If you want an ace, you can get an ace today. If you want a value pitcher, you can get a good value pitcher. It's a good day to play daily fantasy baseball if you can handle the possibility of going against people with Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner. Our advice remains consistent: Don't be afraid to pay up for one of these aces, especially in cash games, but make sure you're differentiating your lineup with hitter picks in GPP contests.
If you want to stay out of the Kershaw-Bumgarner-Chris Archer-Dallas Keuchel fray, there are plenty of options. Perhaps most intriguing among the upper-middle class guys are Zack Greinke and Masahiro Tanaka. Both have struggled this year, but with favorable matchups, both stand a better-than-average chance at a win, and we know they can dominate on any given night.
Vince Velasquez, as always, is a major boom-or-bust guy, as he's just as likely to strike out 10 as he is to get pulled in the third at 81 pitches. Joe Ross, who will be making his season debut, and Trevor Bauer, are somewhat similar. Ross is opposite the struggling Robert Gsellman, but faces a homer-happy Mets offense. Bauer has a much better matchup against the Twins and Adalberto Mejia. He might be the biggest value of the night (assuming the game is played. See below.)
MORE DFS: Optimal Lineup | Lineup Builder
Finally, if you're really trying to be different but still get a decent pitcher, you can go with Tyler Anderson, who is going head-to-head with Kershaw. The Rockies hit Kershaw well a couple weeks ago, and while that was in Colorado, not LA, it still gives Anderson a glimmer of hope in his quest to get a win against the best pitcher in baseball.
Daily Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Pitchers
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw, LHP | LAD | vs. COL |
| 2 | Madison Bumgarner, LHP | SF | at KC |
| 3 | Chris Archer, RHP | TB | vs. DET |
| 4 | Dallas Keuchel, LHP | HOU | vs. LAA |
| 5 | Felix Hernandez, RHP | SEA | vs. MIA |
| 6 | Gerrit Cole, RHP | PIT | at STL |
| 7 | Kyle Hendricks, RHP | CHC | vs. MIL |
| 8 | Julio Teheran, RHP | ATL | vs. WAS |
| 9 | Zack Greinke, RHP | ARI | at SD |
| 10 | Masahiro Tanaka, RHP | NYY | vs. CWS |
| 11 | Vince Velasquez, RHP | PHI | at NYM |
| 12 | Joe Ross, RHP | WAS | at ATL |
| 13 | Rick Porcello, RHP | BOS | at TOR |
| 14 | Martin Perez, LHP | TEX | at OAK |
| 15 | Trevor Bauer, RHP | CLE | at MIN |
| 16 | Jesse Hahn, RHP | OAK | vs. TEX |
| 17 | Michael Wacha, RHP | STL | vs. PIT |
| 18 | Jordan Zimmermann, RHP | DET | at TB |
| 19 | Edinson Volquez, RHP | MIA | at SEA |
| 20 | Robert Gsellman, RHP | NYM | vs. PHI |
| 21 | Tyler Anderson, LHP | COL | at LAD |
| 22 | Jason Vargas, LHP | KC | vs. SF |
| 23 | Amir Garrett, LHP | CIN | vs. BAL |
| 24 | Francisco Liriano, LHP | TOR | vs. BOS |
| 25 | Jhoulys Chacin, RHP | SD | vs. ARI |
| 26 | Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP | BAL | at CIN |
| 27 | JC Ramirez, RHP | LAA | at HOU |
| 28 | Adalberto Mejia, LHP | MIN | vs. CLE |
| 29 | Dylan Covey, RHP | CWS | at NYY |
| 30 | Tommy Milone, LHP | MIL | at CHC |
Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks: Wednesday, April 19
This section is brought to you courtesy of Fantasy Alarm's Daily Fantasy Baseball Playbook. Along with the DFS Playbook, Fantasy Alarm's team of award-winning (and major DFS contest-winning) writers provide all the tools and analysis you need to dominate your DFS contests -- stats, Hitting and Pitching Coaches, Optimal Lineups, Lineup Builder, Ownership Forecaster, and much more. Go pro with Fantasy Alarm and take advantage of all the tools and full analysis today!
There are 15 games on the MLB schedule today, with four getting underway in the afternoon and two starting after 10 pm ET. Today's DFS Playbook is centered around the main slate, but I sprinkled in some afternoon guys if you're looking for a good distraction while working.
