This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The final Thursday of the regular season features 10 MLB games in total, but only five of them come into play for DFS purposes. Thursday is typically a day with a lot of afternoon and early-evening baseball, so that may not be surprising. While the pickings are slimmer than usual, I have my DFS lineup recommendations to try and give you a bit of a boost.
Pitching
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. OAK ($11,100): Somebody wants to win a second MVP. Over his last 10 starts, Ohtani has an 1.96 ERA. Now he gets to potentially bolster his numbers against an Athletics team 29th in both runs scored and team OPS. Ohtani actually faced the A's twice in those 10 starts. He allowed a total of two runs across 11.2 innings.
Eric Lauer, MIL vs. MIA ($9,600): Lauer is the play if you are looking for a pitcher that won't command a lofty salary. Yes, his overall ERA is 3.96, but his home ERA is 2.98. In addition to being at home, Lauer is facing a Marlins team that is 28th in runs scored and 27th in team OPS.
Top Targets
With a career .490 slugging percentage, it's not surprising that Hunter Renfroe ($3,000) has 28 home runs this year. He's enjoyed his new home park as well, where he's posted an .821 OPS. Braxton Garrett also enjoys his home park, but he doesn't get to be there Wednesday. The lefty has a 4.40 ERA on the road.
After making a bit of a splash across 52 games last season, Thairo Estrada ($2,800) has impressed in his first full season with a .266 average, 14 homers, and 19 stolen bases. He also has an .821 OPS over the last three weeks. Ryan Feltner's numbers aren't all about Coors Field, as he has a 5.86 ERA on the road. Also, in his career righties have hit .319 against the rookie pitcher.
Bargain Bats
He may be a switch hitter, but Luis Rengifo ($2,600) has a definite preference. When a lefty is on the mound he has a .948 OPS. On top of that, the second baseman has an .898 OPS at home. Southpaw Cole Irvin has really struggled away from Oakland, and this year he has a 5.17 ERA in away starts.
At the MLB level, Jarred Kelenic ($2,300) has failed to live up to the hype. However, he's only 23, and he has a .922 OPS at Triple-A this year. Clearly, he has some skill, and he also has five homers and five stolen bases in 46 MLB games this season. As a southpaw, Kelenic prefers to face a righty, and Jon Gray has kept righties in check but has allowed lefties to hit .247 against him. Not bad, but not great either. On top of that, Gray has a 3.86 ERA on the road.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers at Padres (Sean Manaea): Trea Turner ($3,900), Will Smith ($3,200), Justin Turner ($3,000)
Manaea has not shored up the Padres rotation as they hoped. Instead, he's posted a 5.23 ERA. Sure, at home he has a 4.04 ERA, but he's still allowed 1.7 home runs per nine innings there. Additionally, the lefty has let righties hit a whopping .282 against him, Hence, this stack of three right-handed batters.
Turner has had the exact kind of season you would expect from him with a .300 average, 20 homers, and 25 stolen bases. Since 2020, he has an 1.048 OPS against lefties. You don't need a catcher on FanDuel, but you still want Smith's bat in your lineup. He has an .869 OPS against left handers and an .845 OPS on the road, not to mention a .949 OPS over the last two weeks. Overcoming a slow start to the season, the senior Turner has a .280 average and .353 OBP on the campaign. Over the last 21 days he has an .885 OPS.
Rangers at Mariners (Marco Gonzales): Marcus Semien ($3,900), Adolis Garcia ($3,700), Josh Jung ($3,200)
Gonzales is primed to have a FIP over 5.00 for the second season in a row. Somehow, the lefty has only struck out 4.95 batters per nine innings. There will be contact made, and that contact could do damage, especially with these three bats
Semien didn't hit 45 home runs again, but he has 24 homers and 24 stolen bases in his first season as a Ranger. His new home park has not been kind to him, but he has an .845 OPS on the road. Garcia doesn't need to walk to make a splash, having notched 25 home runs and 24 swiped bags in 2022. Over the last three weeks, he has a .987 OPS as well. Jung, Texas' top prospect, had an .846 OPS down in Triple-A. His OPS over 1.000 against lefties and on the road come in too meager a sample size to read too much into it, but Jung has slugged .500 and hit five home runs in 18 MLB games.
