in D.C. Last season Hellickson sported a 1.15 WHIP while also allowing 1.14 HR/9. Wieters meanwhile has been fitting in nicely with the Nationals potent offense, hitting his first long ball in a Washington uniform Tuesday against the Cardinals. He's currently third on the Nationals roster with a .469 wOBA. Either of these guys make for fine tournament options and could potentially break out today, in cash games, just shoot cheap and look for someone batting high in the order.

First Base

Kendrys Morales FD 2900 DK 3800
Opponent - BAL (Asher) Park - @TOR
FD - 10.29 DK - 7.46
The Blue Jays brought on Kendrys Morales to fill the void left by Edwin Encarnacion, and he certainly proved he is up to the challenge last Thursday when he smacked his first home run as a Jay in the form of a grand slam off of the hands of Blake Snell. That slam came during a run of six straight games where Morales reached base safely, and while he's cooled off a little in the last two games, don't look for it to last. As mentioned above, the Jays will be going up against recent call up Alec Asher and should be able to knock him around plenty in the early innings before sending Baltimore to their bullpen. Morales should be looking at a great season in his new surroundings and the price will most likely rise before long, so get in now while he's at a bargain.

Brandon Belt FD 2900 DK 3700
Opponent - COL (Chatwood) Park - @SF
FD - 9.61 DK - 6.93
Belt is off to a great start to the 2017 campaign, through 11 games he is fourth on the Giants with a .359 wOBA and is filling the stat sheet nearly every time out to provide some sort of fantasy production. Dating back to last season Tyler Chatwood is walking nearly 4 batters per 9 innings and striking out only 18% this bodes well for a player of Belts stature who bats high in the order and will have plenty of opportunities to reach base and then make his way around the diamond.

Brandon Moss FD 2200 DK 3800
Opponent - LAA (Shoemaker) Park - @KC
FD - 8.36 DK - 5.98
Despite an excellent spring training, Brandon Moss is underwhelming early on in April. Once he adjusts to his new surroundings things should come together and he should see his production increase. Today he will look to turn things around as the Royals take on the Angels and Matt Shoemaker. Moss has a .249 BABIP and a .319 wOBA against righties over the past two seasons, and is hitting in the heart of a lefty heavy order.

Second Base

Ben Zobrist FD 2900 DK 4100
Opponent - PIT (Glasnow) Park - @CHC
FD - 9.87 DK - 7.21
The Cubbies will face right hander Tyler Glasnow on Saturday. Glasnow has only made one other start this season and was lit up by the Reds, who he allowed to reach base 9 times in just 1.2 innings, with 5 men coming around to score. Glasnow is 0-3 in 5 starts dating back to last season, walking nearly as many batters as he strikes out. Zobrist has gotten off to a good start to 2017, recording a hit in 6 of 9 games and reaching base in 8. Glasnow will have his work cut out for him against this high powered, lefty heavy Cubs offense and Zobrist hitting clean up is in a great spot to do some damage to his ERA. I'll look to have a lot of exposure to Cubs, and it starts with Zobrist.

Brian Dozier FD 3800 DK 4400
Opponent - CHW (Quintana) Park - @MIN
FD - 10.92 DK - 7.91
Brian Dozier is looking good in the early going of the 2017 campaign. He launched his first home run of the season on Wednesday in a loss to the Tigers, he's already swiped 4 bags putting him well on the way to shattering his career high of 21 in a season, and he's reached base safely in all 9 games he's played this season to date. Today he faces Jose Quintana who got lit up in his debut this season allowing 6 of the 8 base runners he let on to cross the plate, but settled down some in his second start, allowing only 2 runs in 6.1 innings. I prefer Zobrist much more for the price, but it's hard to argue with the production that comes from locking Dozier in to your lineups.

Logan Forsythe FD 3100 DK 4100
Opponent - ARI (Corbin) Park - @LAD
FD - 9.74 DK - 7.21
Logan Forsythe dropped to fourth in the order Friday night against Arizona, with right hander Zach Greinke throwing. Today the Diamondbacks are throwing a southpaw in the form of Patrick Corbin so look for Forsythe to return back to the top of the order. While I like the chance for added AB's that come with the leadoff spot, I prefer the idea of Forsythe batting clean up with the chance to drive in more runs than batting behind the pitcher and 8 hole, but it's still a little early in the seaon to let speculation steer me away, particularly against Patrick Corbin and his 4.53 xFIP, 3.86 W/9, and 1.39 HR/9. I'll see how he progresses through the season splitting spots in the order, but for now, I'll roll with the match up.

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Shortstop

Addison Russell FD 2700 DK 3600
Opponent - PIT (Glasnow) Park - @CHC
FD - 9.31 DK - 6.76
We've already established Tyler Glasnow just isn't good as a major league pitcher. We've also established this puts the Cubs in a great spot today. Just like Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell is off to a good start to the 2017 season, launching his first home run, a solo shot against the Dodgers on Thursday. He's reached base in all but 2 games this season, and his move higher up in the order this season just adds to his potential production. Russell isn't much of a threat once he's on the base path, but with his power the upside lies in the long ball, and Thursday night was just the beginning of what should be a very powerful season off of his very powerful bat.

Carlos Correa FD 3700 DK 4500
Opponent - OAK (Manaea) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.26 DK - 7.5
The Astros will go up against Sean Manaea today. Manaea had a roller coaster game his last time out against the Rangers, striking out a career high ten batters, including 6 straight, on his way to giving up 5 earned runs on three hits. In two starts this season Manaea has allowed more runs (9) than he has given up hits (8) and hasn't made it past the sixth inning. This could lead to big things for Carlos Correa, the Astros right handed clean up hitter who has notched 3 multiple hit performances in his last 4 games. Correa hasn't gone yard since opening day, and that may not change this weekend in Oakland's wide open park, but as long as he keeps making contact, he should be able to provide plenty of fantasy value at his price which is well below where it probably should be.

