This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursdays are always lighter cards, and they will be even smaller for the remainder of the season. MLB has to compete with the NFL for viewership, which will leave us with very few names to discuss. That's certainly the case here, with only five games making up the main slate. There are still some interesting pitchers in some incredible spots, so let's start there!
Pitching
Kumar Rocker, TEX at SEA ($9,000)
Rocker has a fascinating story, and it's been a long road to get to this point. The former top pick is finally making his MLB debut, thanks to his 0.91 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 14.3 K/9 rate between Double-A and Triple-A this season. Those are the sort of numbers that earned him the top pick, and he should be able to slice through Seattle. The Mariners rank 24th in wOBA, 25th in runs scored and dead-last in K rate! Logan Gilbert is also a good choice as Rocker's opposition, but he's the most expensive pitcher on the slate.
Frankie Montas, MIL at SF ($8,100)
Montas has always been an underrated pitcher, and he's really found something magical in Milwaukee. The righty has scored at least 24 FanDuel points in six of his last seven starts, sporting a 3.92 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 rate in that span. That's on par with what we've seen throughout this guy's career, with Montas maintaining a 3.88 ERA and 1.26 WHIP since 2019. Squaring off with San Fran in Oracle Park only adds to his value because that's one of the best pitcher's parks in baseball. In addition, the Giants rank 16th in runs scored and 20th in K rate. In his last three starts against San Fran, Montas has a 3.23 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 9.2 K/9 rate.
Top Targets
Juan Soto, NYY (vs. Cooper Criswell) $4,500
Everyone is talking about Aaron Judge (rightfully so), but it's overshadowing a sensational season from Soto. The slugger is up to 38 homers, 114 runs scored, and 98 RBI, thanks to his .420 OBP and .998 OPS. Those are amazingly on par with his career averages, and it looks even better since he has a .424 OBP and 1.019 OPS against right-handers this year. This is not a righty we're worried about, and we'll dive into that in the stacks section!
Jackson Chourio, MIL (vs. Hayden Birdsong) $3,300
Chourio really struggled in the first half of his rookie season, but he's been one of the best players in baseball since the break. The rookie has 20 doubles, 12 homers and 12 steals across his last 64 games, registering a .374 OBP and .933 OPS in that span. That's got him in the heart of this bludgeoning Brewers lineup, and he should blast a pitcher like Birdsong. The Giants pitcher has a 5.19 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in his rookie campaign! If you want to stack Milwaukee, Willy Adames ($3,700), Garrett Mitchell ($2,400) and William Contreras ($3,400) are the best pairings with Chourio.
Bargain Bats
Josh Lowe, TB (vs. Gavin Williams) $3,000
Lowe was one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy early in the year, but a stint on the IL got him back on track. We saw this stud collect 20 homers and 32 steals last season, coming into this matchup with four dingers and 14 steals over his last 38 games. Lowe also has a .287 AVG and .818 OPS in that span, which pairs beautifully with his .276 AVG and .794 OPS against righties over the last three years. Williams is one of the worst pitchers on this slate, and we'll dive into that later on!
Luis Garcia, WAS (vs. Darren McCaughan) $2,900
Garcia has been a fantasy asset all season, but not enough people have taken notice. The second baseman has 15 homers and 21 steals en route to a .284 AVG. His splits are even better, providing a .291 AVG and .802 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. All 15 of his bombs and 17 of his 21 steals have come against righties, and he could add to that against a gas can like McCaughan. The Marlins sophomore has a 7.28 career ERA and 1.75 WHIP. If you want to stack the Nats, we would use James Wood ($3,400), Andres Chaparro ($2,700), or CJ Abrams ($3,300).
Stacks to Consider
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox (Cooper Criswell): Aaron Judge ($4,900), Soto ($4,500), Jazz Chisholm ($3,500) and Austin Wells ($2,900)
With only a handful of games on this slate, we will go with the safest stack out there. That's the Yankees, ranked Top 3 in runs scored, OBP, home runs and SLG. That makes them a worthy option against anyone, but Criswell is far from a concerning matchup. Before facing the White Sox and Tigers in his last two starts, Criswell compiled a 4.34 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. He also has a 5.12 ERA and 1.38 WHIP on the road throughout his career, making him a tough sell in a hitter's haven like Yankee Stadium.
The Bronx Bombers are always one of the easiest stacks out there, and Judge has to be the first player in your build. The AL MVP has 51 homers and 126 RBI, providing a .490 OBP and 1.271 OPS since the opening month of the year. We already talked about Soto, but Chisholm is a superb option behind his 22 homers and 35 steals. Jazz also has a .846 OPS against righties over the last three years. Wells is the sneaky part of the stack as their cleanup hitter, compiling a .379 OBP and .911 OPS across his last 44 outings.
Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Guardians (Gavin Williams): Brandon Lowe ($3,200), Josh Lowe ($3,000), Yandy Diaz ($3,100)
Stacking Tampa is terrifying, but there are not many options on this slate. We will take advantage of a matchup against Williams, who has a 5.25 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. He's also got a 6.68 ERA and 1.38 WHIP since August 1, and the Rays have plenty of talented bats who can add to those atrocious averages.
This is one of the toughest stacks to navigate with how poor the Rays have been, but they have upside against a pitcher like Williams. We already discussed Josh Lowe but Brandon Lowe is probably the best option of the bunch. The second baseman has a .343 OBP, .491 SLG and .834 OPS against righties throughout his career. He also has an .846 OPS across his last 78 games and typically bats second in these circumstances. Diaz has been an on-base machine throughout his career, collecting a .313 AVG and .830 OPS across his last 70 games.
