This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Tuesday offered a really great slate with a group of strong pitchers paired with intriguing stacks. Wednesday's stack presents more of a challenge, as there are only a few pitchers that stand out as strong options, but also few standing out to target with stacks. On days like this, it can be worth it to play contrarian and hope for chaos.
Pitchers
Lucas Giolito ($9,800) carries the highest price tag, and that's deserved based on his 34.6 K%. A matchup against a hot Boston offense is concerning, and could be enough of a reason to pivot in tournaments. He still looks to be a good play in cash games due to having by far the safest floor on the slate.
Cristian Javier's ($9,300) price is spiking, but he has a matchup against a Guardians offense that has been middling this season. When serving as a traditional starter, Javier has topped 15 DK points all but one time, so the floor is there. The primary downside is that rostering both Giolito and Javier could make bats difficult to jam in.
There aren't many options I'm excited about other than that pair. Charlie Morton ($9,000) is the most "brand name" pitcher on the slate besides Giolito and has performed particularly well at home this season. Philadelphia is a tough matchup, but with limited places to turn, Morton becomes an okay play. It's possible to make the case for Reid Detmers ($8,400), though he hasn't been stood out positively this season outside of his no-hitter. He faces the Rangers and brings a 17.9 percent strikeout rate into the outing.
JP Sears ($5,500) is the punt play of the day. He gets a matchup against the Orioles, which we always want to target. In addition, Sears has been dominant with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre by posting a 30:2 K:BB across 21.2 innings. He also worked 4.2 innings in his last outing, so he should be able to work relatively deep into the game.
Top Hitters
On a short slate, it's simply a viable strategy to be contrarian. The case for the Guardians and Jose Ramirez ($5,200) may be more straightforward than expected. Cristian Javier will likely be heavily rostered and has always maintained a high flyball rate (52 percent this year). While that can lead to easy outs, it can also lead to plenty of home runs.
Mike Trout ($6,100) is a more straightforward selection. Glenn Otto has allowed a 1.5 HR/9 and a barrel rate of 10.7 percent early this season. He has an xSLG of .596, which is in the bottom fourth percentile of the league.
We can flip to the other side of the Angels-Rangers matchup and land on Corey Seager ($4,600) as a strong play. For one, he offers nice savings as compared to other elite options. Second, Detmers has the highest hard-hit rate allowed among pitchers on the slate (per Statcast) and has allowed a 9.2% barrel rate.
Value Hitters
The Yankees could have a depleted lineup with each of DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton all battling a variety of health/injury concern. That will potentially open up spots in the lineup for Estevan Florial ($2,100) and Miguel Andujar ($2,400). Check the lineup prior to lock, but this is the beginning of a cheap mini-stack to combine with a larger one.
AJ Pollock ($3,200) has shown signs of life at the plate of late, tallying five extra-base hits across his last six starts. He also bumped up to third in the order with Luis Robert sidelined, so he should be in a good spot to produce counting stats.
Franmil Reyes ($2,800) has gotten off to a dreadful start, but he offers power upside for the price. The shortcomings of Javier's profile have already been discussed, and Reyes still has a 16 percent barrel rate for the season.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Angels vs. Glenn Otto: Shohei Ohtani ($5,600), Mike Trout ($6,100), Jared Walsh ($3,800), Anthony Rendon ($4,400)
We've already established that Otto gives up a lot of hard contact. However, he also gives up a lot of contact in general as he's posted the second-lowest strikeout rate of pitchers on the slate. He has also walked the highest rate of batters in the player pool. The Angels are likely to be pretty popular, and they won't be that hard to roster given the middling price points of Walsh and Rendon.
Houston Astros vs. Cal Quantrill: Jose Altuve ($5,500), Michael Brantley ($3,800), Alex Bregman ($4,800), Yordan Alvarez ($5,200)
The Houston stack is more expensive and less of an obvious play than the Angels, which could make it under rostered. The case to target Quantrill is exclusively based on his lack of strikeouts (15.1 K% is the lowest of the day). He has a mediocre walk rate and suppresses home runs well, so there is some risk that the Astros don't produce. I'd look to use them more in tournaments.
Ronald Acuna ($5,800), Marcell Ozuna ($3,900), Travis d'Arnaud ($5,100), Matt Olson ($4,900) vs. Ranger Suarez
The Yankees are actually the team I'd prefer to highlight here, but it's not clear who will be available in their lineup. So, we'll pivot to Atlanta, who has been a top-10 offense in terms of runs scored at home to begin the season. Suarez is pretty much a mediocre matchup all around, but he allows a lot of contact and has allowed 1.2 HR/9.
