Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/12/14 Our Free Baseball eBook is live! Check out the details, and get your copy now! Don't make another lineup before reading this book! It contains one mistake that basically everyone in the daily fantasy baseball industry is making! Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Felix Hernandez FanDuel 9700 DraftKings 11300 DraftStreet 23366 He is top of the list for a few reasons, many of which need no explanation but I'll bore the shit out of you any way with them. He is, by far, the best pitcher from a talent standpoint out there today. There's a precipitous drop after him. He has the highest total point expectation of anyone out there, and for cash games, he represents some modest safety. His downside today is the opponent. The Rays are super patient and really don't strike out a ton. They will grind out Hernandez over the course of the game. But King Felix's talent tells the story here and he has 10K upside almost every time he hits the mound. Dan Haren FanDuel 8000 DraftKings 10000 DraftStreet 21436 Haren has had a great start to the season, mostly because he's limited the home runs in a pretty significant way. The question there is whether his HR/FB% is sustainable. It probably isn't the 5% rate being about half his career average. So expect some regression in that department. But even with some long balls heading out of the stadium, his strikeout numbers are strong and he's kept the walks down. He faces a Marlins team that is among the worst offenses in the league on the road. Some of this is Babip fueled (compared to their insane home Babip). The truth probably lies somewhere in between. They are no longer a bottom-feeding offense, but they aren't the team that currently sits near the top of the league against righties. I think Haren is a pretty safe play today. Hiroki Kuroda FanDuel 7500 DraftKings 8400 DraftStreet 14789 The big story here is the Mets, who suck. They rank at or near the bottom in pretty much every category you can think of against righties this season. They are also terrible against lefties, but Kuroda doesn't throw with that arm. They strikeout a lot, don't hit any home runs (or even extra base hits) and the lineup has glaring holes which the DH slot tonight will do little to solve. Kuroda has been a little better than average this season with an xFIP of...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/11/14 Our Free Baseball eBook is live! Check out the details, and get your copy now! Don't make another lineup before reading this book! It contains one mistake that basically everyone in the daily fantasy baseball industry is making! Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Pitching is a minefield today and they are priced accordingly. So few high-priced pitchers is a warning sign that few optimal plays exist. Here were go. Giddy up. Clayton Kershaw FanDuel 10200 DraftKings 13000 DraftStreet 24754 On a day of many, many question marks it often makes the most sense to go with the guy who is far and away the best pitcher on the board. Kershaw is nails, plain and simple. Even with a matchup against a Giant team that doesn't strike out a ton this is probably your cash game play, at least on FanDuel. His numbers remain just stupid good, K-ing more that 10 guys per 9 and limiting the walks to less that one per nine. That should be illegal. The Giants are an average hitting team against lefties. But Kershaw isn't really a lefty. He's a pitching machine that happens to throw with his left hand. Gio Gonzalez FanDuel 8800 DraftKings 10200 DraftStreet 19311 Like I said before, I don't feel great about anyone below Kershaw (and I don't even feel great about him). Gio is a guy I'm going strictly on K upside and little else. He is averaging more than strikeout an inning and he's pretty much the pitcher he was last season. The A's are about league average against lefties in terms of OPS and wOBA. Not safe by any means but he could get rolling down hill and turn in a solid performance. Edwin Jackson FanDuel 6900 DraftKings 7700 DraftStreet 11515 Just so you know, I pick some Braves later on in this article. So take this with a but of a grain of salt. Jackson seems the type of pitcher who gives either a lights out performance or gets bombed mercilessly. This will be one of those two performances. The Braves rank near the bottom of the league against righties, striking out 23% of the time and ranking 28th in team OPS. That's a recipe for upside on a strange day for pitching. Again, not safe any means, but there are a lot of points to be had here if Jackson starts missing bats. John Lackey FanDuel 7900 DraftKings 9500 DraftStreet 15626 Oof, how bad do...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/9/14 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Jose Fernandez FanDuel 10600 DraftKings 12800 DraftStreet 28222 Well this is going to be the big question of the day huh? How much is an acceptable price for Fernandez? Everything about his numbers (ridiculous) and the opponent (dreadful Padres) and the park (Petco) seems like we are headed for a crazy performance. So it really just comes down to what you are willing to pay for him. On FanDuel the price is completely acceptable and I'd recommend getting him into cash games and figuring out the rest of your lineup around him. On DraftStreet, the number is a crazy 28% of cap. The only way you are making that work is to pair him with a midrange starter and reliever. On DraftKings, it's kind of the same story. His final line should be nuts. The Padres are that bad on offense and he is that good. Now can you afford him? Masahiro Tanaka FanDuel 9500 DraftKings 11300 DraftStreet 22559 The only other cash game guy I would even really consider is Tanaka. My boy Masahiro has been nails this season, lighting it up to the tune of a 2.16 xFIP and mowing down opposing batters. If anything, he's run bad with the amount of home runs he's given up, an unsustainable 22% Hr/FB rate that will regress. That