This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Pitching
Nathan Eovaldi , TEX at OAK ($11,000): There are only three games on this slate, and I would stay away from the Rays/Yankees game at least for cash contests. Oakland has the second-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching (25.4 percent) and their team .305 wOBA is in the bottom half of the league. Eovaldi had been excellent this season, striking out 44 batters in 44.2 innings while carrying a 3.22 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP. Don't overthink this one.
Tommy Henry, ARI v SF ($7,000): As of writing this, Oakland had yet to make a decision on a starter, which leaves us only five options to pick from. In GPPs, it's conceivable to use the five starting pitchers in five different lineup with the same batters, knowing you'll have one lineup with the top scoring pitcher. Henry isn't a big-time prospect but he does have a good home matchup with the Giants, who strike out 28.5 percent of the time against left-handed pitching (second-worst in the league). His salary is the lowest among starting pitching, which will allow for liberal usage of big bats.
Top Targets
Yandy Diaz, TB at NYY ($3,900): Diaz has gotten off to a hot start this season with nine home runs, leading to 1.007 OPS. He should be in his usual leadoff spot and has already scored 30 runs. Yandy has gone 5-for-16 (.313) with a home run and two doubles against Domingo German in his career and has also been better against right-handed pitching this season with a 1.085 OPS against that handedness.
Christian Walker, ARI vs. SF ($3,600): Walker has heated up after a bit of a slow start and has a 1.209 OPS over the last two weeks, including six home runs. It's a good matchup for him against Alex Cobb given that he's gone 6-for-14 with a home run, double and four RBI against him. While Walker isn't a speedster on the basepaths, he does have two stolen bases against Cobb as well.
Bargain Bats
Mitch Haniger, SF at ARI (3,000): It's been a slow start to the season for Haniger, who is hitting only .227 but dealt with an oblique injury early. He should be much better as he puts the issue further behind him, and he's had a good history against left-handed pitching over the last few seasons. Haniger has posted a solid .883 OPS against southpaws since 2021, making Henry a great matchup for him.
Josh Rojas, ARI vs. SF ($2,600): Rojas is someone to consider if you're looking for salary cap relief in order to afford a top pitcher. He doesn't have a ton of upside but has averaged 9.2 fantasy points per game, making him a viable option at this price point. Rojas should be in the leadoff spot and could do some damage if he reaches base against Cobb, as he's coming off a season with 23 stolen bases.
Stacks To Consider
Giants at Diamondbacks (Henry): Thairo Estrada ($3,400), Haniger, Wilmer Flores ($2,800), David Villar ($2,600)
It's not a coincidence that I went with all right-handed hitters here against Henry, and every one of these players has had good numbers in that split. Flores' success against lefties dates back to his days with the Mets, while Villar in a small sample last season had a .978 OPS against them. Estrada has been a surprise in 2023 with a .338 batting average, six home runs and 10 stolen bases, and he has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 contests.
Athletics vs. Rangers (Eovaldi): Brent Rooker ($4,200), Esteury Ruiz ($3,100), Ryan Noda ($3,000), JJ Bleday ($2,700)
Here's the contrarian stack of the night considering Oakland is supposed to be the lowest-scoring team on a short slate. However, Bleday homered yesterday in New York and Rooker is having a great season on a bad team, batting .317 with 10 home runs. Ruiz is averaging double-digit fantasy points per game (10.47) thanks to his speed and Noda has a .914 OPS against right-handed pitching in 107 plate appearances.
