This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Luckily for all you West Coasters (and late risers) the 11:10 a.m. ET start between the Red Sox and Twins isn't included in this DFS slate. It only covers the nine games starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. That gives you plenty of options, and these are some of the ones I like best.
Pitching
Sean Manaea, SD vs. CIN ($9,700): Manaea has an 1.38 ERA through two starts this season, and he hasn't even pitched in his new pitcher-friendly home ballpark yet. Not only that, he gets to do it against the Reds team that shed a lot of offense in the offseason, making for a lineup that is decidedly less daunting on paper.
Alex Cobb, SF at NYM ($8,800): Last season Cobb started striking out more batters (9.45 per nine innings) and posted a 2.92 FIP in the process. This year, his first as a Giant, he struck out 10 in five innings in his first start. The Mets likely won't finish 27th in runs scored again, but last season's sample size is still much larger than this year's.
Eric Lauer, MIL vs. PIT ($7,100): Someday I won't merely be able to say to myself, "The Pirates are bad. Who's pitching against them?" That day has not arrived yet, though, and it won't arrive this season. Not after they finished last in runs scored in 2021 and added nothing this offseason. Oneil Cruz hasn't even been called up yet! Lauer, for his part, wasn't a slouch last season. He had a 3.19 ERA.
Top Targets
Yes, Juan Soto ($4,200) will start Monday's game against a lefty in Madison Bumgarner, but that is a minor quibble with this guy. He has a .927 OPS against lefties since 2020. Bumgarner put up a 5.07 ERA across his first two seasons as a Diamondback, and he hasn't gone longer than five innings in a game this year. Soto can handle Bumgarner, and watch out if he gets a righty out of the bullpen.
You know, there may be something to this Wander Franco ($3,600) guy. In his 70-game rookie campaign he slashed .288/.347/.463. To start this year he's slashed .381/.386/.548. Kyle Hendricks just got shelled by the Pirates, which is a concern after he had a 4.77 ERA last season.
Bargain Bats
Willy Adames ($3,000) has put up matching .481 slugging percentages in each of his last two seasons. He also really picked up his play in 2021 after joining the Brewers, posting an OPS of .887 after the trade. Zach Thompson had a 3.68 FIP in 75 innings for the Marlins last season, but the fact he now finds himself in the back end of the Pirates' rotation makes me inherently skeptical.
You don't need a catcher in your lineup on FanDuel but, well, Sean Murphy ($2,600) is possibly the best bat the Oakland lineup has. He hit 17 homers last year and has a career .440 slugging percentage. This year he's hitting .256 and slugging .564. Spenser Watkins had an 8.07 ERA for the Orioles in his first MLB campaign last season. It'd be nice to have an A in your lineup, and this is likely the best you can do.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Huascar Ynoa: Trea Turner ($3,900), Freddie Freeman ($3,600), Max Muncy ($3,400)
As I write this, FanDuel still has Max Fried listed as Atlanta's start, but Ynoa's start has been pushed back to Monday and he's on deck. He allowed five runs in three innings in his first start this season, giving him a career 5.01 ERA. You don't want to bring that into a matchup with the Dodgers.
Turner had his first 20-homer season last year, but his fifth season with at least 30 stolen bases. He's a career .303 hitter who is hitting .316 this year. Freeman is fitting right in with his new team, slashing .324/.381/.405. The former Brave also has a 1.012 OPS versus righties since 2020. Muncy is a lefty as well, and he enjoys home cooking. He had a 1.025 OPS at home last year.
Phillies vs. Chad Kuhl ($6,300): Bryce Harper ($4,200), Rhys Hoskins ($3,900), Kyle Schwarber ($3,500)
Kuhl, who has a career 4.42 ERA, will be making his first home start at Coors Field. I don't envision it going well. That would be true in any matchup, but the Phillies bring a lineup of mashers to Denver.
Harper was named MVP with an 1.044 OPS last season. He just hit his first two homers of the season, so perhaps he's starting to lock in. I definitely am not betting against him. Hoskins walks and hits for power, and there's not much more you could want from a hitter. He has a career .361 OBP and a career .503 slugging percentage. Schwarber is only worth a start against a righty, but Kuhl is a righty. He had a .990 OPS versus right-handed pitchers in 2021.
Astros vs. Michael Lorenzen ($8,200): Alex Bregman ($3,600), Kyle Tucker ($3,500), Michael Brantley ($2,800)
Lorenzen's first start as an Angel went well, but it was at home against the Marlins. This is a guy who has spent the bulk of his career pitching out of the bullpen for the Reds, and posting a 4.04 ERA in the process. I'm not ready to believe in him, and I have more belief in Houston's bats.
Bregman's last couple of seasons have been down by his lofty standards, but he's never struggled to get on base. Excluding 49 games as a rookie in 2016, he's never had an OBP lower than .350 in a season, and even starting slow this year, he's slugged .433. Tucker enjoyed a breakout campaign last year with 30 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He also has a .914 OPS against righties since 2020. Brantley is a steady bat. He averaged .309 and a .366 OBP over his previous four seasons, with an OPS of .916 against righties since 2020.
