This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday's DFS action starts at 12:10 EST with an "all-day" slate. A healthy nine-game slate starts at 7:05 and makes up the main slate for the day.
For those interested, we've started an MLB DFS Slack channel for paid RotoWire subscribers. (There is a season-long one as well.) To join those channels, e-mail support@rotowire.com.
PITCHER
Tyler Skaggs, LAA vs TB ($9,000): Skaggs get a Rays team that has been on the road and will play at a late time tonight across the country from their home field. Against left-handed pitching, the Rays strike out 23.2 percent of the time (13th worst in the league), and their .159 ISO is the eleventh worst. Outside of a blowup against the Red Sox, Skaggs has allowed two or less earned runs in each of his other seven starts, and his 25 percent strikeout rate is a career high. He should be safe tonight for cash games.
GPP Fade: Jon Lester, CHC at ATL ($8,400): Despite his 2.66 ERA, there are many red flags attached to Lester as he takes on the Braves in Atlanta. He hasn't pitched six innings in any of his last three starts, meaning he didn't even qualify for the bonus points for a quality start. He continues to be terrible at holding runners on, and the Braves have multiple players capable of swiping bags. Finally, against lefties the Braves have the second lowest strikeout rate (17.4 percent) while boasting the second biggest wOBA (.356).
Cheap GPP Consideration: Chad Kuhl, PIT vs SD ($7,700): As a team, San Diego hits lefties better than right-handed pitching, and at .287, their wOBA is the second lowest in the league (while their 26.9 percent strikeout rate is the highest in the league). Kuhl owns a 25.5 percent strikeout rate at home this season and at least 30 fantasy points in each of his four starts there this year.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Kurt Suzuki, ATL vs CHC ($2,600): It's a great strategy in GPPs to use a catcher in this spot, as the majority of the time, owners will use a first baseman. For whatever reason, Suzuki has become a lefty-killer since joining the Braves, sporting a .438 wOBA against that handedness. He should be hitting in a good RBI spot (the fifth-hole), and Lester — after giving up a .359 wOBA on the road to right-handed batters last season — is off to a worse start with a .373 mark this year.
SECOND BASE
Sean Rodriguez, PIT vs SD ($2,500): Rodriguez has some job security with Starling Marte dealing with an injury and the Padres starting a lefty on the mound tonight. Rodriguez is actually good against lefties (.399 and .336 wOBA the last two seasons) and comes cheap. Eric Lauer's 8.27 ERA and .483 wOBA to right-handed batters tells the story of his season.
THIRD BASE
Matt Carpenter, STL vs PHI ($2,900): Unless there's an injury he hasn't disclosed, Carpenter is too good to keep up this slump and may have started breaking out of it Wednesday. He finished his game with 18.5 fantasy points (two doubles, a single and a RBI) and gets Vince Velasquez at home. Carpenter has a career .376 wOBA against right-handed pitching at home while Velasquez has a .347 wOBA to lefty batters for his career.
SHORTSTOP
Tim Anderson, CHW vs TEX ($2,900): Anderson has been moved towards the top of the order against left-handed pitching and will take on Cole Hamels tonight. Anderson has been much better against left-handed pitching the right since joining the White Sox with wOBA seasons of .342, .345 and now .405. Anderson also has the speed component to his game making him a threat to add fantasy points in the way of steals.
OUTFIELD
Teoscar Hernandez, TOR vs OAK ($3,200): Granted 76 plate appearances are not a big sample and normally shouldn't be taken into consideration. However, Hernandez in Rogers Centre against right-handed pitching has crushed it. He has a .450 wOBA against righties at home since he became a Blue Jay and gets Andrew Triggs tonight. Triggs' worst career splits are on the road against right-handed hitters (.328 wOBA).
Nomar Mazara, TEX at CHW ($3,600): It's easy to forget Mazara just turned 23 and already has half (10) the number of home runs he had last season. He owns a .382 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season and the matchups don't get much better than James Shields. Once again Shields has an ERA over five and over the past three seasons he's given up at least a .380 wOBA to left-handed batters.
UTILITY
Welington Castillo, CHW vs TEX ($2,300): If using one catcher in a lineup is seen as contrarian using two must be really crazy. The numbers don't lie though and Castillo (.361 wOBA career vs lefties) has had seasons of .367 and .393 against southpaws. Cole Hamels isn't as dominant as he once was and has allowed a .322 wOBA to right-handed batters in season that is in line with last year's .324 mark.
