This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday's main FanDuel slate kicks off at 1:10 pm ET and features just four games. An All Day slate is also available, which adds two more games, but the recommendations here will be for the main contest only. Rain will be a problem across the country, but that's already manifested itself in several rainouts. None of the remaining games on the main slate appear threatened.
Pitching
Kevin Gausman, TOR @ KC ($10,800): You'll have to pay up to get Gausman, but I expect many players will given the short list of tolerable choices. The veteran righty cruised to a 3.35 ERA last season, and his 2.38 FIP suggests things could have been even better if not for his .363 BABIP. He threw six innings without giving up an earned run in St. Louis in his season debut and now faces a team that's hit a collective .155/.254/.265 through the first week, good for a league-low 46 wRC+.
Chris Sale, BOS @ DET ($9,000): Sale entered the year as a wild card having made just 11 starts over the last three years due to injuries. His seven runs allowed in three innings in his season debut against the Orioles made for a discouraging start, but the outing came with six strikeouts against just two walks, so it's far too soon to give up on him. I'm happy to take a chance on him against a Tigers team that ranks 29th in team wRC+ (53), beating only the Royals.
Top Target
Kris Bryant, OF, COL vs. WSH ($3,500): With only four games on the slate and one of them taking place at Coors Field, I expect a lot of similarity among lineups, but this isn't the spot where I'd look for differentiation. Not only is this game at altitude, it also features Josiah Gray on the mound for the Nationals, whose 5.26 career ERA comes with a very low 32.9 percent groundball rate. There were plenty of justified doubts surrounding Bryant in season-long leagues, but those were primarily durability-related. When he's in the lineup, he gets the job done, as his .851 OPS last year in 42 games indicates.
Bargain Bat
Matt Vierling, OF, DET vs. BOS ($2,400): I wrote up Chris Sale above, but in lineups where I don't take that risk, I'd be looking to grab some Tigers righties against him. Vierling will lead off and has gotten off to a hot start, posting a .931 OPS through five games. His overall .694 OPS in 156 career games is nothing special, but he's combined a better than average strikeout rate (21.1 percent) with a 48.3 percent hard-hit rate, which shows some promise.
Top Stack
Blue Jays vs. Jordan Lyles: Vladimir Guerrero ($3,900), Bo Bichette ($3,800), Daulton Varsho ($3,500)
With so much attention likely being paid to the game in Colorado, you might see lower usage than expected on the best Blue Jays' bats, even though they square off against the cheapest pitcher on the slate. Lyles is nothing more than an innings-eater, posting a park-adjusted ERA better than league average just once in his career. The stack featured here will hit in the first three spots in the order, though I'd be happy with almost any combination of Jays given the matchup.
Nationals vs. Kyle Freeland: Joey Meneses ($3,500), Lane Thomas ($3,300), Jeimer Candelario ($2,600)
For a stack that features three of the top four hitters in the lineup in a game that's taking place at Coors Field, it doesn't get much cheaper than this. With good reason, of course, as Meneses was the only member of this trio who was an above-average hitter last year, and he's off to a .200/.231/.240 start. Freeland shut out the Padres over six innings in his first start of the year and generally keeps his ERA passable despite making half his starts at Coors Field, but I'm expecting the thin air to win out in this one, at least enough to justify these low prices.
