This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday's DFS action starts with an Early-Only slate at 1:05 p.m. EDT featuring three games, including a matinee at Coors Field. The main slate begins at 7:05 p.m. EDT and has seven contests, including a lot of high-profile pitchers toeing the rubber.
Pitching
There's a lot of useful pitching to choose from: Six of the 14 starters are priced at $9,200 or higher.
The safest, believe it or not, is probably Hyun-Jin Ryu ($11,000) for a few different reasons. Ryu has been lights-out at home this season scoring 61, 55, 55, 40 and 49 fantasy points in his five starts at Dodger Stadium. Ryu has struck out over a batter per inning at home this season while the Mets have the fifth-worst strikeout rate against left-handed pitching at 26.6 percent.
Among the higher-priced options, Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco ($10,200) should be under the radar for tournaments. With 22 and 18 fantasy points over his last two starts, respectively, coupled with the expensive price, he's going to have a low ownership across the board. His strikeout ability and matchup should attract you. The White Sox strike out at the second-highest rate against right-handed pitching (26.8 percent). Since the start of the 2018 season, Carrasco has pitched 37 innings against the White Sox. While it's not a huge sample and the Pale Hose offense has improved, he appears to have their number, racking up 51 strikeouts and holding them to a 0.97 ERA.
Looking at the cheaper pitchers, Yusei Kikuchi ($7,700) is an excellent play for GPPs. The Mariners pitcher's ownership should be down coming off his worst start of the season (a one-point fantasy outing in Oakland), and he has plenty of potential to bounce back. Until that start, he had four starts of 43, 28, 39 and 52, showing his upside. Although it's a small sample, Kikuchi has been better at home than on the road this season with a 3.24 ERA with a 23 percent strikeout rate at T-Mobile Park. The Angels could be without Mike Trout (foot) again and have the seventh-lowest wOBA against lefties at .292.
Key Value/Chalk
Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara ($3,500) could serve you well for cash games. He'll be home in Arlington and has a solid matchup against the Royals' Jakob Junis. Mazara had a .383 wOBA against right-handed pitching at home last season, while Junis is allowing a .361 wOBA to left-handed hitters this season. An under-the-radar outfielder to consider is Cleveland's Jordan Luplow ($3,100), who has a .477 wOBA against lefties in 49 plate appearances.
Obviously, Luplow's teammate Francisco Lindor ($3,700) gets the same good matchup against White Sox lefty Manny Banuelos. He raked against lefties with a a .423 wOBA last season and comes into this game on a hot streak. Lindor has scored 12.5, 15.2, 22.2 and 18.9 fantasy points in his last four games while Banuelos has allowed a .413 wOBA (10 innings) to opposing left-handed hitters.
While he's off to a slow start against lefties this season, the Dodgers' Justin Turner ($3,400) should still be trusted whenever a southpaw is on mound. He had a .433 wOBA against them last season, and his career mark sits at .349. It's a great matchup against the Mets' Jason Vargas, who gave up a .359 wOBA to righty batters last season and is yielding a .346 this season.
The Rangers have the highest implied run total of the night, with Vegas expecting them to score between five and six runs. Therefore, there's nothing wrong with taking multiple players in the Rangers lineup. The case against Junis has already been made, and Rougned Odor ($2,700) is another lefty he'll have to contend with. Despite hitting .163 this season, the second baseman is averaging 9.2 fantasy points per game, a prime setup considering his price and the position.
Steve Pearce ($2,600) hitting lefty J.A. Happ in Yankee Stadium seems like a good prediction especially given his price. The Red Sox's World Series hero is off to a little bit of a slow start but owns a career .360 wOBA against left-handed pitching. Happ has struggled against right-handed hitters this season surrendering a .360 wOBA to that side of the plate.
Stacks
Dodgers vs. Jason Vargas (Mets)
Turner, Enrique Hernandez (2B - $3,200), David Freese (3B - $2,900), Cody Bellinger (OF - $4,800)
The Dodgers have the ninth-best wOBA (.334) against left-handed pitching, and it's pretty easy to identify the bats in that lineup driving that stat. Vargas is a soft-tossing lefty, and the hope here is people overlook Bellinger due to the lefty-on-lefty matchup.
Pirates vs. Chase Anderson (Brewers)
Josh Bell (C/1B - $4,500), Colin Moran (3B - $2,400), Gregory Polanco (OF - $3,700), Starling Marte (OF - $3,600)
Anderson hasn't pitched past the fifth inning (and gotten there only once), and his 4.64 xFIP correctly suggests his 3.25 ERA has been lucky. Bell and Moran homered yesterday in Cincinnati against right-handed pitching, too.
