This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday is a light slate for baseball, at least in the evening. Only five games start at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. That makes for a different DFS situation than usual. However, I've still looked at the matchups, and now I have my recommendations for you.
MLB DFS Pitchers for Thursday on FanDuel
Shane McClanahan, TAM vs. KC ($11,000): In his sophomore season, McClanahan has graduated to being an ace pitcher. He's made 22 starts and pitched 134.1 innings with a 2.28 ERA and 165 strikeouts against only 26 walks. The Royals are 24th in runs scored, so McClanahan should be able to have another productive day on the mound.
Yu Darvish, SD vs. WAS ($10,600): Darvish's first season with the Padres wasn't ideal, but at home he had a respectable 3.38 ERA. He's stepped things up in 2022, as he has a 3.40 ERA overall but a 2.17 ERA at home. Petco Park has been kind to Darvish, and the Nationals are a bottom-six offense on the season. Plus, you know, a couple of their former key bats now call San Diego home.
Josh Winckowski, BOS at PIT ($7,000): Twist! Nathan Eovaldi was supposed to make this start, but then he got scratched. Now, Winckowski steps in. The rookie has a 4.69 ERA, which isn't great, but the Pirates are 28th in runs scored and team OPS. I think he will likely pick up a win, and while as of this writing he doesn't have a salary (though as you see this you presumably saw a salary next to the righties name), I expect him to be an option to save some salary over the other two guys.
Top FanDuel MLB DFS Targets
Counting stats are valuable to DFS players, and Randy Arozarena ($3,400) is a player who racks those up. He has 16 home runs and 21 stolen bases after having 20 of each last season. Also, while he's been better on the road this year, since 2020 he has an .831 OPS at home. The Royals moved Brad Keller to the bullpen, so I can't be entirely certain how this game is going to look on the pitching front. Currently, RotoWire's probable pitchers grid has Carlos Hernandez and his 9.08 ERA getting the start.
The Pirates have very few bats of note, which is why I recommended Winckowski, but Bryan Reynolds ($3,100) is a different story. Since 2020, the switch hitter has an .834 OPS against righties. He also has 18 homers and five stolen bases this year. Winckowski can probably handle the Pirates' paltry lineup by and large, but lefties have hit .301 against him, and Reynolds can bat left-handed.
Best FanDuel MLB DFS Bargain Bats
His power has dipped a bit in 2022, but Lourdes Gurriel ($3,000) still has a .307 ERA and .358 OBP. While he's a righty, since 2020 he has an .814 OPS versus right-handers, compared to a .730 OPS versus lefties. Over the last three seasons, Frankie Montas has a 5.01 ERA on the road. Why is that a problem when Montas is at home? Because he hasn't pitched at home at Yankee Stadium yet. Prior to this, all his home games have been at Oakland's pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Andrew Benintendi ($2,900) has gotten off to a bit of a slow start for the Yankees, though he does have three stolen bases in 19 games. Plus, a lot of that action has been on the road, so he hasn't been able to take advantage of how Yankee Stadium helps lefties to their full potential. Additionally, the southpaw has an .804 OPS against righties this year. Jose Berrios has a 7.50 ERA on the road this year -- yes 7.50 -- and he's allowed 2.5 home runs per nine innings in away games to boot.
FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks to Consider
Padres vs. Nationals (Anibal Sanchez): Manny Machado ($4,500), Josh Bell ($3,000), Trent Grisham ($2,900)
In 2020, Sanchez posted a 6.62 ERA in 11 starts. He didn't pitch in the majors in 2021, but 2022 has been even bleaker for him. He has a 7.20 ERA, and a 7.47 FIP to boot. The 38-year-old has allowed a whopping 3.0 home runs per nine innings as well. That bodes well for the Padres.
Machado is trying to make sure people remember how good he is in the wake of the Juan Soto trade. Over the last three weeks he has an 1.002 OPS. Plus, he has a .944 OPS at home since 2020. Bell was the other guy in the Soto trade, but he's no slouch at the plate. Across the last two seasons he's slashed .270/.358/.466, and he has 14 home runs this season as well. Grisham is a lefty with 15 homers and five stolen bases. Plus, over the last week weeks he has a .931 OPS.
Red Sox at Pirates (JT Brubaker): Rafael Devers ($4,200), Xander Bogaerts ($3,200), Eric Hosmer ($2,700)
Brubaker has been a below-average pitcher in his career. His 4.45 ERA is actually the best he's managed in the majors, though that comes with a 5.44 ERA at home. Brubaker has allowed fewer home runs this season, but he's allowed 1.45 home runs per nine innings in his career, so there is always the threat of the ball going out of the park.
Devers hits plenty of home runs, with 25 this year after hitting 38 last season. He's also slugged .610 against righties since 2020. Bogaerts doesn't have as much power, but he's still slashing .302/.372/.441. He does have nine homers and seven stolen bases as well. Hosmer slowed down considerably after a hot start, but the lefty is with a new team, and that could maybe give him a bit of a boost. He also has a .763 OPS against righties since 2020.
