The MLB season is in full swing and with a full slate of games beginning just after noon eastern time on Thursday it is the perfect opportunity for some DraftKings daily fantasy leagues competitions. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Thursday’s DraftKings MLB fantasy leagues.
SP: Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals
Gonzalez went 11-11 with a 4.57 ERA last season, but there is room for improvement this season given his overall ability. A strong start will be important and Gonzalez will open the season with a favorable matchup at home against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
SP: Rookie Davis, Cincinnati Reds
The Reds will lean on four rookie pitchers out of the gate this season and Davis is one of them. Davis flashed enough potential to earn a spot in the starting rotation and he has a favorable matchup at home against the Philadelphia Phillies. While he isn’t an elite play, Davis is worth the risk as a sleeper pick that could pay off big time in daily fantasy leagues.
C: Tony Wolters, Colorado Rockies
Salary: $3,100
Wolters opened the season by going 2-for-4 with two runs in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He has immense potential as a hitter and could deliver another strong performance for the Rockies on Thursday. He’ll be going against the Milwaukee Brewers and their start Chase Anderson. Anderson only made one start against the Rockies last season but he struggled in that outing. The Rockies batted .286 against him while scoring three runs in five innings (5.40 ERA).
1B: Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds
Salary: $4,200
Cincinnati should give its rookie pitcher Davis plenty of run support with Buchholz on the mound for Philadelphia. Duvall is an underrated play at first base. We are banking on a strong performance from him on Thursday.
2B: Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants
The Giants have been mediocre in the first week of the season but Joe Panik has been good. That’s all we care about as we’re playing MLB fantasy. We’re not betting the Giants to win the game outright. Taking a look at the numbers, Panik was batting .455 going into last night’s game and he went 1-for-4 on Wednesday night. He has three RBI’s and three runs scored so far. That’s pretty good. On Thursday, he’ll get to go up against Robbie Ray of the Diamondbacks. Ray was a putrid 8-15 last season while posting an ERA of 4.90 and a WHIP of 1.47. This is a good matchup for Panik to exploit, so insert him into your MLB fantasy lineups.
3B: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
Salary: $5,000
Arenado should continue his dominance at the hitter-friendly Miller Park on Thursday. Colorado gets a prime matchup against Anderson, so Arenado should shine against Milwaukee. The season is young but Arenado has been on fire already. He is batting a healthy .429 while posting a .556 on-base percentage. He has three runs and an RBI so far, and the power numbers should arrive shortly if he keeps connecting to the ball at this rate.
SS: Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
Salary: $4,500
The Dodgers have the potential to hit Padres starter Jered Weaever hard on Thursday. Seager should be in the mix among their top fantasy plays, especially considering his relatively low price tag in MLB fantasy contests.
OF: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Salary: $5,200
The outfield position is absolutely loaded but we still aren’t willing to pass on Trout. The Angeles should hit Andrew Triggs hard. Trout will lead the way with a monster performance on Thursday.
OF: Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
Salary: $5,200
Betts will look to build off a strong 2016 season in which he hit .318 with 31 home runs, 122 runs and 26 stolen bases. The 24-year-old is only starting to tap in to his immense potential. He should be in for a strong performance against Pirates starter Chad Kuhl.
OF: Chris Owings, Arizona Diamondbacks
Salary: $3,500
Owings is easy to overlook. However, he is a strong value pick in DraftKings competitions. Owings is 3-for-6 with an RBI in his career against Giants righy Jeff Samardzija. Considering his overall potential, Owings should be a solid value pick for Thursday’s DraftKings competitions.
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