This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday is a bit of an odd day on FanDuel for a few different reasons. First, there's an early slate starting at 1:10 p.m. EDT consisting of five games including a game in Coors Field. The main slate of games (consisting of another five games) starts a half hour early at 6:35 p.m. EDT so be sure to get lineups in a little earlier today.
PITCHING
The start time of the main slate isn't the only odd aspect of the Thursday's action. The three most expensive starting pitchers are all on the road in a tough matchup.
Despite facing a tough Dodgers lineup, Patrick Corbin ($9,000) looks like the one to use for cash games given his consistency this season. He has only one really bad outing (12 fantasy points) and has at least 28 fantasy points in his other six starts. It's tough to trust Mike Soroka in Arizona, and Mike Minor faces the team that led baseball in wOBA last season against lefties: the Astros. The Dodgers do strike out 22.9 percent of the time against lefties, which is right around league average.
We have a few different options in the middle tier, starting with Rich Hill ($8,300). Hill gets a decent home matchup against the Nationals, who have the eighth-highest strikeout rate (26.4 percent) against left-handed pitching, although their.368 wOBA is the best in baseball. Hill has a K/9 of at least 10.18 in each of his last six seasons. Again, almost every pitcher tonight has fleas in his matchup. Hill just has fewer than most.
Looking at the bottom-priced options, Astros lefty Wade Miley ($7,100) stands out. He'll be home facing the Rangers, a good matchup for a left-handed pitcher. The Rangers have a .308 wOBA against lefties (17th in baseball), but their 27.4 percent strikeout rate is the sixth-highest mark. Miley has three quality starts in his last four games and has scored at least 19 fantasy points in six of his seven starts. He has 34 and 35 fantasy points in two of his starts, showing the second-cheapest pitcher's upside.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
Looking at the outfield, Jarrod Dyson ($2,600) looks like a great value given his price and his likely leadoff role for the Diamondbacks. He has a .865 OPS and has gone 5-for-6 on the base paths to start the season. Soroka has been dominant to start the season, but his three wins have come against Miami, San Diego and Cincinnati.
Outside of Cole Tucker and Wilmer Difo, no shortstops are priced below $2,800. This means paying up at the position makes sense as there's not a big price difference between the elite players at the position. The Yankees have the biggest expected run total on the slate, so this is a good spot to use Gleyber Torres ($3,400). Torres' OPS was 103 points higher at home last season (.865), and he should be in the middle of the lineup with a good matchup against Mike Leake.
If Corbin isn't the starting pitcher in a lineup, it makes a lot of sense to use Justin Turner ($3,300). He went off for a whopping 69.6 fantasy points Tuesday night and has always crushed left-handed pitching. Turner had a .433 wOBA last season against southpaws and should be hitting toward the top of the batting order in this one.
The Yankees will be a popular team (as mentioned) to use tonight, and at the top of the lineup DJ LeMahieu ($3,500) has been absolutely raking. He's scored at least 6.2 fantasy points in 10 straight games, but his average for fantasy points over that span is 14.69. Fading Mike Leake in Yankee Stadium is a wise choice.
Houston's lineup has plenty of bats who rake against lefties (more on that in a bit), and as a result, Yuli Gurriel ($2,600) gets lost in the shuffle. Last season his best split was at home against left-handed pitching, in which he had a .419 wOBA. Surprisingly, Mike Minor's struggles last season came away from Arlington, as he had a 5.14 road ERA as opposed to a 3.45 home mark.
STACKS
Yankees vs. Mike Leake (Mariners)
LeMahieu, Torres, Miguel Andujar (3B - $3,100), Gary Sanchez (C/1B - $4,300)
This will likely be the most popular stack of the night, so it makes sense to go with some of the players hitting lower in the lineup like Brett Gardner ($3,400). Andujar has gone 2-for-19 since returning to the lineup making him the perfect GPP play as owners won't have much trust in him.
Astros vs. Mike Minor (Rangers)
Gurriel, George Springer (OF - $4,400), Alex Bregman (3B - $4,200), Jose Altuve (2B - $3,700), Carlos Correa (SS - $3,900)
Look, even lefty-hitting Michael Brantley (OF - $4,000) is in play here as the Astros kill left-handed pitching. Minor has been great as of late, so maybe this won't be a popular stack. Houston was written up in this spot yesterday, and it paid off. Don't be afraid to go back to the well here.
Mariners at J.A. Happ (Yankees)
Edwin Encarnacion (1B - $3,800), Mitch Haniger (OF - $3,900), Domingo Santana (OF - $3,900), Daniel Vogelbach (1B - $3,600)
While the Yankees will be a popular stack tonight, the Mariners will be the contrarian play. They have plenty of bats who can hit left-handed pitching, and Happ comes into this game with a 4.93 ERA. A great rule of thumb in DFS is to stack the opposite team when there's an obvious team to stack on the slate of games.
