This article is part of our DFS MLB series.
Wednesday is a getaway day, meaning the main slate of the day kicks off at 1:10 pm ET. There are only eight games to work with, as one kicks off before (STL at PIT at 12:30 p.m. ET) and five remain for a slate kicking off at 6:45 pm ET. Let's dive into the main slate.
Pitchers
There's an immediate decision to make between talent and matchup. Based on what we saw last year and in the first few starts of last season, Jack Flaherty ($8,500) would be my choice. He has the lowest SIERA, highest K percentage and highest K-BB percentage among the pitchers on the slate. The Yankees are a tough matchup, though the weather should favor pitching (estimated 42 degrees at first pitch).
The matchups would point us to two pitchers toward the top of the pool. The first is the most expensive pitcher in Hunter Brown ($10,000). Brown gives back some strikeout upside if we look at the long sample, but he does have 15 punch-outs across 12 innings in two starts this season. He also draws the Mariners on Wednesday, who have been an average lineup to start the season.
Rostering Tylor Megill ($8,700) is chasing points, and his price has risen a whopping $2,700 since his first of the season. The positive is that he draws the Marlins.
There are two cheap options to consider. The first is Max Meyer ($7,400). He has an impressive 15 strikeouts across 11.2 innings this season
Wednesday is a getaway day, meaning the main slate of the day kicks off at 1:10 pm ET. There are only eight games to work with, as one kicks off before (STL at PIT at 12:30 p.m. ET) and five remain for a slate kicking off at 6:45 pm ET. Let's dive into the main slate.
Pitchers
There's an immediate decision to make between talent and matchup. Based on what we saw last year and in the first few starts of last season, Jack Flaherty ($8,500) would be my choice. He has the lowest SIERA, highest K percentage and highest K-BB percentage among the pitchers on the slate. The Yankees are a tough matchup, though the weather should favor pitching (estimated 42 degrees at first pitch).
The matchups would point us to two pitchers toward the top of the pool. The first is the most expensive pitcher in Hunter Brown ($10,000). Brown gives back some strikeout upside if we look at the long sample, but he does have 15 punch-outs across 12 innings in two starts this season. He also draws the Mariners on Wednesday, who have been an average lineup to start the season.
Rostering Tylor Megill ($8,700) is chasing points, and his price has risen a whopping $2,700 since his first of the season. The positive is that he draws the Marlins.
There are two cheap options to consider. The first is Max Meyer ($7,400). He has an impressive 15 strikeouts across 11.2 innings this season and put up a solid 16.9 DK points against Atlanta. A matchup against the Mets is tough, but the talent is there with Meyer now that he's healthy again.
The other value is Landon Knack ($7,000). He's made his way into the rotation thanks to the injury to Blake Snell (shoulder), and now he faces the Nationals. It's a small sample, but the Nationals have the second-highest strikeout rate in the league (27.5 percent).
Top Hitters
The Astros haven't had a good start to the season offensively, but Jose Altuve ($5,100) is an exception. Any of the Astros' top hitters are good options against Luis F. Castillo, who has been a Quad-A type pitcher throughout his career.
We'll get to Sutter Health Park in a bit more detail, but the bottom line is that it has quickly proven to be a positive park for offense. The Padres' lineup is beat up, but Manny Machado ($5,300) is a good building block.
Value Bats
Blake Dunn ($2,500) seems to have taken over the second spot in the Cincinnati batting order since Matt McLain (hamstring) went down. He hasn't really taken advantage, but a matchup against Justin Verlander is a positive at this point in his career.
Max Fried isn't a vulnerable pitcher, but the chance to roster a leadoff hitter at only $2,500 is worth taking on a subpar matchup. That's Justyn-Henry Malloy, who has taken over the leadoff position against lefties.
Stacks to Consider
Athletics vs. Padres (Randy Vasquez): Lawrence Butler ($5,100), Brent Rooker ($5,600), Shea Langeliers ($4,200)
Sutter Health Park has quickly emerged as a hitter's park and now the A's will draw a matchup against a shaky pitcher. Vasquez has had a decent start to the season in terms of surface stats, but he has a 5:9 K:BB. The top of the A's lineup is overpriced, but the rest of the lineup is cheap enough to make up for it.
Dodgers vs. Nationals (Jake Irvin): Shohei Ohtani ($6,500), Mookie Betts ($6,000), Tommy Edman ($4,500)
The Dodgers are a bit of an obvious stack, but that doesn't make them a wrong choice. This lineup can beat any pitcher, but Irvin is also vulnerable. He has allowed eight and nine baserunners across his first two starts of the season while serving up three home runs. The Dodgers should have a strong day offensively.
