MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/16/2019

We have a packed slate of night games across the majors on Tuesday, leaving us with plenty of options to choose from in DFS. Whether it’s ace pitchers or lineups facing favorable matchups, there’s a little bit of something for everyone. Let’s dig into the matchups and highlight some of the players that stand out. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our MLB Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Stephen Strasburg vs. San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Nationals Park
FanDuel = $10,900
DraftKings = $10,300

It doesn’t get much better than this for Strasburg. The Giants offense is lacking impact bats, which has contributed to them posting the lowest OPS (.572) in baseball. To put their lack of power into perspective, they have as many home runs as a team (10) as Khris Davis has by himself at the start of the season. With his career 29 percent strikeout rate, this is a prime opportunity for Strasburg to shine.

Kenta Maeda vs. Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $8,600
DraftKings = $9,000

While Maeda’s matchup against the Reds isn’t as juicy, it’s certainly not a difficult one. The Reds do have more dangerous hitters than the Giants, but they are tied for the sixth-fewest runs scored (55). Don’t get too worked up over Maeda’s 4.48 xFIP through his first three starts. He’s had to face tough lineups in the Diamondbacks, Cardinals and the Rockies in a game played at Coors Field. This is a prime spot for him to bounce back in a big way.

CATCHER

Wilson Ramos vs. Nick Pivetta, Philadelphia Phillies
Stadium – Citizens Bank Park
FanDuel = $2,800
DraftKings = $3,900

Pivetta has allowed a whopping 29 baserunners through his first 13.1 innings, which has been exacerbated by the fact that he also allowed three home runs. He only has an 8.3 percent swinging strike rate, which is a significant decline from his 12 percent mark last season. Ramos is a tough out with his career 16.9 percent strikeout rate, so he could be a key cost-effective option for any Mets stack.

Others to consider: Willson Contreras

FIRST BASE

Yuli Gurriel vs. Marco Estrada, Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $3,700

Estrada is anything but imposing. He’s allowed at least a 1.38 WHIP in back-to-back seasons and has trouble keeping hitters inside the ballpark with his career 1.4 HR/9. To no surprise, he’s already given up five long balls through his first 20.1 innings. Gurriel might not hit a ton of home runs, but he did mash 76 doubles across the last two seasons. At this cheap price, he is a viable option if you need to save some money at first base.

Others to consider: Paul Goldschmidt and Max Muncy

SECOND BASE

Robinson Cano vs. Nick Pivetta, Philadelphia Phillies
Stadium – Citizens Bank Park
FanDuel = $3,100
DraftKings = $3,700

Continuing to target this matchup against Pivetta, Cano stands out at second base. His price is somewhat suppressed in large part because of his .185 average out of the gate. Although he’s striking out at an alarming rate, he’s also been somewhat victimized by a .213 BABIP that is more than 100 points lower than his career mark. With his career .376 wOBA against right-handed pitchers, this could be just the matchup that he needs to break out of his funk.

Others to consider: Jose Altuve and Ozzie Albies

THIRD BASE

Matt Carpenter vs. Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers
Stadium – Miller Park
FanDuel = $3,400
DraftKings = $4,400

Carpenter is normally someone to target whenever a righty is on the mound considering his career 139 wRC+ against them. He was even better against them last year with a 145 wRC+. Even though Woodruff can rack up strikeouts in a hurry, he’s already allowed 10 runs across his first 15 innings.  Add in Carpenter’s career .897 OPS hitting in Miller Park and he could be in line for a valuable performance.

Others to consider: Alex Bregman and Justin Turner

SHORTSTOP

Corey Seager vs. Tyler Mahle, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $4,200

Don’t let Mahle’s stats across his first two starts fool you. He faced the Pirates and Marlins, who are two really bad lineups. Things will be much more difficult for him against the potent Dodgers on Tuesday. A stat that stands out heading into this matchup is Mahle’s career .414 wOBA allowed to left-handed hitters. The Dodgers have plenty of left-handed talent, including Seager. Despite his slow start, Seager is someone to target for this slate.

Others to consider: Adalberto Mondesi and Carlos Correa

OUTFIELD

Austin Meadows vs. Dylan Bundy, Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Tropicana Field
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $5,000

It’s still early, but the Rays certainly look like the winners of their trade last year that sent Chris Archer to the Pirates and netted them Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. Meadows is off to a roaring start with a .375 ISO and a .474 wOBA. Now he’ll get to face Bundy, who has allowed 12 runs and six home runs across his first 12.1 innings. While he won’t come cheap, Meadows is someone to build your lineup around.

Brandon Nimmo vs. Nick Pivetta, Philadelphia Phillies
Stadium – Citizens Bank Park
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $4,100

The last member of the Mets that we’ll mention against Pivetta is Nimmo, who started out the season 2-for-26 across eight games. However, he’s now 7-for-18 with two home runs and three doubles over his last five contests. After recording an impressive .407 wOBA against right-handed pitchers last year, Nimmo makes a lot of sense at his reasonable price on both sites.

Yasiel Puig vs. Kenta Maeda, Los Angeles Dodgers
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $2,400
DraftKings = $3,700

Puig is off to a horrendous start with a .256 wOBA, but it should be noted that his .219 BABIP is almost 100 points lower than his career mark. He took his former team deep Monday and is now 4-for-10 with two home runs over his last two contests. He plays with a ton of energy and fire, so look for him to try and stick it to his old squad throughout this series. Although I like Maeda in this game, Puig could still provide value.

Others to consider: Mike Trout and Joc Pederson

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.