MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 3/30/18

*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 3/30/18

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The thrill of Opening Day has come and gone, but there is still plenty of excitement for Friday’s slate of MLB games in DFS. Sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Max Scherzer vs. Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Great American Ball Park
FanDuel = $11,100
DraftKings = $12,700

The first game of this series was scheduled for Thursday but was pushed back a day due to rain. This leaves a unique opportunity to use one of the elite pitchers in all of baseball on the second day of the season. Scherzer was terrific on his way to winning the Cy Young Award in 2017, finishing with a 2.51 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 12 K/9. He’s one of the most dominant strikeout pitchers in all of baseball, recording a K/9 of at least 10.1 in six straight seasons. The Reds have one of the best hitters in baseball in Joey Votto, but their overall lineup is not overly impressive. Look for Scherzer to start off the season on the right foot with another excellent outing Friday.

Blake Snell vs. Red Sox
Stadium – Tropicana Field
FanDuel = $6,700
DraftKings = $6,800

Snell has had control problems in his brief major league career, but he showed signs of improvement over the second half of the season, walking just 25 batters in 77.1 innings. His numbers improved, as a result, recording a 3.49 ERA and 1.13 WHIP during that stretch. Snell has also been a much better pitcher at home, posting a 3.20 ERA and 9.7 K/9 at Tropicana Field in his career. The Red Sox lineup is no cake walk, but Snell has strikeout upside and might be worth taking a chance on at this cheap price in tournament play.

OFFENSIVE STACKS

Chicago Cubs vs. Caleb Smith (Miami Marlins)
Stadium – Marlins Park

The sad state of affairs for the Marlins starting rotation leads Smith to start their second game of the season. He’s pitched only 18.2 innings in the majors during his career, posting a 7.71 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. At 26 years old, Smith is not a hot rising prospect either. He’s not a big strikeout pitcher, recording an 8.5 K/9 during his minor league career. The Cubs already mashed the Marlins for eight runs on Opening Day, so don’t be surprised if they have another offensive explosion Friday.

Players to consider stacking: Kris Bryant, Wilson Contreras, Addison Russell

Houston Astros vs. Doug Fister (Texas Rangers)
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington

Fister has had a fine career, but he’s not much more than a journeyman starter at this point. He appeared in 18 games for the Red Sox last year, finishing with a 4.88 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. He had an 8.3 K/9, but don’t expect that to hold up this year as his career K/9 is only 6.2. The Astros have one of the most potent lineups in the league, which could spell disaster for Fister on Friday. Make sure to take advantage for your entry.

Players to consider stacking: Carlos Correa, George Springer, Brian McCann

SPLIT KINGS

This season we’ll dive even deeper into the matchups to provide you with some hitters that have favorable splits each day. All areas that will be considered are splits against certain teams, starting pitchers, home and road games, and success against either right-handed or left-handed pitchers. Outside of the favorable offensive stacks already discussed, these hitters could also help you create a winning lineup.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves
FanDuel = $4,400
DraftKings = $4,500

Freeman wasted no time getting off to a hot start this season, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, three runs and three walks Thursday. Friday brings a matchup against right-handed starter Nick Pivetta, who had a 6.02 ERA and 1.51 WHIP last season. Freeman also mashes right-handed pitching, batting .303 with a .531 slugging percentage against them in his career.

Khris Davis, OF, Oakland Athletics
FanDuel = $3,200
DraftKings = $4,100

Davis also started off the 2018 season in style, going 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI Thursday. He’s an elite power bat, hitting at least 42 homers in back-to-back seasons. He’s had success against Friday’s starter Tyler Skaggs, posting four hits, one home run, three RBI and one walk in eight career plate appearances against him. Skaggs also gave up 13 home runs in just 85 innings last year, which could be troublesome against Davis.

Zack Cozart, 3B, Los Angeles Angels
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $4,000

Cozart made a good first impression with his new team Thursday, going 3-for-6 with a home run and a double. He is coming off the best season of his career in 2017 when he hit .297, but that was partly inflated by his abnormally high .312 BABIP. He crushed left-handed pitching last season, batting .337 with a .633 slugging percentage. He gets to face Athletics’ lefty Sean Manaea on Friday.

Corey Dickerson, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
FanDuel = $2,600
DraftKings = $4,000

Dickerson had an excellent season in 2017, batting .282 with 27 home runs and 62 RBI as he made his first All-Star team. The Rays moved on from several key pieces of their offense in the offseason, ultimately landing Dickerson with the Pirates. He gets to face Jordan Zimmermann on Friday, who posted an unsightly 6.08 ERA and 1.55 WHIP last season. He’s not a strikeout pitcher either with a career 5.8 K/9. Dickerson hits right-handed pitchers particularly well, with 24 of his 27 home runs coming against them last year.