This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
'Tis the time of the year when fantasy players have to also become meteorologists. Those proverbial April showers have become literal. Sure, eventually they will lead to May flowers. But for now, they just lead to disarray in the MLB schedule. Be careful to keep an eye on the weather before making your decision. Fortunately, there are plenty of places to check on the weather in this modern era. Keep your fingers crossed for no rain, and here are some more suggestions for your daily fantasy lineup.
PITCHING
Willing to drop big bucks on a pitcher? Then James Paxton ($52) is your guy. He may have a 3.91 ERA in his first year as a Yankee, but his 3.11 FIP and 12.13 K/9 rate are both encouraging. Plus, he's posted a career 3.18 FIP and is coming off a stellar start against the Red Sox. Kansas City ranked 25th in runs scored last year and its offense is pretty punchless, at least on the power front.
Chris Archer ($45) is back from his suspension, and he's got quite the matchup to take advantage of. The Giants own one of the worst offenses in the league on a per-game basis, and you shouldn't be surprised. After all, they ranked 29th in runs scored last year. If you want a cheaper option, there's Joey Lucchesi ($36) of the Padres. He enters with a 5.06 ERA, but that number drops to 2.60 at home. Petco Park is always a nice place to pitch. As for the Reds, they currently have the worst team batting average in the majors.
KEY VALUE/CHALK
Pete Alonso ($26) is already becoming a bat you want in your lineup, whether you are the Mets or a fantasy player. He's shown a ton of power, including hitting seven homers in 20 games. Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson was impressive out of the bullpen last season, but his jump to the rotation has not gone great - as his 8.24 FIP will show.
There are too many injuries on the Yankees to stack them, but a few good players remain healthy. There's Gleyber Torres ($18), who posted an .868 OPS at home as a rookie last season. He also hit 24 homers in 123 games. That's worth noting, because Royal starter Jorge Lopez has given up 1.22 homers per nine innings in his career.
Minnesota's Max Kepler ($18) can't hit lefties, but that doesn't matter with righty Dylan Bundy on the mound. Also, Bundy is terrible with a career 4.81 FIP and a 7.51 FIP in 2019. The German-born outfielder comes in with a .779 OPS versus right-handed pitching since 2017, and this is the kind of matchup that should have any southpaw salivating.
STACKS
Shelby Miller has barely been able to pitch the last three seasons and, when he has, it's been ugly. He's struggled to a 9.00 ERA through three starts this year, and home games in Texas only get harder as the year goes on. So the fact the Rangers' in-state rivals the Astros are in town is a prime opportunity for a stack. I know I don't have to twist your arm to get you to consider Jose Altuve ($26) or Alex Bregman ($26), but the recommendations go beyond that. With a righty on the mound, you can consider giving Josh Reddick ($16) a go. Also, could this be a Robinson Chirinos ($20) revenge game after so many years with the Rangers?
Jon Gray isn't a bad pitcher, but Coors Field is always a tricky place to pitch. In particular, he's had an issue with home runs recently. Last year, his HR/9 rate rose to 1.41 and he's at 1.37 this season. Bryce Harper ($27) and Rhys Hoskins ($27) are both power bats who can take advantage of a ballpark like Coors. If you're willing to spend money on catcher, J.T. Realmuto ($23) has a career slash line of .279/.327/.441. Lastly, this is a place to consider Maikel Franco ($21), who has six homers in 20 games to start the year.
