This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
My most recent article was my best of the season. We had the Cubs as our favorite stack of the day, and they went on to score 18 runs against an atrocious A's pitching staff. We're rarely going to hit like that, but it has me excited to keep rolling here. With that said, we only have five games making up this Thursday slate. That leaves the options extremely thin, but we should be able to find some good DFS options among those 10 teams.
Pitching
Hunter Brown, HOU at MIN ($10,000)
It was challenging to pick a pitcher, but this Brown-Joe Ryan ($9,400) matchup is definitely the pitching duel of the day. We expect both guys to have solid outings, but Brown has the better matchup. Let's start there because the Twins have been terrible through the opening weeks. Minnesota ranks dead-last in runs scored, OBP, OPS and wOBA. They actually have a wOBA below .200, somehow! That's scary against a breakout pitcher like Brown, who posted a 2.32 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.2 K/9 rate over his final 13 starts last year. He also dropped 37 FanDuel points in the opener and should cruise to a quality start with how poor Minnesota has been.
Top Targets
Corbin Carroll, ARI ($3,900) vs. Carlos Carrasco
Carroll had the worst stretch of his career in the first half of last season, but something changed in the second half. That appears to have carried over, with Carroll compiling a .391 OBP and .917 OPS through the opening week of the year. He'll get a boost from the platoon advantage against Carrasco, as he's posted an .850 OPS against righties over the last three years. Cookie Carrasco has been crumbling too, collecting a 5.36 ERA and 1.45 WHIP since 2021. Ketel Marte ($3,700) and Josh Naylor ($3,100) are great pairings with Carroll if you want to stack the D'Backs.
Brenton Doyle, COL ($3,200) vs. Taijuan Walker
Doyle had a breakout season in Colorado last year, and it's hard to believe he's barely $3K against a guy like Walker. The Phillies pitcher has a 5.27 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over the last two years. That's awesome since Doyle is coming off a three-hit gem in his most recent outing. That's the Top 10 outfielder we saw in the second half of last season, and hitting in Philly is similar to a Coors Field environment. Don't be afraid to stack against Walker, with Ezequiel Tovar ($3,100), Ryan McMahon ($2,900) and Hunter Goodman ($2,700) looking like the best options.
Bargain Bats
Rhys Hoskins, MIL ($2,900) vs. Nick Lodolo
Whenever Hoskins gets a matchup with a lefty, we want to use him. This masher has been smashing southpaws throughout his career, sporting a .387 OBP and .895 OPS against them. That's why he's projected to hit cleanup, which is the optimal spot against a lefty with a 4.48 career ERA and 1.28 WHIP. We also like using William Contreras ($3,200) and Jackson Chourio ($2,900) against the lefty.
TJ Friedl, CIN ($2,800) vs. Nestor Cortes
We'll dive into a Cincy stack later on, but Friedl is the best per-dollar play of the bunch. The best part is the lineup spot, with Friedl projected to hit leadoff. That's the best lineup spot for DFS, especially since this guy has 13 and 21 FD points in two of four games this year. We saw this outfielder provide 18 homers and 27 steals as the everyday leadoff hitter in his last full season, and we love that he has a .383 OBP against lefties since then. Cortes couldn't be a better matchup, and we'll dive into that later on!
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Rockies (Antonio Senzatela): Bryce Harper ($4,100), Kyle Schwarber ($4,000), Trea Turner ($3,700)
Stacking against the Rockies feels unfair, but it's something you can expect to see all season. This club is always at the bottom in ERA and WHIP, which will likely be the case when looking at this pitiful pitching staff. Senzatela is one of those guys that gets sent to the wolves every five days, posting a 5.01 ERA and 1.71 WHIP since 2022. That's horrifying against a Top 5 Philly offense, and you can stack this team whichever way you please.
We'll kickstart our stack with Harper because he's always hated the Rockies. He called them a joke organization a few years ago, and has posted a .411 OBP and 1.040 OPS in nearly 300 plate appearances against them. He also has a .399 career OBP and .945 OPS against righties, which should also benefit Schwarber. Schwarbs is projected to hit leadoff, tallying a .350 OBP and .853 OPS since 2021. Turner is the only guy who doesn't hit from the left side, but he has a .500 AVG and 1.083 OPS in 12 at-bats against the Rockies righty.
Reds at Brewers (Nestor Cortes): Elly De La Cruz ($4,300), Matt McLain ($3,200), Friedl ($2,800)
Alternatives: Spencer Steer ($2,800) and Christian Encarnacion-Strand ($2,600)
Cortes is a fun pitcher to watch at times, but we have to stack this righty-heavy lineup against him after the dud he showcased in his debut. The lefty allowed five homers and eight runs through two disastrous innings in his first start for the Brewers. That's hard to fathom, but it's less surprising when evaluating his 4.97 ERA in 2023.
We have to start the Cincy stack with De La Cruz. This is simply one of the best players in DFS, averaging 18.4 FanDuel points per game in a magical start to the season. McLain is right there with him, averaging 16.7 FD points per game through the opening week. He also has the platoon advantage against Cortes, which is the case for the rest of these guys outside of De La Cruz. McLain has a .381 OBP and 1.006 OPS against lefties since his call-up, while Steer has a .350 OBP and .805 OPS in that same span. Encarnacion-Strand is in the same boat, and he's a great alternative if you want to save some money!
