Apr 17, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) looks back after allowing a two-run home run to Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson (L) during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

MLB Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks April 22

Welcome to the Friday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy column focused on providing analysis for the upcoming MLB FanDuel slate. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big pay day!

FanSided and FantasyCPR have you covered – For additional FanDuel MLB analysis, take a look at my fellow staff writer Matt Rogers FanDuel Economics column or Mike Marteny who provides Draft Kings MLB Picks analysis giving you the most in depth DFS coverage for tonight’s baseball slate.

Friday’s schedule kicks off with a  full slate at 7:05PM EST, so unlike Thursday we will only have one slate to choose from in our games but we still get plenty of FanDuel action!

I will continue to track winning GPP lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Wednesday gave us multiple slates and although the average winning score stayed roughly in line with trends, the winning salary pitchers in the two tournaments I captured were wildly different as we had Drew Pomeranz ($6,200) and Madison Bumgarner ($10,800). The average price continues to creep up as the top end starting pitchers are beginning to separate themselves with elite performances however Pomeranz is a great example of how a low owned bargain starter can net you a big pay day and becomes a great strategy for multi entry GPP play!

This is one of the simplest tools to help DFS players better understand how to compete in their games of choice and it continues to be an effective way to expand your bankroll.

Now on to the picks…