This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It may be a weekday, but it's an afternoon affair for MLB. That's especially true on the DFS front. The main slate of games consists of six afternoon matchups. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. EDT, so get your lineup in early! Here are my recommendations.
MLB DFS Pitchers for Thursday on FanDuel
Dylan Cease, CWS at KC ($10,900): One earned run. Cease has not allowed more than one earned run in a start since May 24. Though he's been a little lucky, his 2.70 FIP on the season is still excellent. The Royals are 24th in runs scored, and also dealt away talent at the deadline.
Kyle Gibson, PHI vs. MIA ($9,000): Gibson's 4.36 ERA is not remarkable, but he does have a 4.11 ERA at home. On top of that, over his last five starts he has a 2.87 ERA. The Marlins may finish above 29th in runs scored, where they finished last year, but they currently sit 27th and aren't likely to climb out of the bottom five.
Zach Plesac, CLE at DET ($8,200): Plesac's 4.31 FIP is shrug-worthy, but the matchup here is extremely enticing. The Tigers are last in runs scored and team OPS. There are teams with on-bases percentages similar to their slugging percentage (.332). This is a truly brutal offense.
Top FanDuel MLB DFS Targets
I bet Nolan Arenado ($4,400) has been feeling a little nostalgic being back at Coors Field. He popped his 23rd home run of the season there Wednesday, and he's lifted his slash line to .304/.371/.561. Meanwhile, Arenado's old teammate German Marquez has a 6.11 ERA at home this year.
This year Jose Ramirez ($4,000) has only racked up 21 home runs and 14 stolen bases? By his standards he's slacking. Not against righties (.958 OPS) or on the road (.982 OPS), though. I like Ramirez's chances of teeing off on Garrett Hill, a rookie with a 5.11 FIP.
Best FanDuel MLB DFS Bargain Bats
The Diamondbacks gave Josh Rojas ($3,000) a day off Wednesday, but it wasn't performance based. Over the last three weeks he's hit .279. On the year, he has six home runs and 13 stolen bases. I expect to see him against righty JT Brubaker on Thursday, as Brubaker has a career 4.95 ERA and has let lefties hit .267 against him.
Over the last three weeks Eloy Jimenez ($2,900) has an 1.096 OPS. I'm not worried about his bad OPS on the road thus far. Last year he had an .846 road OPS, and the year before that an .819 OPS. Old man Zack Greinke has a 4.58 ERA and has struck out a career-low 5.07 batters per nine innings. He's also let righties hit .285 against him since 2020.
FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks to Consider
Rockies vs. Cardinals (Dakota Hudson): C.J. Cron ($4,300), Brendan Rodgers ($3,500), Ryan McMahon ($3,400)
I mentioned Coors Field earlier, and I return there for a stack. Hudson has a 4.57 FIP this season. Also, he has a 5.26 ERA on the road, and it's not like all of those games took place in Denver. While Hudson is a righty, he's let righties hit .299 against him, so I am including two right-handed batters.
Cron has been better against his fellow righties, posting an .894 OPS versus them. Oh, and he has a .979 OPS at home, of course. Rodgers has hit .288 this season after he hit .284 last year. His home OPS is .887 as well. McMahon has 11 home runs and seven stolen bases, and he's in a matchup that is up his alley. Since 2020, he has a .790 OPS versus righties and an .818 OPS at home.
Astros vs. Rangers (Cole Ragans): Yordan Alvarez ($4,300), Jose Altuve ($3,700), Alex Bregman ($3,100)
Ragans started the year in Double-A. In Triple-A, he posted a 3.32 ERA in eight starts. The 24-year-old has made one MLB start, and while he didn't allow an earned run, he has a 4.31 FIP because he allowed four walks and three hits in five innings. Oh, that was at home, too. Now he's on the road against the Astros.
Alvarez just hit his 31st home run to end a brief home streak. He's slashed .295/.401/.633, and don't worry about the lefty-versus-lefty matchup. Alvarez has a .920 OPS against southpaws this year. Meanwhile, Altuve has an 1.110 OPS versus lefties. He also has 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases this season. Bregman has been getting on base quite well, posting a .357 OBP. He also has a .910 OPS at home.
