This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
In the Covid-19 era, we now have to worry about not only inclement weather but games getting postponed due to the risk of an outbreak. The original Phillies/Yankees and Marlins/Orioles games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday have been postponed, but the league has decided the Yankees will instead travel to Baltimore to take on the Orioles. Double-check on a nightly basis to see which games will actually go ahead as intended, or if there are further adjustments.
Pitchers
It's hard to ignore Gerrit Cole ($11,700) given the juicy matchup against the Orioles. Baltimore's .307 wOBA against right-handed pitching last season was in the bottom 10 and their 22.8 percent strikeout rate was around league average. The Yankees should be big favorites in this game and be able to put up a big number against Asher Wojciechowski. The other high-priced option to consider is Chris Paddack ($9,700). This game has one of the lowest over/under totals of the night and Paddack just put up 40 fantasy points against these Giants. While it's a small sample, he had a 2.65 ERA in three starts against the Giants last season, including 21 strikeouts in only 17 innings.
A good mid-tier option to consider for this slate is the Pirates' Joe Musgrove ($6,700). Musgrove had a stellar outing the first time out, scoring 29 fantasy points against the Cardinals which is good value for this price. He was able to throw 99 pitches that game, showing he should get deep enough to qualify for the win and possibly a quality start. Musgrove has had past success against the Brewers, holding them to a .690 OPS as a team.
The cheap option to consider for GPPs is the Mariners' Justin Dunn ($5,500). First, he's dirt cheap and second, he has upside potential in the way of strikeouts. At Double-A Arkansas last season he posted a 28.6 percent strikeout rate while walking only 7.1 percent. It's tough to predict how far he'll work into this game, but he only needs to go over 20 fantasy points to make value here.
Top Targets
It seems like Nelson Cruz ($4,000) is just never going to age. Cruz is on the wrong side of 40 yet has three home runs already this season and had fantastic numbers even against right-handed pitching last season. Cruz merely had a .401 wOBA against that handedness in 2019 and hits in a good RBI spot in the middle of the Twins' lineup. It's possible in this shortened campaign the 73.3 fantasy points he recorded Sunday end up being this season's high total.
If you're looking for a hot bat tonight, look no further than the Royals' Whit Merrifield ($3,200). Merrifield has homered in two straight coming into this game and hit safely in all five of his games to start the season. He has had past success against Matthew Boyd, going 20-for-39 with eight extra base hits (1.291 OPS). Merrifield has a career .363 wOBA against left-handed pitching and is at an affordable price.
Asher Wojciechowski's Achilles' has been the long ball during his short career, so it makes sense to think about using Aaron Judge ($4,100), Giancarlo Stanton ($3,800) or both Wednesday night. The Yankees are well rested and are one of the more obvious stacks to use for this slate of games.
Best Values
There are plenty of cheap options in the outfield and there's a decent floor in using the Mets' Brandon Nimmo ($2,400). He's reached base safely in all five games thus far and should be hitting leadoff against Nathan Eovaldi. Last season Nimmo had a .375 OBP, showing his ability to get on base.
Another option to consider is the Cardinals' Tommy Edman ($2,500). While he hasn't had the longest career, Edman has a .412 wOBA against left-handed pitching and will face Rich Hill on Wednesday night. Like Nimmo, look for him to be in the leadoff spot going up against the Twins. Using teammate Paul Goldschmidt ($3,700) against Hill is a good idea as well.
Niko Goodrum ($2,500) is not only cheap but qualifies at shortstop, a position that's usually scarce on fantasy value. Goodrum should hit towards the top of the lineup against lefty Danny Duffy, a handedness he holds a career .359 wOBA against. While he won't hit for a high average, Goodrum possesses a fantasy-friendly skill set and is able to both hit for some power and do damage on the basepaths.
Stacks
Dodgers vs. Cristian Javier: Mookie Betts ($4,100), Cody Bellinger ($4,400), Corey Seager ($3,100), Joc Pederson ($2,900)
There is upside with Javier, who has been a strikeout artist in the minor leagues, but as with any rookie there'll be some bumps in the road. The Dodgers might have extra motivation after the benches cleared Tuesday night, and their experienced hitters should be able to take advantage of the young pitcher. This game has an over/under of 10 with the Dodgers as a favorite, suggesting we should see around six runs from the Los Angeles bats.
Twins vs. Daniel Ponce de Leon: Nelson Cruz, Eddie Rosario ($3,200), Josh Donaldson ($3,100), Max Kepler ($3,000)
Ponce de Leon is filling in for Miles Mikolas, who will miss the rest of the season. That means PDL probably won't last too long in this game and the Twins should get to the Cardinals' second-tier pitching fairly quickly. In a short sample the Twins are averaging almost nine runs per game to start the season and they've used the long ball to do so. They have put themselves into stack consideration on a nightly basis given their offensive prowess.
