This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Only the Angels-Blue Jays and Cubs-Brewers contests are omitted from Tuesday's 13-game main slate, going off at our usual 7:05 p.m. EDT. It's a really weird slate on the bump, with poor form and/or poor matchups not lending themselves to clear slam-dunk choices.
Pitching
Max Scherzer, LAD at PHI ($10,600): His salary isn't super high, and Scherzer is in great form, posting 40 or more FDP in five of his last seven starts. He's been worth 40, 42 and 57 FDP in three starts against the Phillies, which should put to rest any concerns there may be about facing a surging lineup.
Sonny Gray, CIN at ATL ($9,200): Gray has been all over the place of late, allowing four, five and eight runs in three of his last six starts, but three or fewer in the other 11 of his last 14. The big takeaway is his strikeouts, as Gray is posting an 11.44 K/9 rate to date, fanning at least five in nine of his last 10. Pair that with Atlanta's propensity to swing and miss (24.7 percent) and there should be a nice floor here, at worst.
Carlos Carrasco, NYM vs. WAS ($7,900): It wouldn't be an August DFS column without picking on a trade deadline seller, so Carrasco it is! He's got marginal, at best, innings potential in only his third start, and Juan Soto is tentatively expected to be back in the Nats' lineup, but it's still a Triple-A supporting cast. 4x value seems optimistic, but a stable 3x floor should play out.
Paolo Espino, WAS at NYM ($6,600): The bottom of this pitching slate isn't too juicy, but Espino works as a low end 4x value option. He posted 30 FDP against the Mets earlier this year while striking out only one. They have just a .300 wOBA against righties and are in a clear tailspin. Perhaps this is a wake-up spot, but given the Mets' track record of late-season tailspins, there's a path to 25 FDP.
Top Targets
Aaron Judge, NYY at KC ($4,300): Judge is a nightly fallback option when facing lefties, carrying a .404 wOBA, .245 ISO and 160 wRC+ against them into Tuesday. He's homered and doubled twice in his last three so is in reasonably solid short-term form, and Daniel Lynch is allowing a .380 wOBA to righties at home. His 7.43 home ERA isn't fully supported by a 4.58 xFIP, but that last number isn't exactly ideal either.
Kris Bryant, SF vs. ARI ($3,900): Bryant has been pretty solid since joining the Giants at the trade deadline with a .386 wOBA, a number that bumps to .440 against same-handed arms. He's provided multiple hits in two of his last four, producing at least nine FDP five times in eight outings. D'backs starter Zac Gallen has allowed at least three runs in two of three and three of five, so I'm expecting Bryant to have his hand in some of the Giants' offense this evening.
Jonathan India, CIN at ATL ($3,800): His salary has risen substantially, so much so it's hard to justify, but India is clearly surging with at least 15.5 FDP in six straight. He leads Reds regulars with a .412 wOBA against lefties, and while his .136 ISO leaves plenty to be desired, he's only had three long balls in this recent surge, so he's not homer dependent. For good measure, Atlanta starter Drew Smyly is allowing 2.23 HR/9 at Truist Park.
Value Bats
Bryan Reynolds, PIT vs. STL ($3,300): Cardinals' starter J.A. Happ is being pelted by righties, allowing a .398 wOBA and .948 OPS while also owning a 6.62 ERA and 5.24 xFIP. Reynolds' .403 wOBA and 154 wRC+ seem like the perfect pairing.
Miguel Sano, MIN vs. CWS ($3,200): Sano is healthy and swinging well as a result, hitting safely in nine of 12 including three multi-hit outings. He's posted a .406 wOBA against lefties since the start of July, adding a .965 OPS. His salary is reaching a breaking point give his propensity for Ks, but he's warm enough to roll the dice as a lineup filler.
Mike Zunino, TB at BOS ($2,700): This matchup is feast or famine on both sides. Zunino has a .489 wOBA and .468 ISO against lefties, while fanning 28.7 percent of the time. BoSox starter Eduardo Rodriguez is coming off of a 10-strikeout, five-inning shutout performance, but preceded that by allowing six runs in 3.1 innings and he carries a 6.35 home ERA into Tuesday.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox at Griffin Jax: Tim Anderson ($3,500), Eloy Jimenez ($3,400) Luis Robert ($2,700)
This is a stack based on value and plus matchup, as opposed to a traditional top-third-of-the-order grouping. Jax is allowing a .384 wOBA to righties, Jimenez is hot, Anderson hits atop the order and Robert is priced far too low relative to his potential in his first week back from injury. You can argue all three options here should be in the $4k range when all is going right for them, so there's value in each.
Tigers vs. Keegan Akin: Jonathan Schoop ($3,400), Eric Haase ($3,400), Robbie Grossman ($3,200)
Here's a differentiating option that comes relatively cheaply. Akin has some peculiar home/road splits against righties, but he's still surrendering a .380 wOBA to opposite-handed bats. The Tigers surprisingly have a lot of options with positive numbers against lefties, but these three lead the way and hit in the top four of the order. Haase sports a .449 wOBA, 189 wRC+ and .402 ISO, with Schoop going .435/180/.263 and Grossman .372/137/.226.
