This article is part of our DFS MLB series.
We have two relatively large slates to work with Wednesday. The first comes at 1:10 pm ET, which includes five games. The second comes at 7:10 pm ET and includes six games. The latter has some contests with bigger prizes, so we'll turn our focus there. It's a very uninspiring pitcher pool and the best arms all have relatively difficult matchups. This will be a way to tread water with pitchers and attack the best hitter spots to launch lineups up the leaderboard.
Pitchers
One pitcher stands out above the rest – Luis Gil ($10,300). He has a strikeout rate of 29.3 percent, better than the next closest pitcher in the pool by 4.6 percentage points. He draws a strong Mets lineup, but the skills difference compared to other pitchers is so large I'm willing to pay up.
The pricing gets a bit curious after Gil, but we can settle in with Kutter Crawford ($8,200) as another strong option. He draws an unideal matchup, as the Blue Jays don't strike out much even if they have disappointed from an offensive firepower perspective. However, he has the best K-BB% of the slate. Given the relative lack of skill from the pitching pool, Crawford is a strong play.
The next tier offers a choice between Erick Fedde ($7,500) and Sean Manaea ($7,200). Manaea arguably has slightly more upside than Fedde due to his ability to get strikeouts. Both have horrific matchups (Fedde: Dodgers; Manaea: Yankees) but that's that the
We have two relatively large slates to work with Wednesday. The first comes at 1:10 pm ET, which includes five games. The second comes at 7:10 pm ET and includes six games. The latter has some contests with bigger prizes, so we'll turn our focus there. It's a very uninspiring pitcher pool and the best arms all have relatively difficult matchups. This will be a way to tread water with pitchers and attack the best hitter spots to launch lineups up the leaderboard.
Pitchers
One pitcher stands out above the rest – Luis Gil ($10,300). He has a strikeout rate of 29.3 percent, better than the next closest pitcher in the pool by 4.6 percentage points. He draws a strong Mets lineup, but the skills difference compared to other pitchers is so large I'm willing to pay up.
The pricing gets a bit curious after Gil, but we can settle in with Kutter Crawford ($8,200) as another strong option. He draws an unideal matchup, as the Blue Jays don't strike out much even if they have disappointed from an offensive firepower perspective. However, he has the best K-BB% of the slate. Given the relative lack of skill from the pitching pool, Crawford is a strong play.
The next tier offers a choice between Erick Fedde ($7,500) and Sean Manaea ($7,200). Manaea arguably has slightly more upside than Fedde due to his ability to get strikeouts. Both have horrific matchups (Fedde: Dodgers; Manaea: Yankees) but that's that the state of pitching today.
Simeon Woods Richardson ($6,900) is one potential value. His 20.7 percent strikeout rate is in the middle of the pack for the day, and he has limited home runs effectively. As it has been for every pitcher, the matchup against Arizona isn't ideal.
Top Hitters
Andre Pallante is a tough pitcher to figure out for DFS purposes. He doesn't have much swing-and-miss stuff and also has a 10.3 percent walk rate, but he does do a good job keeping the ball on the ground. I'd avoid stacking Atlanta, but individual pieces such as Matt Olson ($5,000) or Austin Riley ($5,100) could deliver.
Hayden Birdsong will make his big-league debut for the Giants and is an unknown heading into Wednesday's matchup. Getting some Cubs in your lineup would be smart, with Ian Happ ($4,100) standing out as a decent intersection of value and upside.
Value Bats
Cardinals hitters are in a good position to produce in a matchup against Bryce Elder, who has just a 16.8 percent strikeout rate paired with a 9.9 percent barrel rate allowed. The primary question is whether to pay up or down to get exposure. Brendan Donovan ($3,700) and Alec Burleson ($3,900) are some relatively cheaper options, but could also be decent building blocks to a stack.
Brett Wisely ($3,600) has taken over as the Giants' leadoff hitter and has excelled by averaging 7.9 DraftKings points across his last 10 games. A matchup against Hayden Wesneski isn't a reason to shy away.
Stacks to Consider
Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Yariel Rodriguez): Jarren Duran ($5,500), Wilyer Abreu ($4,100), Rafael Devers ($5,600)
Rodriguez has all the ingredients of a pitcher we want to stack against – a high walk rate, mediocre strikeout rate and a poor homer rate. The Red Sox have been a strong lineup for most of the season and will be in a strong run environment. There are a lot of good situations to potentially stack, but Boston stands out above the rest.
Minnesota Twins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Ryne Nelson): Willi Castro ($4,400), Royce Lewis ($6,200), Carlos Correa ($5,000)
The Twins are another standout offensive option. Nelson has the lowest strikeout rate among all available pitchers and the third-highest barrel rate allowed. The Twins don't necessarily have a lot of star power, but they have a .350 wOBA across the last 30 days and the eighth-best mark (.322) for the season overall. This trio is a bit pricy, but Castro is a good value as the leadoff hitter and productive hitters such as Trevor Larnach ($3,900) come cheaper and should hit in prime spots in the order.
