This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There's eight games on the main slate for DFS purposes over at FanDuel. The first one starts at 6:35 p.m. EDT, which is only slightly earlier than the 7 p.m. starts that are common in the sporting world. You shouldn't have any issue getting your lineup in. Consider these recommendations when you are constructing your roster.
Pitching
Walker Buehler, LAD vs. CIN ($10,500): Buehler is a Cy Young favorite to many, and with good reason. He has a career 2.91 ERA, and he had a 2.47 ERA last season. Speaking of last season, the Reds finished in the top 10 in runs scored, but then tore their roster down during the offseason. They are more likely to finish in the bottom 10 than the top 10 in 2022.
Kyle Gibson, PHI at MIA ($9,800): Gibson's first start of the season was stellar as he pitched seven innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and striking out 10 batters. Granted, that was against the Athletics, but the Marlins may not be much better offensively and could be worse. After all, Miami ranked 29th in runs scored last year.
Casey Mize, DET at KC ($7,000): Will this be the year Mize turns the corner and lives up to his prospect status? Last season he had a 3.71 ERA, but struggled to strike out hitters. The Royals ranked 24th in runs scored in 2021, and at this salary I'd consider taking a shot on Mize's pedigree.
Top Targets
It's time for Kris Bryant ($4,000) to get his revenge on the Cubs, or something. Maybe he's just a guy with a career .504 slugging percentage who now plays his home games at Coors Field. The Cubs will be starting Justin Steele, who primarily pitched out of the bullpen as a lefty specialist last season, his first season in MLB.
While Miami starter Sandy Alcantara has been a solid pitcher, he's a righty who will be facing Bryce Harper ($3,900). Harper can feast off right-handed pitchers, and since 2020 he has a 1.070 OPS in that split. Alcantara had a 3.41 FIP last season, which was the best of his career, but that's not enough to discourage you from considering Harper.
Bargain Bats
Though he faded a bit as the season went on, Josh Bell ($3,100) put up strong numbers in his first season with the Nationals. He slashed .261/.347/.476 with 27 home runs. His former team, the Pirates, will be trotting out JT Brubaker, who has a career 5.36 ERA.
Let's flip that matchup around. In the two MLB seasons he's played in other than the COVID-19 season, Bryan Reynolds ($2,900) has hit over .300 and slugged over .500. Joan Adon has made two starts in his career, and his start this season saw him allow four runs in 4.1 innings.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Reds (Reiver Sanmartin): Trea Turner ($3,600), Justin Turner ($3,100), Chris Taylor ($3,100)
Sanmartin didn't allow a home run in his first start of the season, the third start of his career, which is about all you can say approaching a positive. He only lasted 2.1 innings, allowed four hits, five walks, and five runs. Now he has to face the Dodgers' elite lineup on the road. Since Sanmartin is a lefty, I have gone with three righties in this stack.
Trea Turner has stolen over 30 bases in each of his five full MLB seasons, and he's slugged .551 over the last two campaigns as well. Justin Turner – no relation – has averaged .290 in his career and hit 27 home runs in each of MLB's last two full seasons. Since 2020, Taylor has a .928 OPS at home and an .857 OPS against lefties.
Cubs vs. Rockies (Kyle Freeland): Bryant, Seiya Suzuki ($3,600), Ian Happ ($3,600), Frank Schwindel ($3,000)
Freeland started his career off not allowing a lot of home runs, which is impressive for a Rockie, but over the last three seasons he's allowed at least 1.15 homers per nine innings. Also, unsurprisingly, he has a 4.96 ERA at home since 2020. Like Sanmartin, he's a lefty, so I have recommended two righties plus a switch hitter in Happ.
Suzuki was the top free agent from Japan this winter, and so far he's been impressive in his debut MLB season. He's slashed .400/.524/1.000 with nine RBI. Happ has also been hot to start the year, as he's slashed .538/.625/.692. He'll slow down, of course, but last year he hit 25 homers and stole nine bases even with the bad luck of a .281 BABIP (his career number is .317). Last year in his first real taste of MLB action, Schwindel posted a 1.076 OPS versus lefties.
Angels vs. Rangers (Dane Dunning): Mike Trout ($4,100), Jared Walsh ($3,300), Brandon Marsh ($2,400)
Dunning's first start this season didn't go well, but he was facing the Blue Jays in Toronto so that's understandable. Nevertheless, in his first full season in the majors last year, and first season as a Ranger, Dunning posted a 4.51 ERA over 117.2 innings. He has a lot left to prove, and until he does I don't mind stacking against him.
Trout is Trout. Even last year the issue was staying healthy, not his form when in the lineup, as he put up a 1.090 OPS before injuries took him down. Walsh can't hit against lefties, but he's managed an 1.003 OPS versus righties since 2020, and Dunning is one of those righties. Marsh struggled a bit in his first MLB action last year, but against righties the southpaw managed a .726 OPS, which is at least mediocre. That being said, he's started this year with a .308/.471/.615 slash line.
