This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Because Thursday's MLB schedule is unusual, and because the DraftKings contest slates are also unusual, I am going to do my DFS recommendations a bit differently. There are three games Thursday afternoon and two in the evening, and DraftKings has no all-day slates. They have afternoon contests starting at 1:10 p.m. ET, and evening contests starting at 7:40 p.m. ET. As such, I am going to give you one pitcher, one top target, and one bargain bat for both slates.
Afternoon Slate
Pitching
Griffin Canning, LAA at TAM ($6,800): The pitching options are bad in this slate, so I am going with the starting pitcher with the lowest salary. Canning had a 4.04 ERA on the road last year, and he held lefties to a .217 average. Tampa's offense has been average, and the team is also banged up. You are basically going to be rolling the dice regardless, so why not save salary?
Top Target
In each of his first two seasons with the Rangers, Marcus Semien ($5,500) has racked up over 100 runs, and with 14 runs scored through 19 games this year, he's on a good pace again. Plus, there's the 20-plus homers and double-digit stolen bases in each of his first two campaigns with Texas as well. The Tigers brought over Kenta Maeda hoping he'd rebound after two seasons in a row with an ERA over 4.00 Well, what they've gotten is a 6.00 ERA through three starts.
Bargain Bat
There is one thing Kerry Carpenter ($3,700) has shown a clear ability to do at the MLB level, and that's hit righties. The southpaw has slashed .284/.341/.516 against right-handed pitchers in his career. Jack Leiter, a righty, will be making his MLB debut, so he has not shown any ability at this level yet. While Leiter was a high pick, he has a 4.58 ERA at Triple-A in his career, and didn't exactly light it up at Double-A either.
Evening Slate
Pitching
Jameson Taillon, CHC vs. MIA ($7,600): Taillon will be making his debut this season after a stint on the IL. Admittedly, his first season with the Cubs was lacking, but he had a 4.60 FIP, and he has a career 3.89 FIP. This is mostly about the matchup. The Marlins are 4-15 and have a sub-.300 OBP as a team. It's a good matchup to step into.
Top Target
Perhaps Michael Conforto ($4,900) has acclimated to Bay Area life. His first season as a Giant was not a smash success, but he's slashed .292/.343/.554 to start 2024. Last year the lefty mostly struggles against southpaws, as his .753 OPS against righties was fine. Speaking of fine, Ryne Nelson was fine on the road, where he had a 3.46 ERA, but he had an 8.25 ERA at home, in a pitcher's park, which still says something to me. Furthermore, lefties hit .294 against Nelson.
Bargain Bat
Third baseman Christopher Morel ($4,300) picked his power up last year in his age-24 season. He slugged .508 and hit 26 home runs in 107 games. However, he slugged a whopping .576 against southpaws. The Marlins moved A.J. Puk into the rotation for 2024, and while it's early, he doesn't seem up to it. He has a 5.91 ERA, and a 6.88 FIP. Maybe the most-remarkable thing is his 0.57 K/BB rate. Yes, Puk has walked almost twice as many batters as he's struck out.
