MLB Expert Picks Preview: Thursday, April 16th
Every day when the MLB schedule features four or more games, you can find expert picks for the day’s games on DraftKings below. These expert picks will provide a solid foundation for your lineups, and will include analysis and insight you can use in any sort of contest. You can expect these picks and analysis to be posted every day by 2 PM Eastern, or 10 AM for early slates.
Thursday, April 16
Pitcher
Madison Bumgarner – $10,500 – Bumgarner had a rough outing last time out against the Padres at Petco, but I think we can safely write that performance off as a fluke. This is about as safe of a matchup as you’ll ever find. Vegas has the Giants at a -175 favorite with a total of 6, so they are not expecting the Diamondbacks’ offense to do much of anything. Bumgarner seems like a must-play in cash games and a solid tournament play as well, despite the fact that he will be hugely owned.
Doug Fister – $7,700 – The #2 pitching option is a bit tougher in the night slate. Doug Fister isn’t flashy and won’t light the scoreboard up with Ks, but he’s a pretty safe option against a weak Phillies’ lineup who he just faced five days ago without giving up an earned run. If you can afford Hamels, he’s another option in the same game with a higher upside than Fister, but Hamels will be up against a much tougher Nationals’ offense.
Archie Bradley – $6,400 – I admittedly know very little about Archie Bradley, but he appears to be a top prospect in the Diamondbacks’ organization and just recently outpitched Kershaw in his first start of the year, allowing only 1 hit with 0 ERs and 6 Ks. I wouldn’t expect a performance like that this time around but his low price and apparent potential makes him a decent tournament option and possibly even a cash game option if you can stomach taking a rookie in his second career start.
Catcher
Buster Posey – $4,300 – If you’re not taking Archie Bradley, then Buster Posey at only $4,300 has to be considered at catcher. If Bradley blows up like rookies are prone to do, then Posey is a good candidate to do some of the damage.
Travis d’Arnaud – $3,700 – Last night d’Arnaud was moved up to the second spot in the Mets’ lineup and came through with 2 hits, a HR, a walk, and 2 runs. If he’s still in the two-hole, then he’s a very reasonable option against a mediocre-at-best Jarred Cosart.
First Base
Lucas Duda – $4,300 – Lucas Duda’s price has risen a bit from yesterday, but he’s off to a great start so far this season and gets to face a right-handed Jarred Cosart, so I would expect Duda to have another solid game.
Tyler Moore – $2,700 – There’s no guarantee that Tyler Moore will be in the Nationals’ lineup, but if he is and you need to save some $, then you could do worse, especially in a tournament. He’s a guy that sometimes struggles to make contact, but when he does, he’s capable of homering off of anyone, even Cole Hamels.
Second Base
Dee Gordon – $4,700 – $4,700 seems like a lot to pay for a guy with no power, but Dee Gordon has been doing a great job getting on base, and virtually any time he gets on base he’s off to the races on the base paths. Tonight he gets to face Dillon Gee, who has a really hard time getting lefties out. As long as Gordon can get on base, he should be able to score double-digit DraftKings points with his speed alone.
Joe Panik – $3,300 – The Giants generally put Panik in the two-hole in the lineup when they face righties, and if that’s the case, Panik is definitely worth considering for only $3,300. There aren’t many great 2B options besides Gordon, so Panik could be a good source of salary relief and has a decent floor hitting ahead of both Pagan and Posey.
Third Base
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