This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Got one eye on the start of the college football season right around the corner? I get it (especially if you live in, say, Miami). However, don't forget about MLB here in August, and especially MLB DFS. There are seven games starting at 7:07 p.m. EDT or later. Yankees-Angels has been removed from the slate because it is now a doubleheader. If you aren't as locked in, don't worry, because I am. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Tarik Skubal, DET at SEA ($11,100): As a Tigers fan, one of the only things of note left for me to follow is Skubal's quest to win the Cy Young. He has a 2.57 ERA and 6.23 K/BB rate through 22 starts, and the Mariners should help him pad his resume. It's not just that the Mariners are in the bottom five in runs scored. Seattle has struck out more than any MLB team.
Taj Bradley, TAM at STL ($10,800): The Rays are worse offensively than the Cardinals, but the Cardinals aren't exactly formidable. They are in the bottom 10 in runs scored as well. Bradley is a better pitcher than Erick Fedde, and that's why I opted for him over his counterpart. The hard-throwing righty has a 2.71 ERA, a 10.74 K/9 rate, and has held right-handed hitters to an .155 average.
Top Target
In his first season as a Dodger, Teoscar Hernandez ($3,500) has slugged .498 at home. Over the last three week he has a .950 OPS as well. Tyler Phillips has seem limited MLB action, but one thing stands out to me. His fellow righties have hit .302 against him and he's allowed five homers to righties after facing only 52 of them.
Quietly, Vladimir Guerrero ($3,500) has a .317/.391/.537 slash like with 22 homers and 29 doubles. He has an 1.105 OPS against lefties and a .957 OPS at home. If you thought that somehow Trevor Rogers was going to become a good pitcher just because he left Miami for Baltimore, the lefty allowed five runs in 4.1 innings in his first outing with his new team.
Bargain Bats
Even by the standards of Rockies hitters, Brendan Rodgers ($3,400) is reliant on Coors Field. Over the last three seasons he has a .580 OPS on the road, but an .862 OPS at home. Until the trade deadline, Paul Blackburn had spent his entire career with the Athletics. The 30-year-old has a career 4.79 ERA, even with a pitcher-friendly home ballpark. Wednesday, he's pitching at Coors.
Making up for lost time due to injury, Josh Lowe ($2,900) has an .885 OPS over the last three weeks. He has seven homers and 10 stolen bases this year, even though he's only played in 57 games. Lowe has often struggled at home, but he has an .842 OPS on the road since 2022. Fedde was pitching well for the White Sox, but that success came almost entirely at home. He has a 4.40 ERA on the road this season, and he allowed five runs in 5.0 innings in his first start with the Cardinals.
Stacks to Consider
Mets at Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Pete Alonso ($3,900), Brandon Nimmo ($3,900), Jeff McNeil ($3,300)
I did mention Coors, so now I mention the Mets. Since 2022, Feltner has a 6.39 ERA at home. Also, over that same time frame, both righties and lefties have hit .270 against him. That makes this a great stack opportunity, but here are the three hitters I landed on.
Alonso, with his career .519 slugging percentage, is an obvious choice for a game at Coors Field. He's slugged .525 over the last three weeks, and slugged .511 on the road over the last three seasons. Nimmo has tallied 16 homers and 11 stolen bases this year. He's a lefty, and like a lot of Mets hitters is better on the road. Since 2022 he has a .722 OPS at home, but an .875 OPS in away games. McNeil has tweaked his approach a bit, and now he has an 1.139 OPS over the last three weeks. The second baseman has really struggled at home, but on the road he has an .842 OPS.
Orioles at Blue Jays (Bowden Francis): Anthony Santander ($3,900), Colton Cowser ($3,200), Ryan Mountcastle ($3,000)
The Blue Jays are giving Francis another start Wednesday. He's 28, and this will be only his fifth MLB start. That's not a vote of confidence in his upside. Also, he has a 5.64 ERA this season going between the bullpen and the rotation. It seems like another fine time to stack Orioles.
With 32 homers this season, Santander will set a new high on that front, but his first 40-homer season is feasible. This year, the switch hitter has an .855 OPS versus righties, and also an .886 OPS on the road. The lefty Cowser has gotten into gear as an MLB hitter. He has an 1.077 OPS across the last three weeks of action. He's been viable against southpaws, but has an .820 OPS against righties on the campaign. I wanted a righty, because Francis has allowed his fellow righties to hit .316 against him in 2024. The tricky thing is that the Orioles do lack for right-handed hitters who square up righties. Mountcastle is better against lefties, but he has a .712 OPS against right handers, and that will have to suffice.
