We finally have a Saturday where the main slate is in prime time and both FanDuel and DraftKings have the same games on the slate. It only took a month! We have seven games on tap tonight, which is just under half the league. It's still better than the frustrating alternatives that we have been dealing with up to this point.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/27/2024, with the slate starting at 7:10 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential.
Just because only half the league is on the slate doesn't mean that we don't have good options! The best part? There's no Coors Field to deal with. Our biggest problem is handling a White Sox team that looks like the 1962 Mets.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Aaron Civale at White Sox ($9,100 DraftKings; $10,100 FanDuel)
Civale has a 4.21 career ERA against the White Sox in 10 starts, but his issues were in Cleveland, not Chicago. Civale has a 2.63 ERA in five career starts at New U.S. Comiskey Cellular Guaranteed Rate Field Park, or whatever current advertising feces are smeared all over it. Civale doesn't care either. His numbers are better there than any park where he has played at least five games.
That doesn't even consider how monumentally bad this White Sox lineup is. If the team ownership had any shame, they would be embarrassed. The Sox have won just four of 26 games on the season. To put that in perspective, the 1899 Cleveland Spiders -- the team that lost 134 of its 154 games, 14 more than the next worst team -- started 4-20. The Sox are hitting just .203 against right-handed pitching this year with an astronomical 27.1% K rate. Add in the pathetic .170 average at home and you have a recipe for Civale outscoring everyone else on the slate.
Ranger Suarez at Padres ($8,900 DraftKings; $9,800 FanDuel)
Suarez blanked the Reds at the second-most hitter-friendly park behind Coors Field over seven innings in his last start. In fact, Ranger hasn't allowed a run since April 6 when he allowed two to the Nationals. That marks 25 consecutive scoreless innings for Suarez (he's halfway to the record!) in which he has 21 strikeouts.
Coors hangover is a thing. We saw it last night when the Padres couldn't get anything going against Aaron Nola. They are going to have a hard time with Ranger Suarez tonight as well. The lefty enters the game 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA. That includes a game against the Braves and one in Cincinnati. It's to the point where we might be able to trust him anywhere.
Jordan Hicks vs. Pirates ($7,700 DraftKings; $8,600 FanDuel)
Let's get the negatives out of the way first. Hicks doesn't strike out a lot of batters. He only has 18 strikeouts in 28 innings, including not recording a single punchout against Arizona in his last start. Also...the 28 innings in five starts say that he won't go very deep into the game either. The bad news ends there.
Hicks boasts a sparkling 1.61 ERA and he gets to face the Pirates. Pittsburgh is better offensively than last year, but not much. They are still striking out a lot (26.3% of the time against right-handed pitching) which is why I still like Hicks in this spot. On top of that, Hicks has only allowed three earned runs in 18 innings at home this year. He should be worth the price on both sites.
Also consider: Dylan Cease vs. PHI, Carlos Rodon at MIL, Chris Paddack at LAA
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Josh Naylor - 1B, CLE vs. Charlie Morton ($5,200 DK; $3,700 FD)
You rarely see a guy having the kind of season that Naylor is (.286, six homers, 20 RBI) while not being able to hit fastballs well. He excels against off-speed stuff, namely curves and changeups. Morton throws those 54.5% of the time and his fastball doesn't have the life that it once did.
His average fastball velocity is down 1.1 mph from last year and it has far less movement on it. That can be expected from a 40-year-old pitcher, but Naylor doesn't care about any of that. Naylor hit four-seamers better than any other pitch last season, so we can expect him to turn it around against the heater at some point. It could happen today, especially since Naylor smashes Morton's other offerings.
Amed Rosario – 2B/OF(DK); SS(FD), TB vs. Jonathan Cannon ($4,600 DK; $3,000 FD)
Most of the Rays profile well against Jonathan Cannon, but Rosario's results against his most frequent pitches (sinker, cutter, sweeper, change) sparkle across the board. Rosario has hit safely in all but two games in the last three weeks, so he's cooking anyway. The price in DK is a bit offputting, but I love him at that price on FD.
Jose Miranda– 3B, MIN vs. Jose Soriano ($2,900 DK; $2,300 FD)
With Kyle Farmer struggling in the absence of Royce Lewis, the Twins have turned to Miranda for the time being. He hasn't been much better than Farmer, but he is 4-for-8 over the last two games with a double and a homer. We need value on this slate. Miranda is seeing the ball well right now and hits curveballs better than any other offering. There's reason to believe that he can have success against Soriano's knuckle curve.
Also consider: Cal Raleigh, Ozzie Albies, Matt Chapman
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Juan Soto - OF, NYY vs. Joe Ross ($6,300 DK; $4,300 FD)
I could just leave Soto's Statcast page and be done with it. Soto has homered twice in the last three games and he has pulverized sinkers this year -- a pitch that Ross throws 41.2% of the time. He's not quite as strong against sliders, but Soto isn't showing any weaknesses this year and Ross isn't showing that he's above average in any area. We know how this ends. It ends with at least one ball deposited into the right-field bleachers.
Julio Rodriguez - OF, SEA vs. Slade Cecconi ($5,300 DK; $3,400 FD)
Julio has been cooking with gas since a slow start. He is hitting .419 over the last 10 games with a homer and five steals to go with five RBI. He has feasted on four-seamers and sliders this season. Cecconi tosses those pitches at a 72% clip. His price is too low for what he's doing lately over on FanDuel.
Blake Perkins - OF, MIL vs. Carlos Rodon ($3,900 DK; $3,100 FD)
As with many switch-hitters, Perkins is better from the right side. He is hitting .321 against southpaws this year with three homers, eight RBI, and three doubles in 53 at-bats. Perkins has done well in place of Christian Yelich. He has reached base in 16 of 18 games this season and is hitting .313. Not bad for a value play.
Also consider: Mike Trout, Marcell Ozuna, Jurickson Profar
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
1. Yankees vs. Joe Ross
- Favorite Plays: Juan Soto, Anthony Volpe, Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo
2. Rays vs. Jonathan Cannon
- Favorite Plays: Amed Rosario, Isaac Paredes, Jose Caballero
3. Braves vs. Tanner Bibee
- Favorite Plays: Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Michael Harris II
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