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FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (4/17/17): MLB DFS Advice

The top FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for 4/17/17 by Tom Vechcio. Expert MLB DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for FanDuel.

We have a nine game slate to kickoff the week, and there are some really solid options across the board. Whether you are looking for cash game options or tournament options, there are some picks for you. The better hitters parks aren't really in play tonight, so we should be looking at some great pitching match ups. Sit back, read up, and let's win some contests.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/17/17. Enjoy the read and good luck out there today!

You can read our DraftKings and Yahoo DFS lineup picks as well. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @DFS_Tom.

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Offensive Stacks

Houston Astros vs Jesse Chavez

The Astros are playing some really nice baseball to start the season, and are sitting in first place in the American League West. They have the third lowest strikeout rate in the majors at 17.3%. They simply do not strike out, and give away opportunities. They have a team wOBA of .327 and an ISO of .136. So they are putting good contact on the ball, and scoring runs. Astros are up against Jesse Chavezwho is coming off a rough second start. He lasted only 4.1 innings and gave up 5 Runs. His stats suggest that he will be expecting much of the same for the course of the season.

FanDuel DFS Pitchers

John Lackey - P, vs MIL ($9,600)

The Cubs have lost three straight at home and they are going to want to get back on track vs the Brewers. Lackey is coming off of a really solid game vs the Dodgers last week, and he is in a spot to do much of the same tonight. In his last start, he posted 6 IP, 10 SO, 1 ER, and got the quality start. He didn't pick up the win, but really strong numbers from the strikeouts. Today he is up against the Brewers who have the second worst strikeout rate in the majors at 27.7%. That is an absurdly high rate, and the type of number you want to key in on, when they are facing off against a pitcher like Lackey who has the strikeout upside. This is also two straight games for Lackey where he got the quality start, and that is super beneficial on FanDuel, where you get bonus points this year. If you are playing in cash games, you should be looking at Lackey as a major option. You need the consistency from a pitcher, and Lackey is one for the job.

Jharel Cotton - P, vs TEX ($7,000)

Cotton is coming off a very strong vs the Royals where he only gave up two hits in seven innings. Cotton is mainly a GPP play today, since he is young and largely unproven. But he is up against the Texan Rangers who have a 24.4% strikeout rate. In his last start, he was able to knockdown six batters via strikeouts, and now against a strikeout prone team, the upside is great. Last season he pitched 19.1 innings at home, so take theses stats with a grain of salt. He averaged 6.5 K/9 and had a 0.47 WHIP. Those are some really strong numbers, but again, its a super small sample size, so tread lightly with how much you play him, but he is worth the risk in GPPs.

 

FanDuel DFS Infielders

Austin Romine - C, vs CWS ($2,400)

Romine offers you some salary relief, and gives you a bit of exposure to the Yankees offense at home, which seems to be on the right page lately. Romine has seen a huge increase in playing time due to the injury to Gary Sanchez. Romine is batting .312 with 1 HR. I'm not expecting earth shattering numbers from Romine, but for his price, he is a safe bet in either cash, or if you are planning on stacking some of the Yankees' players.

Edwin Encarnacion - 1B, @ MIN ($3,400)

Encarnacion aka E5, is a power hitter as we all known, but is off to a slow start this season. Only hitting .205 with 1 HR, he is struggling along with the entire Blue Jays teams. He is at Minnesota today, which is a positive park shift, so he has that going for him. He is up against at right handed pitcher, and last year versus such, he had a .370 wOBA and a .264 ISO. So the power and production are there, just yet to show up this year. Can't say that he is safe for cash games, but he is usable in a stack, since the park is hitter favorable.

Dee Gordon - 2B, @ SEA ($3,300)

Gordon is off to an electric start for the Marlins, as he has a hit in 10 of their 12 games this year. He is at Seattle, which isn't known as the best hitters parks, but the hot streak he is on right now has to be considered. He is cheap, consistent and can even be used in a stack, since the Marlins have some big power bats in the middle of their lineup. Gordon also has some good upside with his stolen base potential. So if he gets on base, he is a threat to get you some points.

Justin Turner - 3B, vs ARI ($3,900)

If you are looking to spend up at third base, Turner is a great option. He is mashing the ball to start the year, seemingly finding a way to contribute in nearly every game. Turner is up against a left-handed pitcher tonight, and last year he had some some struggles versus lefties, and for that reason, he should be lowered owned in GPPs. The Dodgers have a very solid offense, and if people are going to be stacking them, they will look past Turner. So for that reason, you should see his ownership super low in tournaments, and could be the winning part of the stack.

Addison Russell - SS, vs MIL ($2.700)

Over the past few games, Russell has been batting in either the fourth or fifth spot in the Cubs batting order, and he is only $2.7K. That is a bit odd to get a player in that spot in the lineup, for that cheap of a price, and not to mention its in the Cubs offense. Russell is a safe option for cash games, and a great option in a stack with other Cubs players. So far this season he is posting a .250/.264/.442 slash line.

 

FanDuel DFS Outfielders

Marcell Ozuna - OF, @ SEA ($3,900)

Ozuna is absolutely crushing the ball to start the season. He is hitting .404 with 5 HR and 18 RBI. Really elite numbers for a player hitting in a pitchers park. Tonight he is at Seattle, which is also known as a bit of a pitchers park, but due to his hot start to the season, he shouldn't have any trouble collecting some fantasy points for you. Great option for cash games, and as I mentioned with Dee Gordonhe is great in a stack with other Marlins players.

Melky Cabrera - OF, @ NYY ($3,000)

If you like a good narrative, there is one going for Melky tonight. He is back from his stint on the Paternity list, and is back for the game in New York. There are always mention of players becoming a father in the NBA and NFL, so why not MLB. He is coming back refreshed and with a new sense of purpose, so why not give the ole narrative street a run? He is also facing his former team, so a double story line going. Hasn't been off the best start this year, but that should keep his ownership low in GPPs.

Nelson Cruz - OF, vs MIA ($3,600)

Cruz is cruising right now. I'll see myself out. He has scored 13 FanDuel points or more in three straight games, and hit his first home run of the season in that stretch. He is facing off against a right-handed pitcher, and last year he had a .359 wOBA and .234 ISO vs righties at home. Solid numbers, and he should be considered in cash or GPPs. West coast teams generally have lower ownership in tournaments, so he is very stackable.

 

MLB News & Injury Alerts

 

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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF