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Daily Fantasy Leagues - FanDuel Lineup Picks (4/29)
Please check the posted lineups and weather forecasts for each game before finalizing your lineup.
SP: Matt Cain vs. SD ($7100)
There are tons of great pitching matchups Tuesday, but I think Cain represents the best value against the Padres. The Padres have the worst offense in baseball this season, scoring only 69 runs, trailing the Astros' second-worse offense by an impressive 16 runs. This means the 13-14 Padres are averaging a meager 2.56 runs per game.
Although he’s no longer a Cy Young candidate, Cain is still a good pitcher who posts above-average strikeout rates. He gets to face a team that’s struggling mightily this year, from the comfort of his own spacious home, AT&T Park. The Giants are a heavy favorite to prevail in this matchup against Eric Stults and the Padres, and Cain has a good shot of adding another win to his resume.
1B: Albert Pujols vs. CLE ($4300) (vs. Corey Kluber)
Pujols has been blazin’ hot this season, and he’s averaging 3.9 PPG on FanDuel. Kluber is an oddity. He doesn’t issue many free passes, he strikes out a fair amount of hitters, he has swing-and-miss stuff, yet he posts pretty mediocre ratios. Even though he has a .353 BABIP this year, it’s difficult to say he’s “unlucky.” Kluber has always posted well above-average BABIP rates. Most of this apparent misfortune is actually a product of Kluber’s wildness in the zone. Even though he has great stuff and he doesn’t walk many, he still has “command” issues. The way Pujols is mashing right now, he’s about the worst hitter to face for a pitcher with spotty command.
2B: Neil Walker @ BAL (vs. Chris Tillman, RHP) ($3200)
Walker is off to a strong start year. He’s already hit six HR, and he’s been producing a fair amount of runs. Chris Tillman is a pretty good pitcher, but he’s prone to the long ball, and Walker has the benefit tonight of playing in a much more hitter-friendly park than his home digs at PNC Park. The short porch in right field gives Walker tremendous upside.
Note: Dustin Pedroia ($3500) also has a very favorable match-up against Erik Bedard, as well.
OF: George Springer vs. WAS (vs. Gio Gonzalez, LHP) ($2200)
Springer’s cult-like following has been rapidly declining over his first couple of weeks in the Bigs. He strikes out too much, and Gonzalez is an above-average pitcher. All things considered, I think Springer is still worth the gamble for $2200. He’s the kind of guy that can hit a couple of HR and really position your team for a nice payday. Similar to Adam Dunn, he’s a very high-ceiling, low-floor player. His minor league track record suggests that Springer will hit for power and swipe bases. Even if he fails to make contact 25-30% of the time, he’s still a great cheap option.