Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Strategy, Primer for April 11 – Bleacher Report

A full day of action creates a lot of opportunity to make some money in daily fantasy baseball, but you have to make sure you grab the right players for your team.

With so many top pitchers available, you shouldn’t be afraid of spending a high percentage of your budget on the big names while saving money elsewhere. Just make sure you don’t end up wasting it on the wrong options.

Here is a look at the best and worst picks available for Saturday.

Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Baseball Reference. 

Pitchers

Top Picks

David Price, Detroit Tigers ($10,600)

Did you see how in control he was on Opening Day? David Price finished his first start one out away from a complete game shutout, instead totaling 8.2 scoreless innings in a winning effort.

His teammate Joba Chamberlain summed it up after the game:

Better believe the “Price was right today”. @DAVIDprice14 #funtowatch

— Joba Chamberlain (@Joba_44) April 6, 2015

While the Cleveland Indians have a few more intimidating hitters than the Minnesota Twins, Price has a good chance to put together another stellar performance and carry fantasy teams in the process.

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels ($8,000)

Although Jered Weaver didn’t have a great showing in his first start with four runs allowed in six innings, he should be able to bounce back Saturday.

Returning home to Anaheim will be a blessing for Weaver, who has fared much better in his own ballpark throughout his career. His 2.66 ERA at home compared to just a 3.94 mark on the road is a massive difference, and it was even bigger in 2014 (2.68 home ERA vs. 4.70 road ERA).

No matter what the issue, all you have to worry about is him getting back to his dominant form against the Kansas City Royals.

Avoid

Doug Fister, Washington Nationals ($7,800)

For most of the season, you will be in good shape grabbing Washington Nationals pitchers as the group has the best rotation in baseball. When the team is healthy, there should be a lot of wins up for grabs.

Unfortunately, the lineup is missing a few key hitters and until players like Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth return from injury, the Nats will struggle to score. Against Cole Hamels, you can’t expect much run support.

To make things worse, Doug Fister does not add too many strikeouts with just 98 in 164 innings last season. This makes him a weak fantasy option going forward.

Hitters

Top Picks

Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals ($4,100)

Most are quick to avoid lefty vs. lefty matchups for hitters, but a deeper look shows why Bryce Harper can still succeed. Primarily, opposing pitcher Cole Hamels has never been especially hard on lefties as his fastball-changeup approach hurts both types of hitters equally.

Additionally, Harper has fared well against Hamels in his career, hitting .320 in 25 at-bats. The two also have some bad blood between each other, making every at-bat interesting.

With Harper showing his ability against just about every pitcher in baseball, he remains a solid pick for your team.

Travis d’Arnaud, C, New York Mets ($3,600)

Julio Teheran is a pretty tough matchup for opposing hitters, but Travis d’Arnaud has fared well against all comers so far this year.

The young hitter already has RBI hits against ace-level pitchers in Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg, so the Atlanta Braves starter shouldn’t be any scarier on the mound.

Finding a good catcher is difficult in fantasy baseball, but d’Arnaud could provide some quality production without breaking the bank.

Avoid

Robinson Cano, 2B, Seattle Mariners ($4,200)

While the lack of top second-base options makes Robinson Cano so valuable at the position, this is not the time to splurge on the Seattle Mariners star. He is going up against Sonny Gray, who is coming off a spectacular outing in his first start where he allowed just one hit in eight innings.

With Cano still not showing the power stroke he had with the New York Yankees, a lack of upside makes this pricey hitter a poor bet.

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