This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Welcome back to another season of Fan Duel baseball. While there's only two games on Opening Day, they're both intriguing matchups with three studs taking the mound and three elite teams in action. Make sure to check out Fan Duel's "Opening Day Special," which is only $3 to enter and is paying out $1 million.
For this small slate it makes sense to use all four pitchers when entering multiple lineups in GPPs. With the two-game slate, expect all of the Dodgers to be very chalky tonight. If you're entering a big GPP Thursday, don't be afraid to not use up all of your budget. An odd lineup leaving money on the table could be the winner of the top prize without having another duplicate lineup in the tournament to share it with.
Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw, LAD vs. SF ($10,300) – Kershaw easily has the best team odds to win (-300) while Gerrit Cole is about -130 and Max Scherzer is +120. Both of the latter are priced higher than Kershaw but obviously not as likely to pick up the win bonus. Kershaw has thrown 90 and 91 pitches in each of his last two preseason outings, suggesting he'll make it at least five inning and be in line to win. This is also a great home matchup for Kershaw as San Francisco had the third-lowest wOBA against left-handed pitchers at .294 last season. It helps that Evan Longoria and Buster Posey won't be available while Hunter Pence (foot) and Pablo Sandoval (elbow) are banged up.
Gerrit Cole, NYY at WAS ($11,400) – It's tough to recommend Johnny Cueto ($6,600) even though he's about $4,000 cheaper than the other three pitchers. Stacking elite bats and using Cueto's cheap price does make sense in GPPs; it'll be a matter of one of the three studs getting lit up who are facing said bats. Cole ranks just ahead of Scherzer due to the potency of the Yankee lineup vs. the bats of the Nationals. Cole threw 84 and 87 pitches in his last two outings, so he's not expected to have any restrictions against Washington.
Top Targets
Cody Bellinger, LAD vs. SF ($4,500) - Bellinger seems like a no-brainer even when paying up for one of the top pitchers, and he'll leave a manageable $2,700-$2,800 per hitter for the rest of the lineup. Bellinger had his best splits at home last season against right-handed pitching, sporting a .436 wOBA. Johnny Cueto has pitched little the last two seasons and is on the wrong side of 34. Mookie Betts ($4,200) is the 1A option who can be used with Bellinger and should be in a great mood after Wednesday's contract signing.
Corey Seager, LAD vs. SF ($3,200) - While it's kind of lame/obvious to recommend Dodgers in both bat spots, the Seager pick is totally justified. He's fits the profile of a lefty vs. Cueto and has a good history against Johnny. Seager has a 1.008 OPS against Cueto from going 12-for-34 with three home runs. Joc Pederson ($2,800) also fits the profile and is a bit cheaper, allowing a little more salary cap space.
Bargain Bats
Brett Gardner, NYY at WAS ($2,700) - It's kind of crazy to have a power surge at age 36, but that's exactly what Gardner did last season, finishing with 28 home runs. He'll occasionally swipe a base (10 last season) and any spot in the Yankees lineup is capable of having a big game on any given night.
Howie Kendrick, WAS vs. NYY ($2,500) - Kendrick is also coming off a crazy season where he hit .344 and swatted 17 home runs. Captain Obvious will tell you that won't happen again, but there's a good chance he'll be one of the best hitters on the Nationals again.
Hunter Pence, SF at LAD ($2,400) - If you're using anyone not named Kershaw on Thursday night, Pence is under consideration. He historically has hit left-handed pitching better (.356 wOBA) than right-handed pitching. Pence should be hitting cleanup as well putting him in a good RBI spot. All of the nine expected starting bats for the Giants are priced at $2,500 or less, something I'm not sure we've seen before on Fan Duel.
Stacks To Consider
Dodgers vs. Johnny Cueto: Max Muncy ($3,900), A.J. Pollock ($2,900), Justin Turner ($3,100), Will Smith ($3,000)
The Dodgers will be the most popular stack of the night given their overwhelming odds to win and that they have the highest expected run total. The most productive Dodgers stack might be mixing either Bellinger or Betts with three of the players mentioned above. Justin Turner has gone 11-for-34 against Cueto (.942 OPS), including a home run and three other extra-base hits. As a team the Dodgers had a .344 wOBA against right-handed pitching last season, second only to the Astros and better than the Yankees. Cueto's ceiling is probably capped at five innings and the Giants have the worst bullpen of the four teams on this slate.
Yankees at Max Scherzer: Giancarlo Stanton ($3,500), Gary Sanchez ($3,300), Aaron Judge ($4,100), Brett Gardner ($2,700)
Incredibly, it's possible to use all four of the above with Kershaw and even add either Bellinger or Betts to a lineup (it's also possible to substitute both Dodgers and take out Stanton). The rest of the lineup won't be pretty, but it will be filled with starters who can be counted on for 3-4 at-bats. Aaron Judge comes into the game on a tear with three home runs in his final two exhibition games, and Stanton is an equally big bat when he's healthy. Sanchez would be a bargain if he was facing any league-average pitcher, but he's still one of the better bats in the lineup. Luke Voit ($2,900) and Gio Urshela ($2,800) are another two Yankee bats to mix and match when doing multiple lineups for GPPs.
