Daily League Fantasy Baseball Lineup Card: April 2nd, 2013

RotoCole’s Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Advice: April 2nd Edition

In the preseason, we brought you Daily League Strategy Part 1 and Part 2. Now, all season long, I will be giving you my advice on who to start in your daily fantasy lineups. Initially, this advice will cater to those who play on Fanduel.  They offer some of the best gaming options for beginners, intermediate, and expert level players. Our job here at RotoBaller is to make your daily fantasy gaming experience a fun and successful experience. Whether you are new to the daily fantasy scene or have been playing for years, our columns will be up-to-date and useful for all levels of experience. If you are indeed new to the scene, tweet me at @RotoCole and I will personally show you the ropes. Lets win together. One or two ladies and Gentlemen, here is your Daily Fantasy Baseball lineup advice:

How did we do yesterday?

Unfortunately, we finished 101 out of 223. If we had taken 100th we would've doubled up and earned $10. We missed by one more putout or one less walk from Brett Anderson, but we won't let that get us down. We are determined to get back to .500 and double up today. The league we are playing in today is designed for only the late games, so the following advice will not include players involved in day games.

Prime Time Play: Lance Berkman ($3,300) - "Forever Young" HAS to be Berkman's favorite song. In his Rangers debut on Sunday, he went 2-4 with a run scored. His matchup with Lucas Harrell is the best matchup of the day. Have Berkman in all your lineups today, especially at this bargain price.

Top of the lineup:

1. Ian Kinsler ($3,900) - He will face Lucas Harrell in Houston and could have a big day. In their last matchup, Kinsler went 2-4 with a run scored. If you want a cheaper option Dustin Ackley has a nice lefty versus righty matchup and he only costs $3,200.
2. Yoenis Cespedes ($4,100) - After struggling on opening night, Cespedes should bust out against Hisashi Iwakuma whom he went 1-4 with a HR against last season.
3. Norichika Aoki ($3,300) - I wish he was in my lineup but he was $100 too much, so I settled for Reddick. Aoki hits leadoff and had a home run yesterday. If you can sacrifice salary elsewhere, Aoki could have a huge 7+ FP game.

Prime Pine Play: SP Justin Masterson ($6,300) - This guy has a great sinker and had a very encouraging spring but he is facing one of baseball's best offenses in Toronto. He should be sat in all formats.

Suicide Squeezes - squeezing these players into your lineup will likely result in fantasy suicide:

1. Adrian Gonzalez ($4,000) - He is 2-11 in his career against Madison Bumgarner whom he faces tonight. Take the cheaper, and better, option in Lance Berkman.
2. Jose Altuve ($3,300) - He is an exciting young player but he should be benched today against the best pitcher throwing tonight, Yu Darvish. If you need to stay cheap, take Ackley. If you have extra to spend, try to get Kinsler in your lineup.
3. Andre Ethier ($3,300) - You may be surprised when you see Ethier is only $3,300...but his price is low because he is 1-13 in his career against Bumgarner. As you avoided (hopefully) starting any Giants hitters yesterday against Kershaw, you should avoid starting any Dodgers hitters tonight.

RotoCole’s Fanduel Opening Day Lineup:

C: Jonathan Lucroy - $3,300
1B: Lance Berkman - $3,300
2B: Dustin Ackley - $3,200
3B: Matt Dominguez - $2,900
SS: Troy Tulowitzki - $4,000
OF: Ryan Braun - $4,500
OF: Yoenis Cespedes - $4,100
OF: Josh Reddick - $3,200
P: Jaime Garcia - $6,500

Budget: $35,000
Lineup: $35,000

For the second day in a row, I have found a cheap starting pitcher option that I love and rolled with him. Garcia will hit value and has a good chance of exceeding it. Lucroy is quietly becoming one of the better catchers in baseball and his slot in Milwaukee's five hole will allow him to drive in runs all season. Josh Reddick has the worst, and by worst I mean best, beard I have ever seen. I hope to see that beard trot around the bases a few times tonight. You may be frowning at the Matt Dominquez pick and honestly, it was mostly about money. However, just one hit and he reaches value, so I am rolling with him and his cheap price tonight. Remember, if you have any lineup questions you can either join our live chat or just tweet me personally at @RotoCole and I will respond ASAP. Enjoy the games people!