HELLO, and welcome to another beautiful Wednesday slate on FanDuel. Last week didn’t go so well but here’s hoping this Wednesday will be a very profitable one! I know last week I said I’d try my best to steer you guys clear of high ownership guys… Well this slate is a perfect example of why I used the word “try”. It’s a tough slate with a couple solid pitchers and a bunch of garbage. Marcus Stroman $8,600 is far and away the best pitcher on the slate with a good matchup. Lets dive into the numbers a bit more: Stroman gets left handed batters and right handed batters out equally. Right handed batters actually hit him a little better over his career (.262) then lefties (.247) but he’s been able to neutralize the power numbers for both right handed batters (1 homerun every 54 abs) and lefties (1 homerun every 47 abs). Combine that with the early -195 money line and he’s a good bet for a quality game and the win. Stroman had a very good start to open his 2017 season going 6 1/3 innings with 5 strike outs and only 1 run given up. Milwaukee still has Braun and Villar but I still think Stroman is an easy play today.
Now on to the picks…
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Ivan Nova, SP: $7,400 – Wish I could give you a definitive reason to use him. He’ll be a good gpp play as I suspect his ownership won’t be terribly high. Streamonator likes Nova and the line is in his favor.
Stephen Vogt, C: $2,800 – Mr. Vogt and J.T. Realmuto are the 2 catchers that stick out to me today. Vogt is my guy for 2 reasons: he’ll almost certainly be lower owned with how good Realmuto has been lately, and he hits right handed pitching pretty well. Catcher is kind of a wasteland besides these to guys.
Hanley Ramirez, 1B: $3,400 – You can count the number of usable first basemen on your hands and toes today…its a who’s who of all stars. I’m going to go with 2 less obvious guys. I really like Hanley (and Boston in general) today, Ubaldo isnt very good and Hanley is hitting in the middle of one of the best lineups in the AL. He’s due for a huge game, it should come today.
Kendry Morales, 1B: $2,800 – I’m so tired of trying to write Morales off. He’s a good hitter who can’t run but that’s alright because he will get plenty of rbi chances hitting in the middle of the Toronto Blue Jays lineup. I’m hoping Donaldson plays but even if he doesn’t its still a good lineup. He’s also at a discounted price for a guy who can do tons of damage and hits from both sides of the plate (relievers wont get the platoon advantage in later innings).
Jonathan Villar, 2B: $3,500 – This pick is if you’re going with Nova instead of Stroman. I love Villar’s power/speed combo. He’s gonna strike out some and may hit for a lower batting average then you want, but that speed and power combo is perfect for a gpp.
Dustin Pedroia, 2B: $3,000 – Warning you now, you’re gonna see a few Boston guys on this list. Like I stated earlier, I like them a lot against Ubaldo. Pedroia is going to hit leadoff and score a run or 2 if he can get on base. Pedroia is good at working counts and Jimenez is great at being wild as hell because he sucks…play with confidence.
Kris Bryant, 3B: $4,300 – Speaking of guys due to go off, I give you Bryant. The dude is a superstar and the reigning MVP. He’s gotten off to a slow start (for him) but hes due for a multi-homerun game. McCarthy may be just what Bryant needs. You don’t want to miss the game when it happens, so play him til it does happen…
Jake Lamb, 3B: $3,400 – If you’re looking for someone a bit cheaper, I give you Jake Lamb. I almost made him my lead, thats how much I like him today. He hits right handed pitchers hard and he gets a terrible one today in the form of Matt Cain. I’m so tempted to guarantee a homerun today…I won’t, but just know I’m thinking it.
Xander Bogaerts, SS: $3,300 – A lot of people are going to flock to Seager, IMO, so I think its the perfect time to play Bogaerts at a discounted price and lower than normal ownership. He’s a great hitter who will have plenty of opportunities to do some damage today.
Kyle Schwarber, OF: $3,500 – No need to mention the expensive guys, they are obvious. Some people would tell me Schwarber against a right handed pitcher is obvious as well, but I’d disagree. It’s a good spot obviously, but there is some risk involved because he usually gets pulled later in the game. If he doesn’t do his damage early you likely don’t get the production you need. That being said, I fully expect him to reach value.
Billy Hamilton, OF: $3,200 – As I said last week, you play Hamilton just about every slate he’s in. Hamilton can go off for 4 steals and catapult you up the standings. Everyone knows he can steal a base or 2, but he’s also worked on his hitting. He’s hitting .346 on the year and he also gets to hit in front of Joey Votto. Votto is one of the more patient hitters I’ve seen and he wont hesitate to take a pitch or two to let Hamilton get in scoring position.
Andrew Benintendi, OF : $3,100 – This is a easy one as Benny is underpriced for a guy who hits 2nd in Boston’s order. He has the ability to steal a base and hit a homerun. These are my favorite players in dfs and like I said before I love Boston today anyway. Don’t hesitate to play him today.
Not going to go over chalk plays for every position this week, but I will throw this one out there: Corey Seager at $3,800 I love and the 4k+ outfielders seem like the obvious choices. Other then that, I think the ownership will be pretty spread out.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Todays weather is looking pretty good. May have some wet stuff in San Francisco but that usually never lasts for long if it comes at all in San Fran. Wind also isn’t a issue besides in San Fran as well. It looks like it’ll be blowing in from left field (which is normal). Don’t let the wind deter you from using players in that game.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Two lines that stick out to me are the teams I covered. Toronto is a -195 favorite (biggest of the slate) and Pittsburgh is the 2nd biggest of the slate at -155. Stick with Stroman and Nova, every other game looks like it could go either way. Boston/Baltimore is the biggest over/under on the slate at 9.5. I still love the Boston side of this game but seeing a over/under close to 10 makes me want to maybe look at Baltimore as well.
