Fantasy Baseball: Draftkings Picks April 16th
Your SCFE family is here to bring you our Draftkings picks April 16th article. This Sunday brings another full slate of fifteen games, with tons of options all around. I wasn’t a fan of all the pitching options due to matchup issues. The two aces on the slate are Jon Lester and Cole Hamels, each of whom are worth spending up for. A couple sneaky pitching options are Jerad Eickhoff and Gio Gonzalez, who have had great history in their matchups.
With the bats, I recommend paying up at the corners and saving money in the middle infield and outfield. I really struggled to find good matchups in the outfield, which is why I listed two cheaper options in Nomar Mazara and Eric Thames. First Base and Third Base are dominated by your big name players, and should be in line to produce big. Hopefully this has helped you all create your own lineups and win some money today!
DraftKings Picks April 16th
Pitchers
Jon Lester, CHC vs PIT ($11,300)
As the best pitcher in the slate, Lester has one of the only good matchups in the pitching slate. Lester will be at home against the Pirates, and has averaged twenty fantasy points per game this season. Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco have both struggled against Lester, and no Pittsburgh Pirate with 15 at-bats is hitting over .300 against Lester. This makes Lester a likely candidate in most DFS lineups, in a slate where I’m not high on the pitching options.
Jerad Eickhoff, PHI @ WAS ($8,200)
Even though pitchers don’t usually have ideal matchups against the Nationals, Eickhoff is an interesting option. Jerad Eickhoff is off to a great start to the season, as he’s averaging 21.5 fantasy points per game and has a 1.98 ERA over two outings. Eickhoff also has a good history against the best Nats hitters, as Bryce Harper is one of nine and Daniel Murphy is two of 12 against him. I can understand if you’re still scared by this roster in Washington, but this looks like a matchup Eickhoff can handle.
Other Pitchers I Like
- Cole Hamels, TEX @ SEA ($10,000)
- Gio Gonzalez, WAS vs PHI ($8,000)*
- Dylan Bundy, BAL @ TOR ($7,900)
- Antonio Senzatela, COL @ SF ($5,500)
Catchers
Jonathan Lucroy, TEX @ SEA ($3,700)*
Even though Lucroy hasn’t gotten off to a good start this season, this matchup against Hisashi Iwakuma could change that. Even though it’s a small sample size, Lucroy is four for five against Iwakuma in his career. With a poor catcher slate of matchups, look for Lucroy to be a sneaky pick because of his struggles.
Salvador Perez, KC vs LAA ($3,200)
I like Perez in this slate as the Angels don’t have any pitchers that really scare you. Even though he doesn’t have much experience against Skaggs, the Angels pitcher is giving up five runs a game. Perez is a high floor DFS catcher in a poor catcher slate.
Other Catchers I Like
- Steven Vogt, OAK vs HOU ($3,100)
First Basemen
Miguel Cabrera, DET @ CLE ($5,000)
If you’re looking to pay up at first base, Miggy is a great bet against Carrasco. Throughout his career, Miggy is 10 for 31 against Carrasco, the best Detroit batter against the Cleveland pitcher. Cabrera has also been hot, homering in each of his two games. I like Cabrera to continue this hot stretch, and have a strong outing today.
Freddie Freeman, ATL vs SD ($4,400)*
Freeman has been on a tear to start the season, and looks to continue this stretch against San Diego. Even though it’s a small sample size, Freeman is four of eight against Cahill with four RBIs. Considering that Freeman doesn’t have as high of a price tag as other first basemen like Joey Votto and Miguel Cabrera, he should absolutely play up to his worth and is a must-start today.
Other First Basemen I Like
- Joey Votto, CIN vs MIL ($4,900)
- Eric Thames, MIL @ CIN ($4,000)
- Mark Reynolds, COL @ SF ($3,800)
- Joe Mauer, MIN vs CWS ($3,700)
- Anthony Rizzo, CHC vs PIT ($4,800)
Second Basemen
Brian Dozier, MIN vs CWS ($4,600)*
Dozier is my start of the day at second base because of this matchup against James Shields. Over his career, Dozier is 11 of 29 against Shields with three home-runs and nine RBIs. The only concern here is that Dozier is resting on Saturday due to right knee soreness, Fortunately, the MRI came back negative, but this is something to monitor closer to game time today.
Rougned Odor, TEX @ SEA ($3,700)
Odor has been off to a good start this season, and has good history against Hisashi Iwakuma. Throughout his career, Odor is hitting .307 over 23 at-bats, one of the better averages on the Rangers. Odor is a great cheaper option who has boom or bust worth in this matchup.
Other Second Basemen I Like:
- Jonathan Villar, MIL @ CIN ($4,800)
- Robinson Cano, SEA vs TEX ($4,300)
- D.J. LeMahieu, COL @ SF ($3,700)
- Yangervis Solarte, SD @ ATL ($3,400)* (if dozier doesn’t start)
- Brad Miller, TB @ BOS ($4,000)
Third Basemen
Nolan Arenado, COL @ SF ($4,300)*
This is a really cheap price for the best offensive third baseman in the game. Arenado has been playing well in San Francisco this series, and is hitting .389 in eighteen at-bats against Samardizija. These numbers are too hard to pass up, and makes Arenado a great start today.
Justin Turner, LAD vs ARI ($3,400)
For whatever reason, Turner’s price on Draftkings has dropped despite still hitting decently. Even though Turner doesn’t have any at-bats against Taijuan Walker, Walker’s ERA is 4.91 over the first two games. Turner is a great cheap option in a good lineup at third base.
Other Third Basemen I Like:
- Kris Bryant, CHC vs PIT ($4,600)
- Eduardo Nunez, SF vs COL ($3,600)
- Chase Headly, NYY vs STL ($3,100)
Shortstops
Brandon Crawford, SF vs COL ($3,200)*
Despite being rested a couple days this week, Crawford will be back in the lineup as the Giants need his offense. Crawford has been off to a hot start, hitting .325 this season with seven RBIs. Crawford is a great start for this cheap price, even with the lack of at-bats against Antonio Senzatela.
Corey Seager, LAD vs ARI ($4,300)
I don’t like a lot of the matchups for the premium shortstops, but Seager is an interesting option. Even though he has very few at-bats against Taijuan Walker, I like the lefty-righty matchup here for Seager. He will also get a good number of at-bats atop a strong lineup, which leads me to start Seager today.
Other Shortstops I Like
- Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM @ MIA ($3,600)
Outfielders
Nomar Mazara, TEX @ SEA ($3,200)*
Mazara has started off as one of the hottest hitters in the league, and still has a low price tag. Even though it’s a small sample size, Mazara is five of 11 against Iwakuma in his career. This is a cheap price for one of the hottest hitters in the game at this point of the season, so I’d strongly recommend starting Mazara.
Eric Thames, MIL @ CIN ($4,000)
Since coming back over to the states, Thames has been swinging a hot bat. In his first two games of the series against Cincinnati, Thames has averaged twenty-two fantasy points on Draftkings. Even though he doesn’t have experience against Sal Romano, Thames is a worthy risk in this hot stretch.
Other Outfielders I Like
- Nick Markakis, ATL vs SD ($3,500)
- George Springer, HOU @ OAK ($4,300)
- Adam Eaton, WAS vs PHI ($4,100)
- Khris Davis, OAK vs HOU ($3,800)
These picks are all likely candidates to have strong outing today in their respective matchups. For every position, I have added an asterisk to my favorite start at each position. This player has this mark because of the value they have in their matchup. Hopefully all these recommendations make sense, and you all can use this information to create your own winning lineups.
