This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Only Oakland-Cleveland is omitted from Tuesday's main slate. 28 teams give us robust options to choose from.
Pitching Overview
Five arms seem to comprise the upper-tier for cash gamers to consider, and all seem to present GPP upside as well where cost isn't a consideration, as none of the matchups should scare you away.
Justin Verlander ($12,000) leads the way against a mid-tier White Sox offense that ranks 18th with a .312 wOBA, and while they strike out just 24.8 percent of the time, they also boast a meager .128 ISO. He comes with very minimal risk. Zack Greinke ($11,000) has a very similar matchup against the Padres, who have a .316 wOBA and 25.7 strikeout percentage, and they're a squad he's posted 43 and 49 FDP against already this year. Domingo German ($10,000) is the final five-figure righty here, and faces a Baltimore squad he just put up 52 FDP against in his last start. The O's strike out 28.0 percent of the time while posting a .279 wOBA and .131 ISO. German presents a great floor at a nice discount, relatively speaking.
Lefties Caleb Smith ($10,100) and Clayton Kershaw ($9,800) round out this upper echelon. Smith gets a Tigers side that has been surprisingly okay against lefties, ranking 10th with a .327 wOBA, but are striking out 26.8 percent of the time. That plays right into Smith's strength, as he's fanned eight or more in five straight starts. That suggest a very stable floor. Meanwhile, Kershaw has been stable yet unspectacular. He currently has a career-low 8.17 K/9 rate, yet has failed to post at least 30 FDP only once in six starts. Tampa ranks 22nd with a .301 wOBA against lefties, and is fanning 30.9 percent of the time, which suggests Kershaw may be a bit of a bargain here.
Detroit's Spencer Turnbull ($8,600) and Atlanta's Julio Teheran ($8,400) look like the obvious cheaper picks, as they face the league's two worst offenses against righties. Turnbull has posted 27 of more FDP in six straight and faces lowly Miami and their .265 wOBA and .098 ISO, though they only fan 19.9 percent of the time. Teheran gets a favorable matchup in pitcher-friendly San Francisco, where the Giants have only a .266 wOBA and .112 ISO while whiffing 24.6 percent of the time. Teheran has five straight starts with 31-plus FDP.
Michael Pineda ($7,300) looks like he'll be a popular GPP dart toss, as he's averaged 32.7 FDP in his last three starts. The Angels aren't a robust offense, but Pineda's appeal is from the 19 K's he's had over the last 18.0 innings. With LAA fanning only 15.9 percent of the time, I'm personally fading Pineda.
Key Chalk/Value
Astros' bats against Dylan Covey ($5,500) likely can't be more chalky. Cash players will have a hard time stacking, and GPPers will likely need to differentiate. As such, Covey's .401 wOBA allowed to lefties suggest Michael Brantley ($4,000) should be a cornerstone, but note that Josh Reddick ($3,100) hasn't enjoyed LvR success this year. To be clear, this isn't an indictment against any other Astro bats, just a declaration they'll be difficult to own multiple shares of.
The Red Sox are always in play. They'll face Marcus Stroman ($7,400) who they haven't seen this year, but he's the owner of a 5.52 ERA over the past three years against them, spanning 45.2 innings. Mookie Betts ($4,400), Michael Chavis ($3,700) and Mitch Moreland ($3,800) have the team's top wOBAs against righties, while BvP guys can consider Xander Bogaerts ($4,000, .355, 2 HRs vs. Stroman) The game has a over/under of 9.0 runs, but Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez ($8,900) has only a 3.55 xFIP, suggesting he's been a bit unlucky. He's also been hit harder by lefties than righties. Even still, it's hard to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($2,700) out of many lineups given his price and power surge, as he's homered four times in his last seven games.
Texas-Seattle has a huge total of 11.5, so if you're not stacking this game, you'll want at least some exposure. Seattle will call up Tommy Milone (not currently in FD) to start here, and he had a 5.65 xFIP in Triple-A. Logan Forsythe ($3,300) surprisingly leads the Rangers with a .406 wOBA against lefties, while Joey Gallo ($4,400) and Nomar Mazara ($3,800) both have ISOs of .289 or better. Lance Lynn ($8,500) takes the hill for the Rangers. He has a 7.27 home ERA but a slightly lower 5.48 xFIP while allowing just 0.52 HR/9. Still, it's hard to pass on the .458 wOBA and .410 ISO Daniel Vogelbach ($3,800) owns against righties. Edwin Encarnacion ($3,900) presents well with a .395 wOBA and .289 ISO, while Omar Narvaez ($2,900) has been surprisingly useful and offers some moderate savings.
Stacks
Yankees vs. David Hess (Orioles)
Gary Sanchez (C - $4,200), Gleyber Torres (SS - $3,600), Luke Voit ($1B - $4,000)
This will already be Hess' fourth appearance against the Yankees this season, and he's allowed 12 hits, nine runs and a whopping seven homers across his first 13 innings. We're clearly chasing power here, and getting Sanchez and Voit into your lineup will obviously take away your UTL flexibility. Sanchez has a .412 wOBA and .381 ISO against righties, while Torres and Voit come in with .268 and .279 ISOs, respectively. If you're looking to save a few bucks, 2B DJ LeMahieu ($3,200) hitting in front of the sluggers looks like a reasonable choice.
Twins vs. Trevor Cahill (Angels)
Jorge Polanco (SS - $4,200), Byron Buxton (OF - $3,500), Jason Castro (C - $3,300)
Cahill is allowing a .505 wOBA to lefites at home, and a .396 wOBA to righties. There seemingly are infinite paths to go down with the Twins lineup, as 11 players have an ISO of .203 or higher, so pay attention to their lineup construction before roster locks. I'm rolling with Polanco as my anchor, as he brings a .435 wOBA, 175 wRC+ and .299 ISO to the docket. Castro is a bit of a wild card given that he was behind the plate Monday, but has been white hot with a .463 ISO and .444 wOBA. Speaking of hot, we have Buxton, who had homered three times in his last five games prior to Monday, driving in 10 runs in the process. Both Buxton and Castro took Cahill deep in his last start. Miguel Sano ($3,300) is worth a look as well given his power potential.
Cardinals vs. Homer Bailey (Royals)
Yadier Molina (C - $3,200), Matt Carpenter (3B - $3,700), Paul DeJong (SS - $4,200)
I expect the Cardinals will be very popular on this slate, so I'm going in a bit of a different direction with their stacking options. Bailey has a 4.26 xFIP and is allowing just a .338 wOBA to righties, so he hasn't been as awful as his basic stats suggest. As such, I'm going against conventional wisdom some and relying on BvP trends, as the Cards are very familiar with Bailey from his time in Cincinnati. Molina is 20-for-50 with three homers against him, while Carpenter is 20-for-45 with one long ball. DeJong is the more stable, advanced stats option, checking in with a .392 wOBA and 150 wRC+. Weather here is a concern however, so be ready to adjust as needed closer to start time.
