This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Twelve games are available on Tuesday evening's FanDuel main slate. Only three arms are in the $10,000 tier, though five more come in at $9,000 or greater. Oakland is the only team without a listed arm, though I doubt many would consider whomever they go with a strong play, even facing the Royals.
Oakland-Kansas City is also the only game without a listed total. We're seeing double-digit run expectations in Atlanta and Pittsburgh, where the Pirates will get to face Adam Wainwright. We've also got a handful of starters returning from the injured list, making for risky options that can have upside. Rain chances look minimal across the slate, and a lot of parks seem to have light winds blowing in. Nothing substantial, but it may not be the best slate to chase power.
Pitching
Bobby Miller, LAD at CLE ($9,000): This isn't a slate where I feel terrific about paying up for pitching. All the top options have difficult matchups, or haven't shown elite form of late, so I'm willing to go a little lower. Miller gets a Guardians lineup that ranks 20th against righties with a .308 wOBA and below-average 95 wRC+. They only strike out at an 18.5 percent clip, but that's fine for Miller, who is getting just 8.4 per nine. He's adept at limiting damage, allowing just two runs and 11 hits in his last three starts. He won't offer 40 FDP upside, but at this price, mid-30s will do.
Graham Ashcraft, CIN at LAA ($8,600): Ashcraft seems to offer stability as he's been on a great run, turning in four straight quality starts and eight in his last nine outings. He actually was worth 34 FDP in that lone "bad" outing thanks to eight strikeouts, which has been a fluctuating stat for him. The Angels hit righties better than average, but their 24.5 percent K rate suggests multiple paths for Ashcraft to again get to a 3-4x return.
Bryan Woo, SEA at CWS ($7,900): The White Sox are the league's worst offense against righties, sitting with a .292 wOBA, 83 wRC+ and a modest 30.9 percent hard hit rate. They whiff at a decent 23.5 percent clip, while Woo averages a decent 9.8 K/9. Woo's ability to work deep into this game is in question, but he should generate enough swing and miss while limiting damage to find fantasy success. Wade Miley sits at the same price and has a favorable matchup at home against the Twins, but he has less upside.
Top Targets
The usual suspects lead the way Tuesday. Freddie Freeman ($4,300) is 10-for-24 (.417) with a 1.216 OPS against Cleveland starter Noah Syndergaard, and he has a .394 wOBA and 151 wRC+ off righties. With Syndergaard pitching to contact now, and Freeman's limited 10.3 percent soft contact rate, he'll put the ball in play and good things can follow.
Julio Rodriguez ($4,500) returned only 2x this number in his last outing, but I'm willing to keep going to the well until he proves we shouldn't. Rodriguez had a ridiculous 18 hits in the five games prior, and is 3-for-5 with a homer off White Sox starter Mike Clevinger.
Bargain Bats
Mets' starter Tylor Megill has been decent against the Atlanta lineup overall, but he's always a target on the road, as are these hitters. He has an 8.20 road ERA, allowing a .411 wOBA to lefties and .432 wOBA to righties. Atlanta offers a plethora of second-tier options. Marcell Ozuna ($3,000) is white hot, homering twice yesterday after seeing his 16-game hitting streak snapped Sunday. Michael Harris ($3,000) is an everyday consideration at this salary while hitting in the two-hole, and Eddie Rosario ($2,800) has hit safely in nine of his last 11 with three homers en route to being NL Player of the Week last week.
You almost feel bad for Wainwright at this point, but that doesn't mean we should shy away from regularly using bats against him, even if the Pirates aren't exactly an elite offense that inspires confidence. Grab a share of Andrew McCutchen ($3,000), who is 26-for-87 (.299) off the veteran righty with a decent .836 OPS, or perhaps Ji Hwan Bae ($2,800) if he hits atop the order. Bae has strung together a few decent showings over his last five games, offers second base eligibility and isn't breaking the bank.
Zack Gelof is hot too, and I don't hate him as a target that may be overlooked given his name and $4K salary compared to others in that tier. It's lefties that have plagued Royals' starter Zack Greinke all year though, as he's allowed a .400 wOBA and .950 OPS in that split. Ryan Noda ($2,800) reached base three times Monday in his return from injury, while Seth Brown ($2,600) has taken Greinke deep once in five at-bats.
Stacks to Consider
Padres vs. Jesus Luzardo: Fernando Tatis ($4,000), Manny Machado ($3,500), Ha-Seong Kim ($3,000)
Luzardo has completely lost it of late, allowing 20 runs and 30 hits across his last four starts, spanning just 17.0 innings. Unless the Padres have finally mailed it in on their fading wild-card hopes, things don't seem likely to improve here. Tatis' .387 wOBA and 149 wRC+ are the lowest of this trio against lefties, and he adds a .253 ISO. Kim sits at .425/174/.261, and Machado .415/168/.219. They even hit atop the order around each other. Perhaps this is too obvious?
Nationals vs. Carlos Rodon: Lane Thomas ($3,400), Joey Meneses ($2,800), Keibert Ruiz/Riley Adams ($2,700)
I found this slate incredibly difficult to stack, and the column has offered multiple options within lineups that can be considered. I also toyed with the Marlins and Yankees bats but settled on Washington. Rodon hasn't impressed in his limited outings, and his strikeouts are down. The Nationals don't fan often, so I'll hope that Rodon's .214 BABIP is due to rise. Thomas has a .419 wOBA, 165 wRC+ and .250 ISO off lefties. Adams betters that at .487/210/.291, suggesting he should get the start, but Ruiz is an easy pivot at the same price and position. He's starting to figure out hitting big-league pitchers, with 14 hits and three homers over his last nine. Meneses doesn't have elite spits against lefties, but he has a fair .341 wOBA and 112 wRC+, hits in a run-producing spot and has multiple hits in four of five and five of seven.