Dansby Swanson FD 2600 DK 3600
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @ATL
FD - 8.56 DK - 6.35
I prefer the two guys above, and that is where most of my exposure will be, but if you want to look elsewhere in a tournament, consider Dansby Swanson. He's off to a shaky start this year after producing a .334 wOBA in 38 games last season. The Braves will most likely give Swanson plenty of time to come around, and he's batting high enough in the order that there should be plenty of opportunity. Today he'll have that opportunity against Clayton Richard and his 4.10 xFIP dating back to last year. Swanson's coming in dirt cheap, so it doesn't take much out of him to provide value.

Third Base

Kris Bryant FD 4100 DK 5000
Opponent - PIT (Glasnow) Park - @CHC
FD - 12.33 DK - 8.88
Once again, we have the Cubs going up against Tyler Glasnow. Kris Bryant got off to a slow start going hitless in the Cubs first three games, and not reaching base until the third, and though he went hitless in two of the last three games, he is showing more patience at the plate and has at least one walk in 5 straight games, and has reached base multiple times in six of his last 7. He's yet to go deep, though that could very well change today. He led the champs with 39 homers last year, so it's really only a matter of time until he starts launching bombs into the ivy. I'll have a lot of Bryant in my lineups today.

Anthony Rendon FD 2800 DK 3900
Opponent - PHI (Hellickson) Park - @WSH
FD - 9.11 DK - 6.65
Anthony Rendon was having a rough go of it at the plate early on this season, going 4-30 in his first 8 games. Something seemed to click yesterday against the Phillies, when he went 2-5 with a double and drove in the tying run in the seventh which led to free baseball in the nations capitol. Today he'll face Jeremy Hellickson. Over the past two seasons Rendon owns a .322 wOBA against righties, and has gone yard 24 times. This could be a great chance for Rendon to turn things around if he can ride the momentum he gained from Fridays game through the series.

Mike Moustakas FD 3100 DK 3400
Opponent - LAA (Shoemaker) Park - @KC
FD - 9.31 DK - 6.79
Mike Moustakas had his season cut short last year, playing only 36 games due to an ACL injury but he has been on fire from the start this season hitting four homers with a .999 OPS through his first 10 games. Last night he hit a 2 run shot against these same Angels, drawing a walk and scoring twice. He could be looking at a big return to the majors this season and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in this spot most nights. Even against a formidable pitcher such as Shoemaker Moustakas is an excellent play. This price will rise, and rise quickly, so get all of the exposure that you can.

Outfield

Kyle Schwarber FD 3400 DK 4400
Opponent - PIT (Glasnow) Park - @CHC
FD - 12.38 DK - 8.88
Well will you look at that, another Cub. Yep, we're riding this world champion offense against shaky pitching for all it's worth today. Kyle Schwarber holds one of the best wOBA's against right handed pitchers in the bigs over the past two seasons, and is off to a very productive start to this 2017 season. He's homered twice already, has six walks in his past 4 games, and has six RBI's as a leadoff batter. As long as he stays in the top of the order he's in consideration almost every time out, and with an opposing pitcher like Glasnow attempting to throw past him, you can't argue against him.

Jose Bautista FD 3500 DK 4600
Opponent - BAL (Asher) Park - @TOR
FD - 12.14 DK - 8.61
Joey Bats let us down last night against Wade Miley, never making it out of the batters box in 4 plate appearances. I have a feeling this may drive some people away from him today against the right handed Asher, but not me. That first home run of the season is looming and I want a piece of it when it comes. We don't really have a large enough sample size of Asher to consider when it comes to the long ball. He only averaged .33 HR/9 in 27.2 innings last year with Philadelphia. I'm just looking at the young kid staring down to the powerful veteran who is still looking for that first dinger of the year. Even if the home run doesn't come you have to like the Blue Jays to knock the young guy around some, and it all begins with Bautista.

Curtis Granderson FD 2900 DK 4200
Opponent - MIA (Conley) Park - @MIA
FD - 8.31 DK - 6.02
The Grandy Man has at least for the short term found himself back in the top of the Metropolitans starting line up, leading off for the past couple of games while Jose Reyes has struggled to begin the season. As long as he continues to find him self at the top of the order, you have to love him as a tremendous value. In the past two games, he's 1 for 9 with an RBI, a walk, and a run scored paying 6+ FanDuel points each time out. Adam Conley finished last season with a 4.84 xFIP and walked over 4 batters per 9. Keep an eye on the Mets line up, if Granderson is at the top of the list he's definitely in play.

Yasiel Puig FD 3100 DK 4200
Opponent - ARI (Corbin) Park - @LAD
FD - 9.17 DK - 6.76
Yasiel Puig jumped off to a hot start going 3 for 9 with a home run and 2 walks against the Padres, and though he has since cooled off some, it's still early in the season to jump ship. Puig's a key part of a potent Dodgers line up, particularly when facing a southpaw such as Corbin. The lefty on the mound should have Puig batting clean up, and as quickly as he cooled off, he could heat up again. We just don't have a large enough sample to judge at this point. Last night could be a sign of things to come with Puig going 1-2 with a walk, RBI, and a run scored. If he's batting clean up, and he should be, then Puig is definitely worth considering for one of your outfield slots tonight.

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