evens out a bit because the Babip is low (when balls go over the fence they aren't put in play) and his strand rate is probably going to decline some too. But that just regresses along with the home runs and you're left with a great pitcher against a mediocre Brew Crew. Francisco Liriano FanDuel 7600 DraftKings 8000 DraftStreet 17341 The Cardinals have been real, real bad against lefty pitching so far this season. They rank near the bottom of the league in OPS and wOBA against southpaws and Liriano, while not exactly a control freak, represents an upside play for very middle of the pack prices. A side effect of the crazy Fernandez price is that some other pitchers prices drop some. Liriano is one of those cases. His xFIP is 3.62, acceptable, with the big knock being the walks. Again, this isn't a cash game play by any means, but for K upside you can roll it out. Madison Bumgarner FanDuel 9100 DraftKings 9600 DraftStreet 18243 Another guy who won't break the bank with an advantageous (though a bit risky) matchup. The Dodgers strike...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/8/14 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers David Price FanDuel 9200 DraftKings 11000 DraftStreet 20220 Price has been ridiculous this year even if his ERA doesn't totally reflect just how dominant he's been. His xFIP is only 2.56 (trailing ERA by nearly two whole runs), he's K-ing more than 10 per 9 and the big news is the walk rate. He has only five walks in almost fifty innings. That's pretty insane. What's bit him in the long ball, a number out of line with his career averages. I think that regresses some. And you know what? The Orioles have been sneaky bad against lefties this season. They are near the bottom of the league in both wOBA and OPS against southpaws. I think people will be off price tonight because of the ERA, but don't be fooled, he's been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball this season. Ian Kennedy FanDuel 6900 DraftKings 9700 DraftStreet 18535 Though the Marlins are close to the top of the league in team OPS against righties this season, some of it is smoke and mirrors. They also have the highest team Babip and a HR/FB rate that probably isn't sustainable considering their home ballpark. This is all to say, that while not a bottom feeding squad like they were last year, they aren't nearly this good. and Ian Kennedy has some things going in his favor. He's striking out more than a batter an inning, continuing to limit the free passes and has an xFIP under 3. This is a real good spot for him and should be on all radars. Drew Smyly FanDuel 6900 DraftKings 8800 DraftStreet 17759 Looks like he's going to stick as a starter and today's matchup should do nothing to dissuade it. The Astros blow. They aren't as bad against lefties as they are against righties, but they are still bad. Still bottom feeding in wOBA and team OPS against lefties. Smyly has been strong in his last two starts, going six and seven innings respectively with fine enough K rates. I don't love, love him today even with the opponent but the price is reduced in most places and with the matchup I think you can consider him. Justin Masterson FanDuel 7000 DraftKings 9000 DraftStreet 17711 His last start looked like he might be turning things around and I don't think the Twins are as good as they've looked early this season. This is merely an...

Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings for 5/7/14 Tired of shedding bankroll? Be sure to sign up for a free 3-day trial to access the MLB system and spreadsheets that help produce our picks. And give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr.   Pitchers Danny Salazar FanDuel 7300 DraftKings 7400 DraftStreet 17841 For my money, grabbing Salazar against the Twins is a coup. Nolasco has been God awful, the Twins had a sub-700 OPS against righties last year, and while Salazar has had some ERA problems, most of that has been bad luck. His xFIP has been 3.55 - and if he delivers on that against the Twins, he's in line for a beauty of a game. James Shields FanDuel 8600 DraftKings 10700 DraftStreet 21094 My guess? The rest of the industry is going to give you big game James as the #1 overall pitcher on the board today. And with good reason. He's been phenomenal this year, and is facing San Diego in Petco. Shields is a very safe play against the league's worst offense in the league's best pitcher's park. Rick Porcello FanDuel 6800 DraftKings 8100 DraftStreet 16665 Little kid Ricky has been excellent this year, and the numbers actually show he was this pitcher last year as well. With a 3.19 xFIP in 2013 and a 3.05 xFIP in 2014, Porcello appears to be turning into the pitcher scouts hoped he'd be. He's facing the Astros, who already suck, and he gets to face one of the MLB's worst in Peacock. Very solid play. Also considered: Zack Wheeler, Tim Lincecum.   Catchers Alex Avila FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3100 DraftStreet 5997 Avila never took off as the superstar people hoped he'd be because of his performance against left handed pitching. Against righties, though? He's got a solid 122 wRC+. And this counts good righties, and guys like Brad Peacock as well. Great play today. Jason Castro FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 4606 Speaking of platoon split guys. Yeesh. Castro has a startling 44 wRC+ against left handers, but a 122 wRC+ against righties. He'd leapfrog Avila based on price, but Porcello is a much better pitcher than Peacock. A big mish-mash after these two - I like D'Arnaud, Victor Martinez, Carlos Ruiz, and John Jaso (if he plays) similarly.   First Basemen Mark Teixeira FanDuel 3700 DraftKings 4900 DraftStreet 9523 Tex has been on fire recently, and draws a terrific matchup in Hector Santiago. Santiago has two strikes against him here - first, he has been a mess this year with a worse than 2:1 K:BB ratio. Second, he is a left hander, and Teixeira has a career 143 wRC+ against lefties. Terrific spot. David...