This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
An all-day slate begins at 6:05 p.m. EDT with the league squeezing in Atlanta at Philadelphia in a bit earlier than usual. Unfortunately, that eliminates Aaron Nola ($9,600) from the main slate who has a good matchup against the free-swinging Braves. The main slate of games still carries a healthy number of games with nine starting at 7:10 p.m. EDT.
Pitchers
Dustin May, LAD vs. SD ($7,500): May threw only 60 pitches in his first start but that increased to 82 in his last outing. It's possible the Dodgers stretch him out to around 90 this outing if he shows the same success he has had in his first three outings. San Diego's 24.5 percent strikeout rate is league-average, making this a decent matchup for May. This is likely the lowest salary May will have this season, as his fantasy point totals should increase once he's completely stretched out.
Lance McCullers, HOU vs. SF ($8,400): DFS players have McCullers last start, where he finished with a disappointing -10 fantasy points, fresh in their minds. As a result, he'll be an unpopular pick, making him a contrarian pick for tournaments tonight. It's a solid matchup against San Francisco as they're in the bottom-10 in walk rate (6.6 percent) and ISO (.145) against right-handed pitching. Look for McCullers to bounce back in his home park.
Jon Gray, COL vs. ARI ($6,500): The fantasy results haven't quite been there yet for Gray who hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any start, leading to a 3.31 ERA. He's scored only 17, 19 and 20 fantasy points in his three starts, and his career numbers at Coors are better than on the road. Only use him for GPPs due to the low floor of pitching in Coors but also the potential high ceiling of a high strikeout game from Gray.
Top Targets
Nolan Arenado, COL vs. ARI ($4,200): Arenado at home is basically an auto-play and Trevor Story ($4,200) could just as easily be in this space. In fact, using both in cash games is a good idea given that Arenado has a career .480 against lefties at home while Story's sits a bit lower at .464. Opponent Robbie Ray allowed a below average .337 wOBA to right-handed hitters last season, a tad above his .332 career mark. Arenado has gone 14-for-41 (.341) against Ray including three home runs, good for a 1.160 OPS.
Christian Yelich, MIL vs. MIN ($4,200): Anyone looking to play the hot hand should be jumping on Yelich, who has snapped out of an early-season slump over his last few games. After getting the day off last Wednesday, he's scored 37.1, 22.2, 0 and 43.9 fantasy points in his last four games. The home matchup against Randy Dobnak is extremely favorable as well for the Brewers superstar.
J.D. Martinez, BOS vs. TB ($3,900): Martinez is in the same boat as the Rockies in that he's always a good play against a southpaw. Martinez had a .539 wOBA against lefties last season and gets Ryan Yarbrough tonight in Boston. Martinez has a great, yet brief, history against Yarbrough, going 7-for-11 with four extra base hits. He may not be as prevalent in lineups tonight due to his slow start, giving an advantage to owners who still have faith in him. Using May or Gray in the pitching spot allows all three -- even four players (including Story) -- to be used with ample salary cap left over.
Value Plays
Howie Kendrick, WAS at NYM ($2,500): Kendrick crushed left-handed pitching last season with a .430 wOBA. He'll get that matchup against Steven Matz in New York and offers a lot of upside for a player who should hit cleanup. This is an inexpensive, low-risk play for a player who qualifies at second base, arguably the thinnest position to fill for DFS this season.
Jake Lamb, ARI at COL ($2,500): This is the new minimum salary for a player at Coors, and Lamb wiLl have the coveted lefty-vs.-a-righty against Gray. Lamb has a career .341 wOBA against right-handed pitching and has had success against Gray in the past. Lamb has gone 6-for-17 against Gray including four extra base hits leading to a 1.106 OPS.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers vs. Justin Dunn: Joey Gallo ($4,000), Shin-Soo Choo ($3,200), Rougned Odor ($2,800), Elvis Andrus ($2,600)
The popular stacks that will be used tonight likely will be the two teams playing in Coors, so looking elsewhere is a good contrarian play. This recommendation is based on the matchup with Dunn who hasn't pitched past the fourth inning in either of his starts. All four players are off to slow starts, meaning they won't be heavily rostered.
Mets vs. Patrick Corbin: Pete Alonso ($3,500), Michael Conforto ($2,900), J.D. Davis ($2,600), Amed Rosario ($2,400)
Speaking of being contrarian, stacking the Mets against the most expensive pitcher on the main slate probably tops the list. However, there's a few reasons to believe in the Mets. Conforto, despite being a lefty, has gone 7-for-19 against Corbin with four home runs (1.453 OPS). Davis has gone 5-for-18 with three home runs himself (1.205 OPS) and had a .378 wOBA against lefties last season. Rosario had a .370 wOBA against southpaws, which leaves Alonso, who just happens to be the logical fourth choice as the Mets' best power hitter (and a .381 wOBA vs. lefties last season).
