This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The Wednesday evening slate appears top-heavy on the bump, with five pitchers checking in north of $8,000. The arms appear to drop off dramatically after that, however, giving this seven-game featured contest the chance for big scoring totals if you can match the right ace with an offensive stack or two.
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PITCHER
Alex Wood, LAD vs. OAK ($8,800): A year after ranking 25th with a .305 wOBA and 90 wRC+ against lefties, things haven't improved for the A's in the early going, as they've tied the Indians for a league-low .260 wOBA and 60 wRC+ over 118 plate appearances. Mix in a 24.3 percent strikeout rate and a game that features an over/under of 7.5, with the Dodgers being heavily favored, and Wood comes with a seemingly very stable floor and upside to boot.
GPP Fade: David Price, BOS vs. NYY ($8,600): Price hasn't allowed a run through his first two starts, and the Yankees haven't been the offensive juggernaut many expected out of the gate. Plus, a matchup with Masahiro Tanaka has the makings of a pitchers duel. So why fade Price? Those reasons figure to lead to high ownership, and Price has only fanned five batters in each of his starts, relying on working into the seventh frame and collecting wins to provide 40 point upside. He has a 5.68 ERA over the last three years against New York, allowing 45 runs while striking out 58 over 71.1 innings, giving me enough pause to look elsewhere.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Nick Pivetta, PHI vs. CIN ($7,500): This may not be the definition of cheap, but the pitching options really fall off after Pivetta, unless you're willing to gamble on Zack Wheeler against the Marlins. This game has a low total of 7.5, largely due to the Reds' struggling offense that has scored 31 runs over 10 games, the third-lowest total to date. For whatever reason, Pivetta has dramatic home/road splits in his brief career. The 4.91/6.66 ERA split won't move the needle, but he's allowed a .332 wOBA while striking out 28.7 percent at home against .378/20.5 percent road marks, suggest there's 30-plus point upside Wednesday.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Joey Gallo, TEX vs. LAA ($3,600): The feast-or-famine nature of Gallo's approach make him a far better tournament play, and we're obviously taking a gamble he'll go yard, something he did 34 times off righties in 2017 (with seven against southpaws). He had a 55.6 percent flyball rate against righties at home, with 32.7 percent of those leaving the yard, and has an inviting matchup against rookie Jaime Barria, who is likely to be overmatched having thrown only 16.2 innings above Double-A.
SECOND BASE
Starlin Castro, MIA vs. NYM ($3,100): I don't have a lot of faith in Wheeler for the Mets. He had a 5.21 ERA last year and simply hasn't been a quality pitcher since missing the 2015 season due to injury. He allowed a .380 wOBA to righties on the road in 2017, and while Castro's .332 wOBA and 105 wRC+ against righties a year ago may keep his upside in check, his spot in the three-hole should give him run-producing chances against Wheeler.
THIRD BASE
Adrian Beltre, TEX vs. LAA ($3,200): Unless you're willing or wanting to pay to dollar at the hot corner, there are matchups and/or upside concerns with most of the options at this position in the sub-$4,000 range. Beltre offers stability, having hit safely in five straight and six of his past seven. While his power isn't what it once was, there is still plenty of juice in his tank for a player who posted a .412 wOBA and 156 wRC+ at home against righties in 2017.
SHORTSTOP
Scott Kingery, PHI vs. CIN ($3,200): Kingery has been nearly automatic when he's in the lineup, producing at least 12 fantasy points in six of his seven starts. Considering the game comes with a 7.5 run total, if we're willing to gamble on Pivetta, it stands to reason the Phillies offense will be cranking against Luis Castillo's 9.00 ERA.
OUTFIELD
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. TEX ($3,900): At under $4,000, it seems hard to pass on Ohtani in his return to his DH role, even if he's hitless in his brief career against lefties. We've seen the power upside, and a matchup with Matt Moore is enticing as Moore allowed a .438 wOBA to lefties last year, a number that rose to .539 on the road, where he had a 7.22 ERA.
Odubel Herrera, PHI vs. CIN ($3,000): I continue to believe that cheap exposures to the Phillies lineup Wednesday is a sound approach. Herrera should get plenty of hittable pitches with Rhys Hoskins in the batting order behind him, and he's seeing the ball well with nine hits in his last 19 at-bats. The price speaks to Herrera's lack of power, but not his double-digit scoring potential.
Curtis Granderson, TOR at BAL ($2,800): Granderson's become a platoon guy, which works just fine when facing Kevin Gausman on Wednesday. Granderson posted a .343 wOBA and 114 wRC+ last year against righties in 2017, whom he hit 21 of his 26 long balls against. Gausman counters having allowed a .361 wOBA and 2.27 homers per nine innings to opposite-handed bats a year ago.
UTILITY
Cody Bellinger, LAD vs. OAK ($3,500): The entire Dodgers offense continues to slump, but Bellinger offers plenty of upside at this price after putting up a .383 wOBA, 140 wRC+ and .323 ISO against righties a year ago. A's starter Daniel Mengden hasn't proven capable of getting major-league hitters out, owning a 5.36 career ERA over 126.0 innings with a sub-20 percent strikeout rate.
