Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Giants vs. Padres Showdown on April 6

A loaded Tuesday MLB slate winds down in San Diego this evening, where the San Diego Padres play host to the San Francisco Giants in the second of their four-game set. Game one went to San Francisco in a nail-biter, and the Padres will look to avenge their loss despite losing Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder) for an indefinite period of time. Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your lineups for Tuesday night’s game.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Hidden Ball Trick [$2K to 1st] (SF vs SD)

San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres

Captain’s Picks

Yu Darvish ($17,400 CP) - Okay, so Darvish’s first outing didn’t go to plan, nor did his two starts back in 2019 against the Giants. Here’s what we know, though: Darvish, in his first start, struck out 26% of the batters he faced, racking up six strikeouts in just 4.2 innings. He also walked just one. The Giants have shown competence at the plate thus far, but are just outside the top 10 in strikeout rate at, you guessed it, 26%. There’s reason to expect the strikeout numbers should be there for Darvish once again, and San Francisco’s lineup has overachieved to this point and is due for some regression. I don’t expect Darvish to dominate here, but he may very well be the highest scorer in this game, as the right-hander will likely complete six or seven frames in a decent matchup.

Jake Cronenworth ($11,400 CP) - There’s literally nothing not to like about Cronenworth in this spot against a righty in Aaron Sanchez ($9,400). The 2020 NL Rookie of the Year has picked up right where he left off with a solid 9.6 DKFP per game and a .412 average, racking up three hits in five at-bats on Monday. Without Tatis in the lineup on Tuesday, Cronenworth will be the undisputed leadoff hitter, giving you a pretty-much guaranteed five plate appearances against a struggling right-hander and a mediocre bullpen. I like this hit machine’s chances of having another solid night, and he probably offers the highest floor of all the Padres hitters.

Value Plays

Tommy La Stella ($6,400) - The journeyman infielder is the Giants’ choice to lead off against right-handed pitching. The issue for La Stella is that the Giants have only faced one RHP through four games. He should get his second start of the season here and bring his high-contact bat to the top of the order against Darvish, his old teammate. His upside isn’t thrilling, but he should give you a good chance at 10.0 DKFP with a couple of hits. We touched on Darvish’s issues, and I don’t see him completely shutting down the Giants. With that, there should be a good chance La Stella’s involved in at least one run-scoring event.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tommy La Stella (back) has been scratched from the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Padres.

Alex Dickerson ($7,000) - Speaking of platoon guys who haven’t had much of a chance to play this season, let’s discuss Dickerson. The outfielder’s spot in the order is less exciting than La Stella’s, but what he lacks in plate appearance volume he makes up for in spades with his power potential and the matchup with Darvish. Dickerson is 3-for-6 lifetime with two doubles and a homer off of Darvish, and if he isn’t worth a look as a left-handed power bat against a righty, he’s worth a look for that stat alone.

Fades

Tommy Pham ($8,600) - I will continue fading Tommy Pham until he gives me a reason not to. He was intriguing earlier in the year when he was leading off or hitting third, but now that he’s back into the middle of the order, I see little reason to pay this kind of price for Pham. He had just a 45 wRC+ in 90 plate appearances against righties last year, a small sample, but an example of how he has declined a bit at the plate. You’re going to want to get some of these Padres bats in your lineup against Sanchez, but you can’t take them all. So, for me, Pham is an easy fade, particularly as expensive as he is.

The Outcome

I’m not sure this one will be pretty, but I expect the Padres to eke out a win even without Tatis in the lineup. Sanchez has fallen mightily after the bright start to his career, and his lack of swing-and-miss stuff against this lineup should really present an issue. On the other side, while I’m slightly concerned about Darvish, he should be able to navigate a very unassuming Giants lineup to earn a victory.

Final Score: San Diego 6, San Francisco 4

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Hidden Ball Trick [$2K to 1st] (SF vs SD)

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