FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball: Best Picks for April 17

Former Royal Billy Butler returns to Kansas City Friday night. (Getty)

When going through Friday’s MLB schedule, I found a handful of batter/pitcher matchups to exploit.

There are some struggling and middle-of-the-road hurlers on the mound tonight, so you need to take advantage of them.

– Arizona’s Josh Collmenter does not have his best stuff at the moment. Load up on your Giants.
– Ubaldo Jimenez had a great game for Baltimore in his first go, but the Red Sox pose problems for him.
– Colorado’s Kyle Kendrick came back to earth after a dominant first start. Advantage Dodgers here.

The key to a money-making FanDuel lineup is finding the pitchers who get tagged. The three above are a good bet tonight.

**My lineup is for a night game only FanDuel contest**

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 17:

Pitcher

Joe Kelly held the Yankees to 1 hit and 1 run in his first start. (Getty)

Joe Kelly, Red Sox, $6,000, vs. Orioles.

Kelly (1-0, 1.29 ERA) is coming off a stellar performance vs. the Yankees, allowing just 1 hit and 1 run over 7 innings. He gets the Orioles, who can hit, but they never have vs. Kelly; the right-hander held them to 9 base knocks in 13 1/3 innings in 2014. If last year is any indication, the Red Sox should jump all over O’s starter Ubaldo Jimenez, so if Kelly can limit the damage, a W is very possible.

Catcher

Buster Posey, Giants, $4,200, vs. Diamondbacks

Posey’s price tag is a bit high, but he’ll be totally worth it Friday. The C/1B is 11 for 20 (.550) with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs vs. D-backs starter Josh Collmenter. Posey has made a habit of terrorizing the Arizona staff.

First Base

Billy Butler, A’s, $3,300, at Royals

Butler returns to Kansas City, where the former Royal is a career .312 hitter. Butler is off to a hot start with his new team – .359 and has hit in all 10 games. He’ll be fired up to put on a good show at Kauffman Stadium.

Second Base

Dustin Pedroia is hitting .300 with 3 home runs. (Getty)

Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, $3,400, vs. Orioles

Pedroia is heating up – he’s 5 for his last 8 with a homer. And his immediate future is bright as he is 7 for 17 vs. Baltimore righty Ubaldo Jimenez. Despite a down season in 2014, Pedroia still battered Baltimore to the tune of .351 (20 for 57).

Shortstop

Jed Lowrie leads the Astros with 3 homers. (Getty)

Jed Lowrie, Astros, $3,400, vs. Angels

Lowrie doesn’t light up Angels starter Jered Weaver (7 for 22 with a homer and 7 RBIs), but he does well enough. This is more about Weaver’s early season struggles. Lowrie will be hitting from the left side, where batters are 10 for 23 with 2 HRs vs. the righty.

Third Base

Jake Lamb, Diamondbacks, $3,000, at Giants

Lamb came into April like a lion and has been roaring since. He’s hitting .409 and will be a mainstay in the lineup as long as he’s hitting (against right-handers like Giants starter Jake Peavy, at least). The price is right and while it’s early, it’s always good to see a young hitter walk more than he strikes out.

Outfield

Nelson Cruz has homered in 5 straight games. (Getty)

Nelson Cruz, Mariners, $4,800, vs. Rangers

Cruz has homered in 5 straight games (6 total). He faces the Rangers and righty Yovani Gallardo tonight and all he does is hit bombs off the ex-Brewer. Seriously. Two at-bats, two homers. OK, not a very big sample size, but Cruz is absolutely locked in so don’t be surprised if he goes yard once again.

Angel Pagan, Giants, $3,400, vs. Diamondbacks

Like his teammate Posey, Pagan has ripped Collmenter apart – 7 for 12 (.583) with 2 RBIs. And considering Collmenter is allowing opposing hitters a .442 average thus far, it’s safe to say the Snakes starter isn’t in midseason form yet (or maybe he is?). Pagan hit .488 vs. Arizona in 2014.

Kevin Kiermaier, Rays, $2,900, vs. Yankees

Kiermaier has been a pleasant surprise for the Rays (.344 with 2 homers). And at that price, he’s been a mainstay in my FanDuel lineup – against righties, at least. Kiermaier faces one Friday night in the Yankees’ Adam Warren.

Total Lineup Salary: $35,000 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.

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