This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
September opens with a light slate. There are only four games included in the main contests on DraftKings, and that includes a 6:10 p.m. EDT start. That means having to get your lineup in a little earlier. Here are some DFS lineup recommendations for Thursday.
Pitching
Shane Bieber, CLE vs. BAL ($9,600): Bieber hasn't by at his Cy-winning level, but he has a 2.72 FIP. He also has an 1.56 ERA over his last six starts. The Orioles are better offensively, but still below average in terms of runs scored.
Merrill Kelly, ARI vs. MIL ($8,100): Kelly has a 2.74 ERA, and this season he has allowed a mere 0.57 home runs per nine innings. That's conducive to this matchup. The Brewers are third in home runs, but in the bottom 10 in team batting average.
Top Targets
Power isn't part of the repertoire of Christian Yelich ($4,200) any longer, but he has a .361 OBP with 11 homers and 16 stolen bases. Plus, spanning the last two weeks he has an .863 OPS. I like Kelly as a pitcher, but Yelich isn't homer dependent, and he is a lefty who gets to face a righty. Yelich has a .783 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
Over the last three weeks, Christian Walker ($4,100) has an 1.013 OPS. He's also racked up 30 home runs this season. Brandon Woodruff is a formidable pitcher, but he has a 4.34 ERA on the road this year. Additionally, while he's shut down lefties in his career, right handers have hit .249 against him in 2022.
Value Bats
With a lefty on the mound, Jonah Heim ($3,700) is a shrewd option at catcher. He has an .879 OPS against southpaws. Rich Hill, meanwhile, has a 5.54 ERA at home, and has allowed righties to hit .257 against him.
Alex Verdugo ($3,700) has posted a .906 OPS over the last 21 days. Since 2020 he has an .825 OPS against right-handed pitchers as well. He'll face righty Glenn Otto on Thursday, and he has a 5.29 FIP.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Rockies (Chad Kuhl): Dansby Swanson ($5,400), Michael Harris ($4,300), Vaughn Grissom ($3,000)
In his five seasons as a Pirate, Kuhl never had an ERA lower than 4.20. That did not bode well for his move to the Rockies, but he actually has a 6.02 ERA on the road. It isn't even Coors Field doing him in! That bodes well for Atlanta's elite lineup.
Swanson has an .870 OPS at home. He also has 17 home runs and 16 stolen bases on the campaign. Rookie southpaw Harris has a .906 OPS versus righties. He also already has 13 homers and 16 swiped bags in 84 games. Grissom barely has any MLB experience, but he's slashed .311/.354/.473 with three homers and three stolen bases already. Kuhl is a righty, but righties have hit .285 against him in 2022.
Guardians vs. Orioles (Kyle Bradish): Jose Ramirez ($6,300), Andres Gimenez ($5,500), Oscar Gonzalez ($3,500)
The Orioles have a much-improved lineup, but pitching is still a problem. That's why Bradish is in the rotation. The rookie has a 5.63 ERA and has allowed 1.69 home runs per nine innings. He's also let righties hit .327 against him.
Ramirez has racked up 26 home runs and 14 stolen bases. While he's a switch hitter, he has a .935 OPS versus righties. I did include the lefty Gimenez in my stack. Hey, he's slashed .302/.366/.488 with 15 homers and 15 stolen bases. He also has a .906 OPS over the last three weeks. The rookie righty Gonzalez has a .285 average. He also has an .815 OPS at home.
