MLB DFS Picks for Fanduel 4/6/21

Baseball is finally back after a shortened COVID season in 2020. All teams are scheduled to play the usual 162 games this year, which means more days of DFS. I have been playing season-long fantasy baseball and DFS for a few years now. Over my years of playing I have realized that MLB DFS requires the most research to be a successful player. I thought I would put my research to better use by writing MLB DFS articles for @sportsversehq. I am happy to bring you my first article for the 2021 MLB season.

Reminder: If you have any lineup questions prior to lock, I will be happy to answer any of them if you comment and tag in under the article or DM me @rogersaj07. Also, if you retweet the article and DM me I will send you my player core that I will be locking into all of my lineups.

SP:

Top SP:

Lucas Giolito: $9,600

The White Sox ace picked up right where he left off in 2020. He pitched 5 ⅓ with 8 strikeouts in his debut against the Los Angeles Angels. Giolito should deliver another stellar outing where I can see him pitching well into the 7th inning. Strikeouts shouldn't be a problem against a bottom of the barrell Mariners team that owns a 26.2% strikeout rate versus righties dating back to 2019.

Secondary SP:

Tyler Glasnow: $10,700

Glasnow pitched 6 scoreless innings against the Marlins, but manager Kevin Cash only

allowed Glasnow to pitch 77 times. The Boston Red Sox aren't necessarily a plus

matchup, but Glasnow has been lights out since the start of 2019, and he posted a dazzling 38.2% strikeout rate over 11 starts last season. This is strictly a tournament play.

Value SP:

Freddy Peralta: $6,400

Freddy Peralta isn't totally crazy if you're looking for a contrarian roster build. Peralta's

first appearance came in relief, and he struck out 6 batters in 2 full innings. He has

potential against the Cubs, due to the strikeout tendency in majority of their hitters. I don’t expect Peralta to pitch more than 4 innings and if he gets into a jam early I don’t see the Brewers keeping him on a long leash. He will be pulled early.

1B:

Top 1B:

Eric Hosmer: $4,100

Hosmer isn’t the most attractive option due to his name. He is priced higher than Jose Abreu, Pete Alonso and Cody Bellinger. This price tag is justified however and he has been playing far better than the 3 players I listed. Hosmer leads the way facing Aaron Sanchez, who is making his first start since 2019. Hosmer has posted a .431 wOBA since the start of 2020 against righties, and had gone deep twice in three games entering Monday. Ride the hot hand

Secondary 1B:

Dominic Smith: $3,100 (1B/OF)

The Mets hitters against Phillies right-hander Chase Anderson. Smith brings a .425 wOBA and .331 ISO from last year. I am targeting the lefty Mets batters tonight and Smith had the night off yesterday so he should be ready to go.

Value 1B:

Rowdy Tellez: $2,200

Right-hander Dane Dunning will start the game for the Rangers tonight. Dunning was weaker versus lefties in a small sample last year. The Blue Jays lineup 1-9 doesn’t have a player over $3,000 outside of Teoscar Hernandez at $3,300. Tellez is a cheap lefty bat for a loaded Jays lineup.

2B:

Top 2B:

Ketel Marte: $4,500 (2B/OF)

Marte is going against German Marquez who pitched poorly in his debut. He doesn't hold a strong strikeout rate against lefty batters. Marte is a switch hitter at the top of the order in Coors field. I don't need to say anymore, lock him in.

Secondary 2B:

Jose Rojas: $3,000 (2B/SS)

Potentially the leadoff batter at Coors Field. Marquez has a modest strikeout rate versus lefty sticks, which should help Rojas reach base.

Value 2B:

Mike Brosseau: $2,100 (2B/3B)

Brosseau is batting 3rd for the Rays tonight going against a lefty pitcher. Brosseau gives us salary relief at just $100 above the minimum. He boasts a career 43.2% hard-hit rate and 42.2% fly-ball rate.

Top 3B:

Ryan McMahon: $3,500 (3B/2B)

Back to Coors field with another lefty bat. Ryan McMahon is one of the better sub-$4,000 options and will have the platoon advantage.

Secondary 3B:

Cavan Biggio: $2,700 (3B/2B)

Biggio is batting 2nd for the Jays tonight. Mid-tiered 3B in a plus matchup in Texas

Value 3B:

Jeff McNeil: $2,700 (2B/3B)

Lefty bat at the bottom of the Mets order. McNeil knows how to make contact and although he isn’t a big power hitter, his ability to get on base could lead to a lot of runs scored for the former all-star.

SS:

Top SS:

Trevor Story: $4,100

Story has been off to a slow start in 2021. He is without a Homerun so far and only has 1 RBI. However, I expect that to change tonight. As of this writing, tonight's Coors Field combatants are the only two teams exceeding five runs in their implied totals. Luke Weaver is the starter for Arizona and I expect the Rockies’ top of the order to knock some runs in early.

Secondary SS:

Francisco Lindor: $3,800

Lindors’ Mets debut did not go as planned. Degrom pitched a stellar 6 innings last night and once the Mets went to the pen, they gave up 5 runs in the 8th which led to the Mets first loss of the year. I expect the Mets to bounce back in a big way tonight, especially their lefty batters.

Value SS:

Bo Bichette: $3,000

Dane Dunning is the starter for the Rangers tonight but I don’t expect him to go deep into tonight’s game. Rangers left-hander Wes Benjamin is the Rangers middle reliever that I believe will follow Dunnings tonight. Last year, Benjamin wasn't especially effective against both sides of the plate. This bodes well for the future Jays star shortstop.

OF:

Top OF:

Randy Arozarena: $3,300

Arozarena has hit safely in three straight with four knocks in total, but they are all singles, pushing his salary down to the mid $3,000’s. Red Sox starter Martin Perez is no one to worry about, so we'll trust the small sample for the Rays' budding star.

Secondary OF:

Michael Conforto: $3,200

Similar to Dominic Smith and Franscisco Lindor, I am targeting the Mets lefty hitters tonight against the

Phillies

Value OF:

Mark Canha: $2,700

Canha has a great batting eye and is off to an extremely hot start, averaging double digit FDFP per game this

season. Ride him while he's hot.

Core/Lineup:

My core tonight is Ketel Marte: $4,500, Dominic Smith: $3,100, Trevor Story: $4,100 and Randy Arozarena: $3,300. The lineups I am targeting are the Mets, Bluejays and both Coors Field teams. I will pay up for pitcher tonight either Giolito or Glasnow. Best of luck tonight!

Reminder: If you have any lineup questions prior to lock, I will be happy to answer any of them if you comment and tag in under the article or DM me @rogersaj07. Also, if you retweet the article and DM me I will send you my player core that I will be locking into all of my lineups.

Thanks for reading the article and best of luck on tonight's Fanduel slate!