This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A somewhat reduced 10-game slate awaits Tuesday evening's FanDuel main contest. There's an elite three-pitcher upper echelon, followed by just two additional arms in the $9,000 tier. Five of the 20 pitching options are true payups, which is going to lead to plenty of offensive options and some pretty diverse builds for tournaments. Atlanta is the only team without a currently listed starter.
Cubs-Giants has the highest run total on the slate at 11.5, with nothing else coming in at double-digits. That was a surprise until we check the weather, and it looks as though winds will be blowing out at Wrigley some 15 mph. Wind looks favorable in Kansas City as well. We're hot and dry across most of this slate.
Pitching
Gerrit Cole, NYY vs. DET ($11,500): Paying a premium for an arm seems to make sense Tuesday. The lack of pitching depth should lead to some value bats, and it should also lead to a stable anchor. Cole just faced Detroit, earning a win and quality start while fanning seven across six innings and earning 43 FDP. The Tigers won't have Riley Greene (elbow), arguably their best offensive option, and come with a .296 wOBA, 86 wRC+ and 24.8 percent strikeout rate against righties.
Brady Singer, KC vs. CWS ($8,300): Singer wasn't in great form before hitting the paternity list, allowing eight runs and 18 hits across just 7.2 innings, but he was borderline elite across six prior outings, showing a 30 FDP floor. The matchup is the target here. The White Sox are clearly done with this season and rank 28th against righties with a .292 wOBA, adding an 82 wRC+ and 23.4 percent strikeout rate. Singer earned 31 FDP in an earlier meeting with this lineup, and while he's allowing a .290 BA against them lifetime, it comes with only a .662 OPS and a reasonable 22.9 percent strikeout rate. He's priced favorably enough where a 4x return isn't unrealistic, and a 48.4 percent groundball rate helps ease wind concerns.
Brandon Pfaadt, ARI vs. COL ($7,300): Much is made about how woeful the Rockies are off lefties, but truth be told, they're just woeful in general offensively. They come in with a targetable 24.8 percent strikeout rate off righties with just an 82 wRC+. Pfaadt has shown 40+ FDP upside, and the matchup suggests it's in play here. He's also shown incredible vulnerability, making for the ultimate risk/reward GPP target.
Top Targets
Diamondback bats are priced favorably and in a smash spot against Kyle Freeland, who is allowing a .388 wOBA and .930 OPS to righties outside of Coors Field. Queue up Christian Walker ($3,600) without hesitation. He has a .405 wOBA, 157 wRC+ and .353 ISO off lefties, and is an okay 7-for-28 (.250) off Freeland with two homers. Ketel Marte ($3,400) is also viable, with a .366 wOBA and 131 wRC+ off lefties as well as a nice 13-for-44 (.325) with three long balls off Freeland.
We don't know the Padres' pitching plans, but it doesn't matter for Trea Turner ($3,900). He's riding a 15-game hitting streak that seen him collect multiple knocks nine times. 10 of the 22 homers he's hit all season have come over this stretch. He's locked in and should be in all builds.
Bargain Bats
It makes sense to grab shares from both sides in Chicago if we're believing the game turns into a shootout. Sean Manaea looks like he'll get bulk relief innings for the Giants, putting Jeimer Candelario ($3,100) on radars. he's homered in two of his last three, and has a .441 wOBA, 183 wRC+ and .296 ISO off lefties since joining the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki ($2,800) has seven hits, including five for extra bases, in his last five games. On the other side, Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks has been more getable by lefties at home, something the Giants have plenty of. LaMonte Wade ($2,600) is priced favorably for a leadoff hitter, though he lacks power upside. Joc Pederson ($2,600) does not lack that pop.
If sticking with some wind-aided power for value options, MJ Melendez ($2,700) works. He's got eight hits in as many games, has taken Dylan Cease deep once in nine at-bats, and Cease has been more vulnerable on the road, allowing a 5.37 ERA (though a 3.82 xFIP) and a .367 wOBA to lefties.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Miles Mikolas: Matt Olson ($4,100), Marcell Ozuna ($3,700), Eddie Rosario ($2,900)
Outside of Ronald Acuna ($4,800), we've actually got favorable pricing in this Atlanta offense that we always want pieces of nightly. And there's a lot of head to head success throughout the lineup off Mikolas, and within the three featured here. Mikolas has allowed 19 runs and 27 hits across his last four starts, spanning 23.0 innings. This trio is a combined 10-for-22 (.455) with four homers and six RBI off of him. They'll hit 4-5-6, putting them in a position to feast with the top three getting on base in front of them. Rosario's low price makes this doable even while paying for a top arm.
Orioles vs. Reid Detmers: Ryan Mountcastle ($3,300), Adley Rutschman ($3,100), Ryan O'Hearn ($2,600)
Detmers has really struggled, posting just one quality start since July 2 and allowing at least four runs in four of his last eight. That's great news for Baltimore's lineup, a group that has numerous plus options against southpaws. Mountcastle has a .448 wOBA, 191 wRC+ and .344 ISO, O'Hearn sits at .413/167/.450 and Rutschman .393/153/.173. All are in solid form and should hit around each other. We'll just need to confirm O'Hearn draws the start, but there are enough options at similar prices that we can easily pivot.
