This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday slates always tend to be the most challenging of the week due to erratic scheduling, and that's what we have again here. While we do have nine games in total, there aren't any that start at the same time. That's a bizarre scheduling quirk, but we're going to recommend players throughout the day to keep everyone involved. There's still plenty to discuss, so let's get started with the pitchers!
Pitching
Zack Wheeler, PHI vs. MIA ($10,600)
Wheeler is one of the frontrunners for the NL Cy Young, providing a 2.73 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 9.7 K/9 rate. He's also scored at least 31 FanDuel points in 14 of his 16 starts, totaling a 1.66 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 rate at home. It's hard to believe that he has those numbers after an eight-run clunker against Baltimore last week but Miami's offense is nowhere near the O's. In fact, the Marlins rank 29th in runs scored, OBP, wOBA and xwOBA. That's why Wheeler enters this wonderful matchup as a -300 favorite!
Ben Lively, CLE at KC ($9,000)
Cleveland always churns out randomly productive starters every year, and Lively is one of those guys. The righty has a pristine 7-3 record, thanks to his 3.03 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. You'd think he was $1,000 more with averages like those, especially since Lively has allowed two runs or fewer in all but three starts. A matchup with KC looks scary on the surface, but they have just 22 runs over their last 10 games.
Top Targets
Matt Olson, ATL (vs. Chad Kuhl) $3,400
Olson is the best per-dollar play according to our Optimizer, and it's easy to understand why. The slugger is finally starting to get hot after a slow start, accruing a .294 AVG and .876 OPS across his last 27 outings. More importantly, he has a .362 OBP and .905 OPS against right-handers since 2021. This is a righty he should have success against, with Kuhl compiling an 8.16 ERA and 1.90 WHIP since the start of last season. We don't mind a full-on Atlanta stack given how poor Kuhl has been, with Marcell Ozuna ($4,000), Austin Riley ($3,300) and Jarred Kelenic ($3,000) all looking like good options in the heart of this lineup.
Alec Bohm, PHI (vs. Trevor Rogers) $3,300
Whenever the Phillies face a lefty, Bohm is the first person on my mind. Their cleanup hitter always slaughters southpaws, sporting a .350 OBP and .884 OPS against them since 2022. That's not far off of his season-long averages, accumulating a .362 OBP and .862 OPS. His recent form might be the most impactful variable, though, totaling a .480 OBP and 1.219 OPS across his last 11 outings. We'll dive into how disastrous Rogers has been later on!
Bargain Bats
Willi Castro, MIN (vs. Jordan Montgomery) $3,000
Castro has developed into one of the most underrated players in fantasy baseball. He broke out with 33 steals last season, but he's expanded his game this year. The Twins leadoff hitter has seven dingers and eight steals behind an impressive .274 AVG. He's also got a .414 OBP and 1.036 OPS over his last 13 outings and has been even better with the platoon advantage in his favor. Castro has collected a .397 OBP and .932 OPS against lefties this year! Not to mention, Montgomery has a 5.71 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in what's been a nightmarish debut season in Arizona. With how much Montgomery has struggled, we could stack Royce Lewis ($4,500) and Carlos Correa ($3,600) with Castro.
Paul Goldschmidt, STL (vs. Andrew Abbott) $2,700
There's no doubt that Goldy has struggled this season, but seeing him below $3,000 is bizarre. The perennial All-Star is starting to get going anyway, amassing a .785 OPS across his last 37 games. The real reason we're willing to use him at this discounted price is that he gets to face a lefty. Goldy has generated a .425 OBP and 1.010 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor throughout his career! Abbott has been solid this season, but he's showing some leaks behind his 4.88 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over his last five starts. Nolan Arenado ($2,600) has been horrible, but he also has the platoon advantage against Abbott and could be a cheap pairing with Goldy. Who would've thought you could use these two against a lefty at just $5,300 combined?
Stacks to Consider
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins (Rogers): Bryce Harper ($4,000), Bohm ($3,300), Nick Castellanos ($2,700)
Some people might say that Atlanta is the best stack on the board, but Philly is the premiere choice. This team ranks second in OBP and fourth in runs scored, posting even more dominant numbers in Citizens Bank Ballpark. That offense could obliterate anybody, but they're going to rock Rogers. The Miami lefty has a 4.90 ERA and 1.55 WHIP this season, allowing 11 baserunners across 3.1 innings in his one meeting with Philly. In addition, he's flirting with a 10.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in his four meetings with the Phils since the start of last season!
We already mentioned Bohm as one of the best plays of the day but he's a sensational stack with the rest of these guys. Harper is the straw that stirs the drink for the Phillies, providing a .433 OBP and 1.102 OPS across his last 46 games. Castellanos hasn't been quite as good, but he's getting going. Casty has a 1.121 OPS over his last eight outings while posting an OPS north of .800 against lefties throughout his career. He's faced Rogers nine times, producing a 1.431 OPS against him!
Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Angels (Davis Daniel): Riley Greene ($3,400), Colt Keith ($2,600), Wenceel Perez ($2,700)
This is actually a challenging slate to pick stacks from because there aren't many bad pitchers taking the mound. We're willing to say that Daniel is one of the few targetable pitchers out there because he's making his first start of the year. The righty has made 14 starts at Triple-A this season, tallying a 5.33 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. He's only starting because Patrick Sandoval is injured, and stacking Detroit could be a great way to save some salary to use pitchers like Chris Sale and Wheeler.
The Motor City Kitties are one of the most difficult teams to stack but Greene is easily the best option of the bunch. He bats third for the Tigers, totaling a .394 OBP and 1.023 OPS over his last 26 games. He's also got a .384 OBP and .910 OPS against right-handers as well! Keith is one of the best punt plays on this slate, collecting a .980 OPS over his last 10 games while batting second for Detroit. Perez is projected to bat fifth, posting a .365 OBP and .785 OPS over his last 13 outings.
