This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
After a successful opening week, MLB's weird scheduling is finally starting to kick in. This is actually the smallest slate of the season so far, with only four games making up this Thursday card. That doesn't leave us with many options, but there are still two pitchers we love. With that in mind, let's get started with those guys and then dive into the bats!
Pitching
Pablo Lopez, MIN vs. CLE ($10,600)
We actually had Lopez in last week's article, and we have to go back to him on this tiny Thursday card. He's clearly the best arm available, accruing a 3.57 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over the last three years. He backed that up with seven one-run innings in his 2024 debut, dropping 49 FanDuel points against the Royals. The Guardians aren't much better than the Royals, with Cleveland ranked 27th in both OPS and runs scored last season. That was crystal clear when Pablo provided two quality starts in his final two matchups with the Guardians last season. We also don't mind that Pablo is a -165 favorite in a game with a 7.5-run total.
Lance Lynn, STL vs. MIA ($8,500)
I'm bullish on Lynn having a bounce-back season because pitching in Busch Stadium for the Cards is a much better situation than getting shelled in Chicago with the White Sox. We saw glimpses of who he could be when he got traded to the Dodgers last year, scoring at least 30 FanDuel points in eight of his final 11 starts. That's on par with the 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP between 2019 and 2022, which we expect him to return to this season. A home matchup with Miami is the icing on the cake, with the Marlins ranked 26th in runs scored last year. That's why Lynn is a -160 favorite!
Top Targets
Bobby Witt, KC (vs. Michael Soroka) $4,100
Witt was one of the first players taken in fantasy drafts for a reason. He collected 30 homers and 49 steals in an outstanding 2023 season, which made him one of the highest-scoring players in DFS. He also scored at least 18 FanDuel points in three of his last four fixtures. He's one of the only hitters with a 40-point upside, and that's even more likely against a pitcher like Soroka. We'll dive into his numbers later on when we talk about a potential KC stack!
Paul Goldschmidt, STL (vs. Ryan Weathers) $3,500
This Cardinals offense has struggled in the opening week, but Goldy is going to get them going. The perennial All-Star has a .381 OBP, .507 SLG and .888 OPS over the last five years. He's actually never had an OPS below .800 in his 14-year career, and he's been slaughtering southpaws as well. Since 2022, Goldy has a .442 OBP, .607 SLG and 1.048 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Those are some of the best splits in baseball, and we'll discuss Weathers later on!
Bargain Bats
Joey Meneses, WAS (vs. Martin Perez) $2,800
Meneses has some disappointing power for a first baseman that bats in the heart of a lineup, but he's good value in a matchup like this. Joey has a .289 AVG and .773 OPS throughout his career, hitting .313 through the opening week of this season. That's all you can hope for from such an affordable player, especially since he has a .353 OBP, .498 SLG and .851 OPS against lefties over the last three years. A matchup with Perez should help add to those outstanding splits, with the southpaw sporting a 4.43 ERA and 1.44 WHIP throughout his career.
Rowdy Tellez, PIT (vs. Josiah Gray) $2,700
Rowdy has always been a great option whenever he faces right-handers, always batting fourth or fifth in those circumstances. That's what we expect in Pittsburgh this season, with Tellez tallying a .765 OPS against right-handers over the last three years. He also homered in the one start against a righty a few days ago and shouldn't have any issues against a gas can like Gray. The Nats righty allowed seven runs in his 2024 debut, allowing 79 homers over the last three years en route to a 4.64 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Stacks to Consider
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. Weathers): Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado ($3,000), Willson Contreras ($2,700)
We already mentioned Goldy and his superb splits, but Arenado is right there with him. The All-Star third baseman has been slow to get going, but he still has a .374 OBP, .582 SLG and .955 OPS against left-handers throughout his career. That's huge since he's starting to get going, picking up a hit in five straight games. Contreras is actually the hottest Cards bat, homering in two of his last three games. He's one of the only catchers we like using in DFS, posting a .906 OPS against lefties last year.
All of these guys would be stupendous options against any southpaw, but Miami's Weathers is one we want to exploit. The journeyman has a 5.91 ERA and 1.54 WHIP throughout his four-year career. He's been even worse over the last three seasons, totaling a 6.75 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. That's why the Cards are projected to score nearly five runs, one of the highest totals on this slate.
Kansas City Royals (vs. Soroka): Witt, Salvador Perez ($3,100), Vinnie Pasquantino ($2,700)
It's rare that we stack the Royals, but that's what we need to do on such a small slate. This team actually has a solid top half of the lineup, with these three being great DFS options at their respective positions. We already talked about how wonderful Witt is, but Perez has been one of the best catchers over the last five years. In fact, Salvy has 94 homers over the last three years, flirting with a .500 SLG in that span. He's also homered in two of his last three games and has one of the highest ceilings of any catcher out there. Vinnie P has yet to get going at this level, but we're going to trust the pedigree. The first baseman is projected to be a force, providing a .382 OBP and .951 OPS throughout his minor league career.
It's sad that we're at this point with Soroka, but injuries have destroyed his career. The former Atlanta pitcher allowed four runs across five innings in his ChiSox debut against the Detroit Tigers and had a 6.40 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in a nightmarish 2023 season. The Royals have a much better lineup than the Motor City Kitties, making them an enticing stack against a pitcher we can't trust anymore.
