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FanDuel MLB Lineup Advice: Monday (4/24)

FanDuel MLB Lineup Advice: Monday (4/24)

We kick off the final week of April with a solid nine-game schedule, including a new series starting at Coors Field in Denver. Pitching will be an interesting proposition tonight, and I think that will certainly make for an interesting night of roster construction. Let’s take a look at a lineup for FanDuel.

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Pitcher

Amir Garrett (CIN): $7,700 @ MIL
Let’s get a little crazy right out of the gate, shall we? Full disclosure, there’s plenty of risk involved in targeting a rookie on the road that will be facing a team ranked in the top three in terms of wRC+ against left-handed pitching. However, Milwaukee is striking out a whopping 30.2% of the time against lefties right now, and they are walking at a clip that’s below the current league average.

It’s important to keep Garrett’s start in proper context, as I think the league will begin to adjust to him as time passes. Garrett possesses a curveball that has generated a 31.3% SwStr rate, to go along with a plus changeup that also can cause hitters to miss (19.6% SwStr). But it is his straight 92-94 mph fastball that will likely be what hitters adjust to, as they should be able to sit on it due to a lack of movement.

This absence of movement has led to a SwStr rate of just 4.9% with that pitch. Until this adjustment occurs, I don’t mind taking a flier on him in tournaments, especially given the strikeout upside tonight.

Other Notables

Catcher

Jonathan Lucroy (TEX): $2,900 vs. MIN
I think a lot of people will flock to Matt Wieters at this price, and while I don’t blame them, I’m going to try and leverage away from that in hopes of capturing Lucroy breaking out of his slump at far lower ownership levels. Taking a deeper look at Lucroy’s start to the season, the first number that sticks out his is .182 BABIP, which is almost what his current batting average is (.184). His walks are also down (3.8% versus a career average of 7.9%), but so are the strikeouts (7.7% versus a career average of 14.7%).

This leads us to the batted ball profile, which sticks out like a sore thumb. In a nutshell, he’s not squaring up pitches, which has led to a low 17.8% LD rate, a high 53.3% GB rate and a low 28.9% FB rate. Simply put, he’s not getting any loft, but rather he’s hitting the ball on the ground more.

Enter Phil Hughes, tonight’s starter for Minnesota. Hughes has allowed a 42.7% FB rate to same-handed hitters the past couple of seasons, which could be just what the doctor ordered for Lucroy.

Since 2014, Hughes has allowed a .339 wOBA and 1.43 HR/9, which includes a high hard minus soft contact rate of 15.8%. There’s plenty of risk involved in that Lucroy continues his funk, but there’s enough reward to justify rolling the dice.

Other Notables

First Base

Ryan Zimmerman (WAS): $3,900 @ COL
Currently hitting .387 with six home runs and 16 RBIs, Zimmerman insists that it’s health that’s causing him to rake in the month of April. Whatever it is, provided it’s legal, keep on keepin’ on my man. I do think health is probably the primary factor, and with Zimmerman’s past, it’s important to ride it while you can.

He is currently priced in such a way that he’s very affordable and provides cheap access to a lineup that is getting a phenomenal park shift. Opposing pitcher Tyler Anderson has struggled with right-handed hitters, having allowed a .342 wOBA and 1.33 HR/9 in his last 101.1 IP to them. While a .450 BABIP is unsustainable for Zimmerman, it shouldn’t get knocked down too much in such a phenomenal hitting environment.

Other Notables

Second Base

Rougned Odor (TEX): $3,200 vs. MIN
I’m hoping that the gas can Phil Hughes gets things kick started not only for Jonathan Lucroy but also Odor. Much like Lucroy, Odor has a very low BABIP (.193), and we can also look to the batted ball profile to find the culprit. Odor’s issues lie in a stubbornly high IFFB rate (20.6%), which is nearly double the league average. On base percentage and batting average will likely never be a strong suit of Odor’s, but we are chasing the counting statistics he provides.

Keep in mind that we don’t have an entire season for these issues to remedy themselves, but rather just one day. Still, if we can capture the turnaround when no one else is looking for it, the rewards could be big.

Other Notables

Third Base

Jake Lamb (ARI): $3,900 vs. SD
Lamb is coming off of a strong weekend series against the Dodgers, and he stretched his hit streak out to seven games in the process. He will hold the platoon advantage over Jhoulys Chacin, who has allowed a .342 wOBA and 1.26 HR/9 in his last 121.1 IP to lefties.

His hard minus soft contact rate (18.7%) could get him into a bunch of trouble tonight in a hitter-friendly environment. Since 2014, Lamb boasts a .352 wOBA and a .216 ISO against right-handed pitching, and he should be in for another strong outing tonight given the plus matchup.

Other Notables

Shortstop

Corey Seager (LAD): $3,300 @ SF
Well isn’t this one heck of a dilemma. Trea Turner and the Nationals get the Coors Field treatment for a few days, but I find it extremely difficult to pass on Seager at this kind of a price, regardless of where he’s hitting (hint: it’s the exact opposite of Coors Field). Seager collected five hits, a home run, and five RBIs over the weekend, yet his priced dropped $300 ahead of a matchup with Matt Cain.

On the surface, it appears Cain is off to a solid start, but there’s a disconnect of note. His ERA (3.31) is much lower than his xFIP (5.38), and his LOB % of 90.4 is completely unsustainable for a pitcher that is striking out just 16.7% of the hitters he is facing. Toss in a fastball that isn’t cracking 90 mph on a regular basis, and you have a recipe for disaster against a slugger like Seager.

Other Notables

Outfielders

Gerardo Parra (COL): $3,500 vs. WAS
Parra provides reasonable access to a lineup that has an implied team total over six runs, and he will hold the platoon advantage over tonight’s spot starter for Washington, Jacob Turner. Turner has a career ERA of 5.09 in the big leagues, and he has bounced around at Triple-A for the past few seasons. Parra likely won’t benefit from a prime spot in the order, but in a game that should turn the lineup over enough, hitting sixth is still acceptable given the reasonable salary.

Shin-Soo Choo (TEX): $3,400 vs. MIN
Choo has been an on-base machine to start the season, and if he continues that trend against Phil Hughes, he should see plenty of chances to score as part of a lineup that has an implied run total of five. I’ve picked on Phil Hughes plenty, and while Choo’s power has been nonexistent thus far (.073 ISO), he’s making up for it by getting on base.

David Peralta (ARI): $3,000 vs. SD
I noted Jhoulys Chacin’s issues earlier, so I expect him to get battered around by this potent lineup tonight. The Diamondbacks have an implied total over five runs, and Peralta allows you to get some access to that without breaking the bank. Peralta should settle into the second spot in the batting order tonight, and I love his inherent value as a result.

Other Notables

My Lineup

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Adam Sutton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Adam, follow him @DraftStars_Adam. You can find more of Adam’s work at DraftStars.net.

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