Tonight we are working with a 10-game MLB DFS slate on FanDuel and a seven-game main slate on DraftKings. With three fewer games on FD, I tried to make a note of when a pick is FanDuel specific. Keep an eye on the weather reports for the Blue Jays-Twins, as it's supposed to pour early, putting it at risk of being delayed or postponed.
The Angels-Rangers game also has some risk because of hail. I have left the writeups in for those games, but I added a few extra in just in case either or both is postponed. There isn't much great pitching available today, though many SPs have been getting killed no matter the slate.
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MORE: Wednesday's SP rankings | Fantasy Alarm PRO tools
Today's MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel advice for Wednesday, April 17
| Pos | Player | Matchup | Opp. SP | DK | FD | Y! | Analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SP | C. Hamels (L) | CHI@MIA Wed 7:10 | S. Alcantara (R) | $9400 | $9000 | $47 | See below | |
| SP | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SP | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SP | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SP | L. Lynn (R) | LAA@TEX Wed 8:05 | M. Harvey (R) | $7500 | $7100 | $34 | UPGRADE | |
| C | B. Posey (R) | SF@WSH Wed 7:05 | J. Hellickson (R) | $3300 | $2500 | $9 | See below | |
| C | J. Phegley (R) | HOU@OAK Wed 10:07 | W. Miley (L) | $4000 | $2900 | $14 | UPGRADE | |
| C | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 1B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 1B | J. Smoak (B) | TOR@MIN Wed 7:40 | J. Odorizzi (R) | $4300 | $3600 | $18 | $4400 | |
| 1B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 1B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 1B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 2B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 2B | B. Lowe (L) | BAL@TB Wed 7:10 | D. Hess (R) | $4600 | $3800 | $19 | See below | |
| 2B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 2B | A. Frazier (L) | PIT@DET Wed 6:40 | S. Turnbull (R) | $4100 | $3000 | $19 | UPGRADE | |
| 2B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 3B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 3B | J. Donaldson (R) | ARI@ATL Wed 7:20 | Z. Godley (R) | $4300 | $4000 | $20 | See below | |
| 3B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 3B | E. Longoria (R) | SF@WSH Wed 7:05 | J. Hellickson (R) | $3300 | $2400 | $9 | UPGRADE | |
| 3B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| 3B | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SS | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SS | E. Andrus (R) | LAA@TEX Wed 8:05 | M. Harvey (R) | $5000 | $4200 | $20 | UPGRADE | |
| SS | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SS | M. Semien (R) | HOU@OAK Wed 10:07 | W. Miley (L) | $4200 | $3900 | $22 | See below | |
| SS | UPGRADE | |||||||
| SS | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | M. Kepler (L) | TOR@MIN Wed 7:40 | T. Thornton (R) | $4300 | $3800 | $21 | UPGRADE | |
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | S. Choo (L) | LAA@TEX Wed 8:05 | M. Harvey (R) | $4500 | $3800 | $19 | See below | |
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | UPGRADE | |||||||
| OF | UPGRADE |
Cole Hamels, SP, Cubs @ Marlins. Hamels struggled in his first start out of the gate, but he's been great since. In his past two starts he has thrown a total of 14 inning and struck out 11. In that span he hasn’t allowed a walk. He gets a bad Miami offense in the comfy confines of Marlins Park, making him my top play on both slates for cash games.
Buster Posey, C, Giants @ Nationals. It's not often you get to roster Posey so cheaply, but his early-season struggles have him priced low. Today isn’t a great slate for catchers on DK, so it may be best to find a cheap punt play with upside. Posey fits that bill.
MORE: Wednesday's MLB Betting Picks | Fantasy Alarm PRO Tools
Justin Smoak, 1B, Blue Jays @ Twins. Smoak seems to be over the neck stiffness that sidelined him a few games last week and has been walking more than he is striking out. Now that he is healthy, he should start jacking some more home runs. He gets a struggling Jake Odorizzi and is fairly priced on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Rays vs. Orioles. Lowe is hitting .286/.349/.554 with four home runs and two stolen bases for the Rays. Injuries have given him the playing time, and now that he has it, he is making the most of it. David Hess isn’t much of an obstacle for the Rays, so I will be firing a bunch of them up today.
Marcus Semien, SS, A's vs. Astros. The best options for SS today are in the risky weather games, so it may be best to punt the position. If you are looking for a non-punt solution, Semien is going up against Wade Miley and has been better over his career versus lefthanded pitching.
Josh Donaldson, 3B, Braves vs. Diamondbacks. Yeah, yesterday sucked, but Donaldson has turned it around as of late. After starting out slow, he is hitting .391/.517/.826 with two home runs over the past week. His exit velocity is in the top two percent of the league and his hard-hit percentage is in the top eight percent. Zack Godley has been hit or miss this season and could be good for a bomb against a hot Atlanta lineup.
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Rangers vs. Angels. Choo is perpetually underrated, but he leads off for the Rangers and is crushing the ball right now. His hard-hit percentage is in the top two percent of the league and exit velocity is in the top nine percent. He has raised his launch angle from six percent to almost 12 percent, so while the homers haven’t happened yet, they are coming. Matt Harvey should be able to help with that.
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