This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We hit the middle of the week with nine games taking place Wednesday evening. At this point teams have assessed and accepted their situations this season, be they playoff locks, contenders, or afterthoughts. In DFS, though, every day is a new opportunity. Here are my recommendations for your lineups.
MLB DFS Pitchers for Wednesday on FanDuel
Justin Verlander, HOU vs. TEX ($11,300): Verlander is elite, from his 1.73 ERA to his 15-3 record. He's effectively always worth his lofty salary. However, a matchup at home versus the Rangers is not terribly imposing either. Texas is in the middle of the pack in terms of runs scored but has a team OBP hovering around .300. Few teams would keep me away from Verlander, and the Rangers aren't one of them.
Aaron Civale, CLE at DET ($6,500): Civale has had a tough season, though his 4.22 FIP is definitely better than his 6.17 ERA. In some matchups, I'd be fading him, but in this one I'll consider some exposure to the right-hander. The Tigers are last in runs scored and team OPS. They have only managed 65 home runs all season. If ever there was a time to take a shot on Civale, it's this one.
Top FanDuel MLB DFS Targets
Though C.J. Cron ($4,100) has been cold lately, an eight-game road trip may not have helped. He's had a tough year away from Coors Field, but at home Cron has a .979 OPS and has slugged .615. Since 2020, Jose Quintana has let righties hit .280 against him, and he has a 5.22 ERA on the road this season as well.
In his first season with Atlanta, Matt Olson ($3,500) has had his ups and downs, but 21 home runs and 36 doubles in 110 games is still going to satisfy most investors. The lefty also has an .860 OPS versus righties. Nick Pivetta is right-handed, and in his career he has a 5.05 ERA. That's in part because he's allowed 1.50 home runs per nine innings.
Best FanDuel MLB DFS Bargain Bats
There's not a ton of power in the bat of Josh Rojas ($3,000), but he's hit .273 with a .344 OBP. Plus, he has six home runs and 13 stolen bases. Mitch Keller has a 5.32 ERA in his career, and since 2020 lefties have hit .304 against him.
While Lourdes Gurriel ($2,900) is a righty, he's done better against his fellow righties. In those matchups, he has an .820 OPS since 2020. Conversely, in his career Dean Kremer has been roughed up by his fellow righties. Even this season, where he's gone from "terrible" to "mediocre," he's given up a .308 average to right-handed batters.
FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks to Consider
Cardinals at Rockies (Kyle Freeland): Nolan Arenado ($4,300), Tyler O'Neill ($3,500), Dylan Carlson ($3,100)
I mentioned Coors Field earlier, so I'm going back to that well for a stack. Unsurprisingly, Freeland has a 5.05 ERA at home since 2020. On the road, he doesn't allow a lot of home runs, but at home he has given up 1.4 home runs per nine innings over the last three years. It's time to take advantage of the Cardinals' trip to Colorado.
This is something of a homecoming for Arenado, the longtime Rockie. Leaving Coors hasn't hurt the third baseman, as he's slashing .300/.369/.550 with 22 home runs. O'Neill had 34 home runs and 15 stolen bases last season and has six homers and eight stolen bases this season. He's taken a step back, but he has mostly struggled at home. This year he has a .757 OPS in home games. Carlson hasn't lived up to this prospect status yet… except against lefties. In his career, the switch hitter has a .900 OPS versus southpaws.
Astros vs. Rangers (Glenn Otto): Yordan Alvarez ($4,300), Kyle Tucker ($3,500), Trey Mancini ($3,000)
Otto had a 9.26 ERA in six starts last season, but over a larger sample size he's posted better numbers -- through 16 starts in 2022 he has a 5.31 ERA. Which, you know, is still bad. He's also given up five home runs over his last four outings, which plays into the hands of Houston's homer-happy lineup.
Few hitters wield a bat quite like Alvarez. He's slashing .297/.403/.630 with 30 home runs in 94 games this year and has a career .975 OPS. Tucker has racked up 19 home runs and 16 stolen bases, and since 2020 he has an .890 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. The Astros recently added Mancini to their lineup. He's slashed .270/.334/.465 in his career and has hit at least 21 home runs in each of his full MLB seasons.
