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Friday features baseball all day. With games starting in the afternoon and running through evening, there will be several different contests to participate in on DraftKings. It's still very early in the season, but some players have already began to emerge as fantasy stars. Some of those guys will be in action Friday.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/7/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings.
You can read our FanDuel and Yahoo DFS lineup picks as well. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @barryleonardjr
DFS Lineup Stacks to Target on DraftKings
New York Yankees vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (RHP)
The Yankees make for an excellent tournament stacking play on Friday, as they face the aging Ubaldo Jimenez. The veteran right-hander struggled to a record of 8-12 with an ERA of 5.44 a year ago. He didn't fare well in the hitter-friendly confines of Camden Yards. Jimenez went 4-5 at home and allowed 10 of his 16 home runs there. Current New York hitters have a combined, lifetime average of .321 with three homers against him. Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury have a particularly good history off of the righty.
Colorado Rockies vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu (LHP)
Stop me if you've heard this one before -- stack the Rockies when playing at Coors Field. It's likely something you heard several times last season, and will continue to hear this year. The Rockies have a very potent lineup, and it's made even more potent when they are home. Colorado doesn't have a lot of experience against opposing starter Hun-Jin Ryu, but current Rockies hitters have a combines lifetime average of .286 against him. Right-handed hitters like Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu, and Trevor Story all make for good plays Friday.
DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings
Francisco Liriano, TOR at TB - $8,900
Liriano had a hot spring and will look to keep it going Friday in his first start of the 2017 season. He could have a low ownership number due to his struggles against the Rays last season, particularly at Tropicana Field. However, current Tampa hitters have a combined average of .256 against him. The veteran left-hander has had a history of inconsistency, but take advantage of him Friday in hopes that he continues his hot play from the spring.
Max Scherzer, WAS at PHI- $13,000
Scherzer is one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball and usually makes for a great pick for fantasy lineups. His ability to rack up strikeouts and pick up wins makes him very valuable, but also makes him very expensive. Despite the high price Friday, it won't be wise to fade Scherzer in a good matchup with the Phillies.
DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings
Catcher (C)
Yadier Molina, STL vs. CIN - $3,700
Molina has been one of the most consistent catchers over the past few seasons. Still, he tends to get overlooked for daily lineups since nothing that he does is flashy. He's off to a great start in 2017, hitting over .300. He gets a favorable matchup Friday against left-hander Amir Garrett. Molina has historically hit very well against lefties and makes for a great choice Friday.
First Base (1B)
Ryon Healy, OAK at TEX - $4,000
At a position that features some high-priced options, Ryon Healy makes for a smart choice Friday. He'll save you some valuable cap space while still providing value. Healy has just three hits so far this season, but two of them have been home runs. He went deep on Thursday and racked up two RBI. He's a solid hitter in a good spot in the Oakland batting order. Helping Healy's value is the fact that he can be slotted in your fantasy lineup at either first or third base.
Second Base (2B)
Joe Panik, SF at SD - $3,600
Panik seems to fully be over the concussion issues that seemed to hurt his numbers in 2016. He has two hits, including a double and two RBI in four lifetime at-bats against opposing starter Luis Perdomo. Panik is hitting .455 this year with an OBP of .462, both of which are well above his career highs. Ride the hot hand and put him in your lineup Friday.
Shortstop (SS)
Ronald Torreyes, NYY at BAL - $3,100
This one is a deep sleeper pick in an effort to save cap space to use at other positions. Ronald Torreyes will come with both a low ownership number and a low price tag. He's currently the starting shortstop for the Yankees since DiDi Gregorius is out with an injury. Torreyes has just one hit so far this season, but it was a two-run homer. He can't be counted on every night to rack up double-digit fantasy points, but it also won't take much for him to reach his value. A hit and even a run will give you a great return on your investment.
Third Base (3B)
Eduardo Nunez, SF at SD - $3,800
Nunez has an excellent start to the season, picking up at least one hit in each of the first three games. Aside from getting on base bad racking up fantasy points, he's already shown that last year's 40-steal performance wasn't fluke. Nunez is a threat to swipe a bag each time he's on base, and that only adds to his fantasy value. As long as he stays hot, continue to throw Nunez in your lineup.
DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings
Andrew Benintendi, BOS at DET - $3,400
The young outfielder has already started to show that he's worth the hype. Benintendi homered on opening day and quickly reward fantasy owners who took a chance on him. Hitting in the No. 2 spot of a very good Boston lineup, Benintendi will have plenty of chances to rack up fantasy points. Friday he gets a favorable matchup with right-hander Michael Fulmer. Benintendi fared very well against righties a season ago, putting up an average of .338 with two homers and 12 RBI.
Gorkys Hernandez, SF at SD- $2,700
This one is another sleeper pick. Gorky Hernandez wouldn't normally be on fantasy radars, but he is at the moment thanks to an injury to veteran leadoff man Denard Span. Hernandez got the start in Tuesday's game and racked up two hits and four RBI. Of course, those numbers can't always be expected, but as long as he's at the top of a very good San Francisco lineup, he'll carry some value, particularly in tournaments.
Jason Heyward, CHC at MIL - $3,800
Jason Heyward's hot start to the 2017 season continued on Thursday with two hits. He now has a hit in each of the three games he's played in. We know the talent is there for Heyward, but it seems that he's just never been able to reach his full potential. Still, he can make for a good daily play given the matchup. Friday he'll go up against right-hander Jimmy Nelson. Heyward is 5-for-19 lifetime against him with three doubles. Hitting in a very dangerous Chicago lineup, Heyward will often find several opportunities to rack up fantasy points.
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