By and large, the weather forecast looks good. There are slight chances of rain in Atlanta (Nationals-Braves) and the north side of Chicago (Brewers-Cubs), but no postponements in either place look imminent. There is a chance of a washout in Minnesota (Indians-Twins), and they are calling for late storms in Kansas City (Giants-Royals). The SF-KC game should get in, but CLE-MIN seems iffy. -- Nick Berns
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp. | FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo | Analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Madison Bumgarner (R) | Giants | @Royals | $11100 | $11700 | $55 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| SP | Chris Archer (R) | Rays | Tigers | $9300 | $9700 | $53 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Zack Greinke (R) | D-backs | @Padres | $9700 | $8700 | $44 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Masahiro Tanaka (R) | Yankees | White Sox | $8600 | $9000 | $44 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Kyle Hendricks (R) | Cubs | Brewers | $9300 | $10200 | $47 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| SP | Michael Wacha (R) | Cardinals | Pirates | $7600 | $7200 | $32 | GO PRO ! | |
| SP | Amir Garrett (L) | Reds | Orioles | $7600 | $4800 | $41 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Buster Posey (R) | Giants | @Royals | $3900 | $4000 | $19 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | José Lobatón (B) | Nationals | @Braves | $2100 | $2200 | $7 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| C | Josh Phegley (R) | Athletics | Rangers | $2000 | $3300 | $7 | GO PRO ! | |
| C | Austin Romine (R) | Yankees | White Sox | $2700 | $2700 | $11 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Joey Votto (L) | Reds | Orioles | $3800 | $5000 | $21 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| 1B | Justin Smoak (B) | Blue Jays | Red Sox | $2300 | $2800 | $7 | GO PRO ! | |
| 1B | Logan Morrison (L) | Rays | Tigers | $2100 | $3200 | $15 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | Dustin Pedroia (R) | Red Sox | @Blue Jays | $3000 | $3700 | $13 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | Daniel Murphy (L) | Nationals | @Braves | $3600 | $4100 | $22 | GO PRO ! | |
| 2B | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| 2B/3B | Jed Lowrie (B) | Athletics | Rangers | $2300 | $3000 | $11 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado (R) | Rockies | @Dodgers | $3300 | $4200 | $20 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Justin Turner (R) | Dodgers | Rockies | $3900 | $3500 | $19 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| 3B | Jake Lamb (L) | D-backs | @Padres | $3900 | $3900 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| 3B | Trevor Plouffe (R) | Athletics | Rangers | $2700 | $3800 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| SS | Asdrubal Cabrera (B) | Mets | Phillies | $3500 | $3500 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Erick Aybar (B) | Padres | D-backs | $2000 | $2600 | $7 | GO PRO ! | |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki (R) | Blue Jays | Red Sox | $3300 | $3600 | $14 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| OF | José Bautista (R) | Blue Jays | Red Sox | $3300 | $4200 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Mike Trout (R) | Angels | @Astros | $4900 | $5200 | $25 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Bryce Harper (L) | Nationals | @Braves | $4700 | $4900 | $22 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Billy Hamilton (B) | Reds | Orioles | $3000 | $4100 | $12 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | GO PRO ! | GO PRO ! | ||||||
| OF | Eric Thames (L) | Brewers | @Cubs | $3600 | $4400 | $26 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | Andrew McCutchen (R) | Pirates | @Cardinals | $3900 | $4800 | $18 | GO PRO ! | |
| OF | A.J. Pollock (R) | D-backs | @Padres | $3600 | $4000 | $13 | GO PRO ! |
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Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Picks: Wednesday, April 19
Because we can't do a full write-up on every player, here are some value plays we like who might make it into our Optimal Lineups.
C - Mike Zunnino (SEA) FD/Y! Value
C - Austin Hedges (SD)
1B - Josh Bell (PIT)
1B - Albert Pujols (LAA)
2B - Rickie Weeks (TB)
2B - Adam Rosales (OAK)
2B - Devon Travis (TOR) - FD/Y! value
SS - Zack Cosart (CIN)
SS/3B - Taylor Motter (SEA) - Cash value
SS - Adam Frazier (PIT) - FD Value
3B - Travis Shaw (MIL) - DK Value
OF - Jarrod Dyson (SEA)
OF - Ender Inciarte (ATL) - Y! Value