This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Most Thursdays tend to be light, but that's not the case today. We have 16 games in total, but they're split between day and night. Eleven of the games are happening during the day, while the other five are at night. They'd usually make the main slate during the day with that many games, but FanDuel has chosen to go with the night games for the main slate, so that's the one we'll focus on. With that in mind, let's start by looking at the arms!
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Pitching
Cristopher Sanchez, PHI at MIA ($9,700)
There haven't been many pitchers as good as Sanchez over the last three years. This lefty has a 3.29 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in that span, posting a 3.05 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 rate this year. What's most impressive is Sanchez's sky-high floor, scoring at least 23 FanDuel points in 13 of his 14 starts this season. That sort of fantastic form makes Sanchez an easy sell against Miami, with the Marlins ranked bottom five in runs scored, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last season. It's also a pitcher-friendly park, with Sanchez throwing 14 scoreless innings in his last two matchups with the Marlins.
Drew Rasmussen, TB vs. BAL ($8,300)
A transition from the bullpen to the rotation can be challenging, but Rasmussen has made it look easy. The righty has a 2.55 ERA and 0.95 WHIP this season, but that's right on par with his 2.88 career ERA and 1.06 WHIP. That simply means he's one of the best pitchers in baseball, with Rasmussen allowing four runs or fewer in all 14 starts this year. That streak should be easy to extend against Baltimore because the O's rank 24th in runs scored and 27th in K rate. In his last start against the O's, Rasmussen allowed just one hit across 8.1 sparkling innings.
Top Targets
Jeremy Pena, HOU (vs. Jacob Lopez) $3,400
Not enough people are talking about Pena. The shortstop is a borderline MVP candidate atop this Astros lineup. He's on pace for about 25 homers and 35 steals while providing a .317 AVG, .374 OBP and .847 OPS. Those superb statistics are even more sensational against southpaws, with Pena providing a .410 OBP and .938 OPS with the platoon advantage. That shouldn't be an issue against Lopez, with the lefty posting a 4.80 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. If you want to stack the 'Stros, Isaac Paredes ($3,500), Jose Altuve ($3,300) and Christian Walker ($2,900) all have the platoon advantage against Lopez as well.
Brent Rooker, ATH (vs. Colton Gordon) $3,400
Rooker isn't putting on the power display we saw last season, but he's still one of the best sluggers in the sport. The outfielder has 84 dingers and 222 RBI since 2023, generating a .349 OBP, .520 SLG and .868 OPS in that span. The absurd averages against lefties excite us the most, with Rooker registering a .415 OBP, .661 SLG and 1.076 OPS against southpaws. This is not a left-hander we're worried about either, with Gordon totaling a 4.70 ERA across just six career starts. Don't forget about Jacob Wilson ($3,300) if you want to stack the A's.
Bargain Bats
Jonathan Aranda (vs. Charlie Morton) $3,100
Why does Aranda continue to be overlooked on these DFS sites? This guy has developed into the everyday cleanup hitter for one of the hottest offenses in baseball. It's easy to see why he earned that spot, as Aranda's accrued a .323 AVG, .414 OBP and .907 OPS in a breakout campaign. Most importantly, he has a .417 OBP and .956 OPS against righties this year while amassing a .522 OBP and 1.266 OPS across his last five fixtures. Morton couldn't be a better matchup either, and we'll discuss that in the Stacks to Consider section.
Max Muncy, LAD (vs. Ryan Bergert) $3,100
I once heard that there are people who wear glasses and those who don't know they need them yet. That's certainly been the case with Muncy, because he's returned to being the stud we know and love since putting on some specs, maintaining a .433 OBP and 1.025 OPS across his last 30 outings. His OPS is above 1.100 in 19 home games during that span, while he's tallied a .409 OBP and .906 OPS against righties this year. All of that has Muncy back in the heart of the Dodgers lineup, and he's one of the more affordable options against an unproven rookie.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres (Bergert): Shohei Ohtani ($4,800), Freddie Freeman ($3,800), Teoscar Hernandez ($3,700), Muncy ($3,100)
It's difficult to justify stacking a team against a pitcher with a 2.33 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, but Bergert's numbers have come in a tiny sample. The righty has only made three starts this year, and all of them were against struggling offenses. The Dodgers are far from that, with LA leading the league in most offensive categories.
If we stack the Dodgers, Ohtani has to be the first player in your lineup. The two-way player leads all hitters with 15.8 FD points per game, and he's even better against righties! As for Freeman, the perennial All-Star has a .431 OBP and 1.022 OPS against right-handers this year. Hernandez doesn't have the platoon advantage against Bergert, but he has a 1.042 OPS across his last six fixtures.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles (Morton): Junior Caminero ($3,200), Brandon Lowe ($3,100), Aranda ($3,100), Josh Lowe ($3,000)
Tampa was a team we were using pitchers against earlier in the season, but something has changed over the last month. The Rays have the best record in baseball in that span while leading the league in runs scored, OBP and OPS. That's rough news for a struggling pitcher like Morton, with the righty accumulating a 6.05 ERA and 1.66 WHIP.
Caminero was one of the top prospects in baseball last year, and he's showing why during this run. The third baseman has a .298 AVG, .365 OBP and 1.057 OPS across his last 24 games. Lowe and Lowe (no relation) have been just as valuable in this span, with both guys rocking right-handers. Brandon has a .296 AVG and .866 OPS against righties this year, while Josh is a 25-25 threat atop this lineup and he also has the platoon advantage.
