In the 1980s, Loverboy told us that everybody is Working for the Weekend. Even though they made some questionable fashion choices we should be inspired by them as Friday is here. With the start of the weekend that means another full slate of games for the weekend.
With that in mind, here are my 4-24-15 Daily Fantasy Picks. This covers the contest starting at 7:05 PM PST/4:05 PM PST and the values listed are based off of DraftKings.
Disclaimer: These picks are subject to change based on weather forecasts and last minute line-up decisions.
Starting Pitcher
Zack Greinke, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers, $10,100
On most nights, I would spend the extra $1,200 and get Felix Hernandez and a home match-up against the Twins. However, DraftKings is labeling him as Day-to-Day and I had him in my starting line-up in the game where he left early against the Athletics. Personally, this is enough for me to shy away from this pick but if you want to grab Hernandez, I can’t blame you.
Out of the other options available, Greinke is the next best option. Greinke is off to a solid start this season with a 2-0 record and a 1.83 ERA/2.76 FIP. While the Padres line-up is much stronger this year, Greinke still has the benefit of playing at Petco Park which tends to be favorable to Pitchers.
Shane Green, SP, Detroit Tigers, $7,000
Greene is the mid-priced Starting Pitcher pick of the night. He has gotten off to a very strong start for the Tigers as he is 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA/2.76 FIP. While it is concerning that he hasn’t struck out very many batters in his first few starts (4.30 K/9), the good news is that he has demonstrated the ability to strike out batters at the Major League level as he had a 9.27 K/9 rate with the Yankees last season.
Catcher
Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants, $5,000
There are a couple of mini-stacks in my line-up tonight. The first involves the Giants. While they did got off to a terrible start, they have shown signs of turning things around as they have won their last three games. Posey has not had a double-digit point game in DraftKings since the 16th and this may be the day where that streak gets snapped.
The Giants will be playing at Coors Field and will be trotting out rookie Pitcher Eddie Butler. Even though he has a 2.25 ERA in his first three starts, he also has a 4.88 ERA and has walked more batters than he has struck out. Also, Posey has put up absurd numbers at Coors Field. In his career, Posey has a .412/.468/.654 8 HR 29 RBI and 154 PA at Coors Field.
First Base
Chris Davis, 1B, Baltimore Orioles, $4,400
Tonight’s other mini-stack involves the Orioles against the Red Sox who are staring Rick Porcello tonight. Porcello has struggled early on as he has a 6.63 ERA/5.91 FIP. Davis also has been very effective against Porcello as he 6 for 21 with 3 HR and 1.048 OPS against him in his career.
Second Base
Neil Walker, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates, $4,300
Congratulations go out to Neil Walker to be the only player that is not employed by either the Giants or Orioles to make it into tonight’s line-up. The advantages about Walker that I like is that he has plenty of power against Righties (the Diamondbacks are starting Josh Collmenter tonight). Last year, Walker hit 21 HR in 405 PA against Righties. Also, the fact that this game is at Chase Field works to help his value.
Third Base
Jimmy Paredes, 3B, Baltimore Orioles, $2,000
Paredes barely got into the Orioles line-up this week but he has quickly made an impact. He has hit .438 with 1 HR in his first four games. The best part is that you are getting a player on a hot streak who is available for a price that can only be described as dirt cheap.
Shortstop
Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants $4,400
Crawford is only hitting .216 but his bat has showed some pop as he already has 3 HR. He has also had solid production at Coors Field in his career where he has .278 with 3 HR in 118 PA.
Outfield
Adam Jones, OF, Baltimore Orioles, $4,900
Jones has been red hot and has shown little signs of slowing down. He has hit .418 this season and has already tormented Red Sox pitching this year to the tune of a 1.108 OPS which is actually lower than the OPS of 1.232 which he has put up over his first 15 games. The fact that the Red Sox are starting Porcello who has put up mediocre numbers so far is merely icing on the cake.
Nori Aoki, OF, San Francisco Giants, $4,400
Aoki has had a strong start to his tenure as a Giant, hitting .338 over his first 16 games. Aoki gets the nod here due to his hot start, the fact that the Giants are at Coors Field and facing a pitcher in Butler who is due to have a bad game sooner rather than later.
Delmon Young, OF, Baltimore Orioles, $3,400
While I would never draft Young in a traditional Fantasy Format, he has a decent shot at a strong night against Porcello and the Red Sox. He is off to a reasonably strong start as he has hit .292 over his first 9 games. Even though he has been a disappointing player at times, he has hit well against Porcello. In his career, he has hit .308 with 1 HR in 28 PA against Porcello.
Main Photo
