This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A 13-game slate awaits Tuesday evening, and it's absolutely loaded in terms of pitching. Though there aren't any $11,000 options, three are priced at $10,000 or more, and 10 more come in at $8,000 or more, with some big names priced down from their norms due to their current form. I expect Chris Sale to draw plenty of eyes in a start against Baltimore, but they actually got to him previously while only striking out once, so we'll look to differentiate below.
Pitching
Walker Buehler, LAD vs. SD ($9,500): Buehler has allowed eight runs across his last 9.2 innings, forcing his salary down to a point we can pounce, especially for GPPs as his upside remains immense. Those starts came at Colorado and Cincinnati, both hitter-friendly parks. A return home against a Padres team he's fared well against should do the trick, especially now that they've been eliminated from the postseason and could be just going through the motions. He's faced them four times this season, allowing just six earned runs and 20 hits across 26.2 innings (2.03 ERA) while fanning 26. He's been victimized by three homers, so if he can keep the ball in the park, a big outing is likely in store.
Logan Webb, SF vs. ARI ($9,000): Webb surprisingly hasn't faced the Diamondbacks this season, so we can't bank on past success, and he's certainly not in good form, with just one quality start in his last three while allowing 11 runs and 17 hits across 17.0 innings. We can bank on Arizona's lousy lineup, however, which ranks last in baseball with a .290 wOBA, 79 wRC+ and .138 ISO. Mix in a 24.9 percent K-rate, and Webb should bounce back.
Brady Singer, KC at CLE ($7,700): This slate is so stacked with names and plus matchups, especially for cash, I could include six, seven, eight guys here and feel confident. Singer is going to be overlooked, and is only a GPP option if we're paying down, but the opportunity to differentiate is there. He fanned seven across seven innings in his last start against Cleveland, leading to 46 FDP. Since returning from the IL on August 11, he's allowed two or fewer runs in five of seven starts, posting a 3.83 ERA and 3.99 xFIP with a moderate 8.9 K/9. We need 31 points for 4x value, something he's delivered in five of his last seven.
Top Targets
Juan Soto, WAS at COL ($4,600): Soto has cooled a tad in his last three games, but he's been so hot, and now heads into Coors Field, that I'm building around him and will figure the rest out later. He's hitting .430 in September, collecting 37 hits and 34 walks in 26 games while mixing in seven homers, 22 runs and 22 RBI. That results in a .538 wOBA and 239 wRC+. He's averaging being on base 2.7 times per game. Simply incredible.
Matt Olson, OAK at SEA ($4,100): Mariners' starter Tyler Anderson had done a decent job limiting damage prior to his last outing, in which he allowed nine runs and nine hits across just 2.0 innings. That brings him to 23 runs and 44 hits allowed in his last 36.1 frames, with seven balls leaving the yard. Olson has mashed lefties all season, carrying a .396 wOBA, 158 wRC+ and .333 ISO, and should be in a spot to drive in a few runs Tuesday.
Value Bats
Gary Sanchez, NYY at TOR ($3,500): Jays' starter Hyun Jin Ryu allowed 12 runs in his last 4.1 innings before an IL stint, and he's been tagged for seven runs in three of his last eight starts. Of course, he also shut the Yankees out in that stretch, so I'm not going too far in on this offense. Sanchez is a viable pay-down option, as opposed to Aaron Judge at $4,300 or Giancarlo Stanton at $3,900, thanks to his .282 ISO against lefties. Chasing power exclusively isn't often a winning strategy, but Sanchez has the stats, form and history to produce here, as he's taken Ryu deep three times in 12 ABs.
Brendan Rodgers, COL vs. WAS ($3,100): The only concern is Rodgers' availability after taking a fastball to the head last night. Otherwise, his team-leading .431 wOBA, 158 wRC+ and .333 ISO are hard to come by at this price. He's got a soft matchup with Patrick Corbin in Coors Field, a pitcher the Rockies got to for six runs and 10 hits across four innings 10 days ago in Washington. Rodgers went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored (34.4 FDP) in that contest.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Michael Wacha: Yordan Alvarez ($4,000), Kyle Tucker ($3,800), Carlos Correa ($3,700)
Wacha has been pounded on the road, allowing a 6.56 ERA and 5.38 FIP, but he's surprisingly been far more vulnerable to same-handed bats, surrendering a .420 wOBA and 1.006 OPS to righties and a .318 wOBA and .736 OPS to lefties. That makes pieces here a little interchangeable, but we'll trust the Astros' lefties and their body of work. Tucker leads healthy regulars with a .390 wOBA, adding a 153 wRC+ and .254 ISO. Alvarez has a .366 wOBA and Correa a nearly identical .359. There is an unfortunate void of value here with Michael Brantley on the IL, but Jose Siri ($2,700) can be considered if he's in the lineup.
Twins vs. Tyler Alexander: Byron Buxton ($4,000), Jorge Polanco ($3,500), Josh Donaldson ($3,200)
Alexander hasn't been awful, and the splits are somewhat more favorable to left-handed bats, but we'll again trust the Twins' righty bats' body of work, and gain a little value here as well. Buxton appears to be getting his power stroke back, finally, after multiple injuries derailed his breakout (again). He's homered in two of three and boasts a .393 wOBA, 152 wRC+ and .278 ISO for the season. Donaldson goes .383/145/.288, and we like him to have run-producing opportunities hitting behind Buxton and Polanco, which means he doesn't need to launch homers to return value. Polanco's splits are fair at best (.344/119/.229), but he's marginally priced and likely hits in front of these two bigger bats. We could find some better value once the Twins' lineup is out and a leadoff hitter is known.
