Matt Kemp plays in his first home game as a San Diego Padre Thursday. (Getty)
One of the reasons daily fantasy sports websites like FanDuel are so popular is because they cater to what you want.
These sites offer thousands of different contests with countless parameters. One example is being able to join a fantasy contest based only on night games. For instance, Thursday’s in Major League Baseball often feature day games.
You have a problem: you don’t have the time to get your lineup picked for those afternoon games.
But that isn’t a problem with FanDuel. You can enter a contest that includes only evening games. Pretty cool.
So here are our picks for a top lineup for Thursday night games only.
FanDuel uses the following parameters: You get a $35,000 cap to spend on 9 players – 1 pitcher, 1 catcher, 1 first baseman, 1 second baseman, 1 shortstop, 1 third baseman and 3 outfielders.
Hitters Scoring:
Single = +1 points
Double = +2 points
Triple = +3 points
Home Run = +4 points
Run Batted In = +1 points
Run = +1 points
Base on Balls = +1 points
Hit By Pitch = +1 points
Stolen Base = +2 points
Out = -.25 points
Pitchers Scoring:
Inning Pitched = +1 points (fractional scoring per out)
Strike Out = +1 points
Win = +4 points
Earned Run Allowed = -1 points
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Here are the best FanDuel lineup picks for April 8:
Pitchers
Tim Hudson, Giants, $7,500, at Padres
The ageless Hudson draws his first start of the season at Petco Park vs. the Padres. While the Pads have greatly improved their lineup, it’s still Petco and a pitchers paradise until proven otherwise. At that price, roll with Hudson.
Catcher
Buster Posey of the Giants. (Getty)
Buster Posey, Giants, $4,500, at Padres
Like I said above, Petco is a pitchers paradise, so why am I telling you to start a hitter there? Well, this has more to do with Posey being one players not phased by the spacious field. He kind of likes hitting vs. S.D. starter Ian Kennedy as well – .417 for his career.
First Base
Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. (Getty)
Mark Teixeira, Yankees, $3,300, vs. Blue Jays
This is more about the limited options for the night games rather than Teixeira’s hitting “prowess.” Tex has certainly lost a bit of that sweet swing. Regardless, he hit 18 of his 22 home runs in 2014 from the right side of the plate, where he’ll begin his evening with lefty Daniel Norris on the hill.
Second Base
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, $3,700, at Phillies
Pedrioa is clearly the best option for the evening games Thursday. He slugged two homers on Opening Day, a good sign the power swing that seemed to have vanished in recent seasons could be back.
Shortstop
Gregorio Petit, Yankees, $2,200, vs. Blue Jays
Petit is expected to draw the starts vs. left-handed pitching to begin the season. The Yanks face one today as mentioned above. It’s a risky play, but that price allows you to load up elsewhere.
Third Base
The Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson. (Getty)
Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays, $3,900, at Yankees
Donaldson is still looking for his first hit, but is coming off a monster spring. He faces CC Sabathia, a pitcher who is clearly on the decline. Donaldson is too much of a masher to stay hitless.
Outfield
Red Sox leadoff hitter Mookie Betts. (Getty)
Matt Kemp, Padres, $4,000, vs. Dodgers
The reason the Padres signed Kemp away from the Dodgers in the offseason is because he can actually hit at Petco Park. As an NL West rival Dodger, Kemp hit .325 with 3 homers there over the past 3 seasons. And he’s off to a hot start in 2015.
Mookie Betts, Red Sox, $3,500, at Phillies
The Red Sox new leadoff hitter is going to score some runs. The key for Betts will be to get on base. And he has shown the ability to do that in his short career. $3,500 is a great price for Betts on Thursday.
Jeff Francoeur, Phillies, $2,200, vs. Red Sox
Wait, what year is this? Yes, Francoeur is still in the league. And the other day he just hit his first home run in, I don’t know, a few years? Good news, he’ll get a chance to play now that Dominic Brown is on the DL. Don’t make a habit of using Frenchy
Total Lineup Salary: $34,800 of an allotted $35,000
Each day, we’ll give you the rundown of who to pick for a winning lineup, so stay with us the entire season.
Interested in playing daily fantasy baseball?
Click here to sign up for FanDuel.
Click here to sign up for DraftKings.
