This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
FanDuel's Tuesday main slate features 10 games, and starts at a standard 7:05 p.m. EDT. Of our 20 pitching choices, four are priced in five figures, but only three more are in the $9,000 tier, so it's a touch top heavy and falls off quickly. The Athletics and White Sox appear likely to begin with openers, while the Dodgers are without a listed starter, taking away from our options.
The Brewers and Rangers are the slate's biggest favorites with the Dodgers and Atlanta not far behind. The latter is in Coors Field with the highest implied run total of the bunch, and all four of these teams lead the offensive output expectancy. Wind is blowing out in Denver, further aiding that game, while we've got left to right winds in Chicago and New York, potentially aiding left-handed power hitters.
Pitching
Bryce Miller, SEA vs. LAA ($9,100): Freddy Peralta ($10,200) against the White Sox will be the chalky play, and probably the correct cash game option, which in turn makes everyone priced above him a bit contrarian for tournaments. But I don't think we need to pay that much for pitching Tuesday, and that starts with Miller. He's struggling with his control, walking 4.9 per nine, more than double anything he's shown in his first two seasons. The Angels have the league's second-lowest walk rate against righties at just 6.4 percent, however. They strike out at a 26.9 percent mark with a .296 wOBA and 90 wRC+, and their current roster is 6-for-36 (.167) with a .556 OPS off Miller.
Reese Olson, DET at HOU ($8,700): It doesn't seem like many are discussing Houston's offensive woes. While they aren't striking out a ton (22.4 percent), they have just a .291 wOBA, 89 wRC+ and .112 ISO off righties, hitting ground balls 45.8 percent of the time. Olson throws a heavy dose of sinkers, inducing a 49.8 percent ground ball rate, and he's allowed just one homer to date. He has been hit far harder on the road, and thus comes with some risk and is better suited for GPPs. Just don't be scared off based on the opponent in this matchup.
Taj Bradley, TB vs. KC ($8,600): I don't see a great deal of viable paydown options, though I suppose you could target AJ Smith-Shawver ($7,800) against the Rockies, even at Coors Field. As such, Bradley, or perhaps his adversary in Michael Lorenzen ($8,200), are as low as I'm willing to go. Bradley's 5.08 ERA comes with a 3.65 xERA, and of the four homers he's allowed across 28.1 innings, only one has come at home. The Royals aren't doing anything offensively, and while the ballpark is normally one we'd shy away from when considering pitching, we appear to have inbound winds, helping mitigate some risk.
Top Targets
Roster construction will start with Atlanta's bats, so you have to ask yourself what you're looking for. Marcell Ozuna ($4,300) is the stable play thanks to his willingness to walk, while Sean Murphy ($3,600) is more boom or bust. Rockies' starter German Marquez is allowing a .460 wOBA to righties and .392 to lefties, so the entire lineup is in play. Perhaps build elsewhere first, then grab a share or two to round things out.
Bowden Francis has allowed six homers across 27.2 innings, and a .398 wOBA to lefties at home. Perhaps that makes this a spot to hope on Rafael Devers ($3,300), who's homered in two of his last three. It's RvR matchup, but Alex Bregman ($3,700) is far more stable, hitting safely in eight straight.
Bargain Bats
Alex Verdugo ($3,100) offers a cheaper entry point into Atlanta's lineup. He'll likely hit leadoff, and has nine hits, five RBI and four runs over his last five. If you're looking for punt plays from this offense, Eli White ($2,700) and Nick Allen ($2,500) are playing nearly every night, and put the ball in play.
Salaries are rising to uncomfortable levels with Jorge Polanco ($3,300) and Cal Raleigh ($3,300), but their form is too great to ignore. Polanco has eight hits and eight RBI over his last five while boasting a .503 wOBA and 203 wRC+ off righties, while Raleigh sits at .413/181 and is tied for the major-league lead in home runs. Angels' starter Jack Kochanowicz is allowing a .383 wOBA to lefties and four homers to 57 batters faced.
Chandler Simpson ($2,700) will be rounding out my lineups essentially every day until he's north of $3,000. He's hit safely in all eight of his games since promotion, including five knocks in his last two, and we know all about his base stealing prowess.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers vs. Tyler Gilbert/Bryse Wilson (White Sox): Christian Yelich ($3,600), Brice Turang ($3,300), William Contreras ($3,100)
Gilbert will open with Wilson to follow, so this is a bit tricky as we'll get a LvL matchup for Turang and Yelich in the first. Further making it less than obvious, Wilson is getting torched by righties, allowing a .506 wOBA and 1.192 OPS. At a minimum, that allows us to feel confident in Contreras. Yelich and Turang both have a .387 wOBA off righties and nearly identical 146 and 145 wRC+, so positive splits against opposite handed arms. They'll hit atop the lineup, insulate us with shares around Jackson Chourio, and as previously mentioned, double-digit winds blowing left to right should help.
Mets vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (Diamondbacks): Pete Alonso ($4,100), Juan Soto ($3,500), Mark Vientos ($2,700)
Rodriguez doesn't have heavily targetable splits, so we'll bank on the Mets' positive numbers against lefties and potentially blustery conditions in New York. Alonso sits with a .485 wOBA, 214 wRC+ and .300 ISO off southpaws, making him a fine standalone play. Soto hasn't shown any power with a .095 ISO, but he's surprisingly better than Alonso in this LvL matchup, with a .496 wOBA and 222 wRC+. Vientos' numbers aren't pretty, but he's got nine hits and eight RBI over his last six games and seems to be warming up, giving us a cheap third piece in the heart of the Mets lineup. I like him a good amount as a standalone bargain play as well.
