Welcome to the 5-3-15 Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks. Keep an eye on lineups and weather as the day progresses, there may be some players on this list who are out today. The values listed below are based off of those listed at FanDuel.
5-3-15 Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks
Pitcher
Dallas Keuchel, SP, Houston Astros, $8,500 – Clayton Kershaw looks like a fine play today, but for nearly $3000 less, I’m looking squarely at Dallas Keuchel and the red-hot Houston Astros. A friendly home date against a struggling Texas Ranger team, plus Ross Detwiler manning the hill for the road team looks like a great spot for another Astros victory and should result in good numbers for Keuchel.
Carlos Martinez, SP, St. Louis Cardinals, $8,400 – The Astros have the best record in the AL, but the Cardinals have the best record in all of baseball, and Carlos Martinez has been lights out with a 1.74 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning. A home start versus a Chicago Cubs team that is striking out a ton right now looks like a good spot to use the young St. Louis starter.
Catcher
Yasmani Grandal, C, Los Angeles Dodgers, $2,400 – Grandal is starting to heat up, and a home game against Kyle Lohse coming off a three-for-four night on Saturday and a walk-off pinch hit homer on Sunday should provide Grandal with the rest and confidence he needs to continue the roll. Derek Norris ($3,000) can be a fine alternative as he is crushing LHP this year; and Yadier Molina ($2,200) is a pure Batter vs Pitcher option today (15-38, 3 HR vs Travis Wood).
First Base
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks, $6,100 – Goldschmidt in Coors against a left handed pitcher? Sign me up. The only minor knock is the gigantic price tag, but with a value pitcher and some other choice savings at hitter, it should be a smart move. If you would like save some cap space, look to Freddie Freeman ($3,400) at home versus a right hander; Adrian Gonzalez ($4,300) at home versus Kyle Lohse is an option as well.
Second Base
Jace Peterson, 2B, Atlanta Braves, $2,200 – A season long sleeper option, Peterson has disappointed many of his owners, but he has shown a little promise over the last week accumulating nine hits in his last eight games. As a cap saver today, he has promise to grab you a few points via hits and runs scored. For those that decide against using Goldschmidt, spending on Jose Altuve ($4,900) may be a wise option.
Third Base
Yasmani Tomas, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks, $3,000 – Yasmani x 2, Tomas is hitting the ball right now and gets his first taste of Coors Field tonight against left handed Tyler Matzek. It is a recipe I am going to try to cash in on. There are not many other decent 3B options tonight, so I expect Tomas to be fairly widely owned in most DFS formats.
Shortstop
Jimmy Rollins, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers, $2,700 – Facing the aforementioned Brewers starter, Kyle Lohse, at home, looks to be a nice spot for left handed hitting Jimmy Rollins. Rollins has cooled off a little from his hot start, but his price tag his price tag has adjusted as well. If you sit Goldschmidt, using Troy Tulowitzki ($5,100) could be a nice pivot option tonight.
Outfield
Jake Marisnick, OF, Houston Astros, $3,400 – Perhaps the hottest fantasy hitter in the league right now, Marisnick continues to fill up the box score in many ways and has a favorable home game tonight against Texas starter Ross Detwiler. Marisnick is the top OF option in FanDuel tonight.
Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers, $3,900 – This salary spot will be a tough call tonight between Pederson and the equally priced George Springer of Houston. Springer draws a home game against an opposite handed start of subpar talent, just as Pederson, but I just feel that Joc is a more consistent hitter and should both provide the upside needed here and avoid the downside that Springer is more likely to provide.
Kelly Johnson, OF, Atlanta Braves, $2,700 – Kelly Johnson is turning back the clock and has been a nice afterthought in the Atlanta lineup. Three HR and nine RBI in his past 7 games bodes well for the left handed hitter playing a home game against right handed pitcher Aaron Harang. Harang has looked solid this year, but he is far from someone to avoid in DFS. There are a few pricer options at OF with Jacoby Ellsbury ($4,200) and Matt Holliday ($3,500) looking to be in good spots, but not many sub-$3000 options are on the board, Johnson is my top option.
