This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Thursday could be a tricky day for daily fantasy baseball players. For starters, there are only eight games, meaning your options are limited. Secondly, it's an ugly slate of pitchers, as there isn't a single ace in action. The most expensive pitcher is Charlie Morton ($11,400), which should say it all. Here are my recommendations.
STARTING PITCHER
Dylan Bundy, BAL at CWS ($8,100): Bundy hasn't pitched particularly well, but his .327 BABIP is a little high. Plus, he's struck out 10.57 batters per nine innings, which is rather impressive. The matchup here is good, as the White Sox are 28th in runs scored, and their starter Lucas Giolito has a 6.42 ERA. Most days, Bundy wouldn't be in consideration, but Thursday is a different story.
GPP Fade: Felix Hernandez, SEA at OAK ($7,500): King Felix has relinquished his throne. He has a 5.53 ERA and 5.40 FIP, and his fastball is averaging less than 90 miles per hour for the first time in his career. Hernandez has a 7.27 ERA on the road to boot. Meanwhile, Oakland's offense is currently ranked in the top 10 in runs scored.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Zach Davies, MIL vs. NYM ($6,100): With only 16 starting pitchers to choose from, going cheap is even more justifiable than usual. Davies is a solid, reliable pitcher with a career ERA of 3.94. The Mets rank in the bottom four in runs scored, so if Davies can hold his own, he could pay off big time.
CATCHER
Jonathan Lucroy, OAK vs. SEA ($2,900): The power hasn't been there for Lucroy yet, but beyond that he's hitting at the expected level. Plus, his struggles have been against lefties, and he has definitely hit righties better the last few years. Felix Hernandez is right-handed, and, as mentioned, he's been pitching poorly this season, especially on the road.
FIRST BASE
Joey Gallo, TEX vs. KC ($4,300): Gallo is below the Mendoza Line, but he still has 14 home runs in 50 games. He also managed to hit 41 dingers last season despite only having a .209 batting average. Danny Duffy has a 6.88 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in 10 starts this season, and he's allowed 14 home runs in 51 innings. The fact this game is taking place in Texas should also help Gallo's potential to go long.
SECOND BASE
Yangervis Solarte, TOR vs. LAA ($3,500): Solarte already has 11 home runs, putting him on pace to surpass his previous career high of 18, which he set last year. He also has a .265/.330/.497 slash line. For the second season in a row Nick Tropeano's FIP is over 5.00, which bodes well for Solarte.
THIRD BASE
Eugenio Suarez, CIN vs. PIT ($4,400): Suarez has averaged 9.5 fantasy points per game, second highest among third basemen in action Thursday. Though he's hit a little better on the road than at home this season, the last couple of years he's been better at home, and the sample size on that is bigger. Ivan Nova has a career ERA of 4.30 and a career FIP of 4.24, and his ERA is 4.79 this season. He's also given up at least 1.24 home runs per nine innings over the last five seasons.
SHORTSTOP
Andrelton Simmons, LAA at TOR ($3,700): The 28-year-old has a .328/.397/.460 slash line through 47 games. His numbers may regress, but that may not happen with Marco Estrada on the mound. Estrada has a 5.33 FIP and has allowed 1.95 home runs per nine innings. His FIP hasn't been below 4.20 over his last five seasons, and the 34-year-old isn't likely on the upswing of his career.
OUTFIELD
Lorenzo Cain, MIL vs. NYM ($4,700): Cain got Wednesday off, but it's not because he's been scuffling. He has a .283/.391/.452 last line, and over his last 14 games those numbers are up to .320/.414/.500. Steven Matz had a 6.08 ERA last season, and while his ERA has dropped to 4.42, his FIP this year is 5.98.
Corey Dickerson, PIT at CIN ($4,200): Pittsburgh has treated Dickerson well so far, as he has a .316/.356/.500 slash line. He's hit for more power against righties in his career, not surprising for a left-handed batter, and so far he's hit for a little more power at home as a Pirate. Cincinnati's Luis Castillo has 25 starts to his name, and in that time he has a 4.18 ERA and has allowed 1.34 home runs per nine innings.
Trey Mancini, BAL at CWS ($3,700): Mancini hit 25 home runs as a rookie last season, and he's added six more this year. The 26-year-old has a career batting average of .284 and career slugging percentage of .478. Lucas Giolito is really struggling to the tune of a 6.42 ERA and 5.86 FIP. In his career, those numbers are only slightly less bad (4.88 ERA, 5.67 FIP).
