This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday is packed with MLB DFS options, but you have to get your lineups in early. On FanDuel, the DFS slate consists of 11 games, but first pitch is at 1:05 p.m. EDT. I've sorted through the matchups, and these are my DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Brady Singer, KC at CWS ($10,500): No, Singer won't sustain his 0.98 ERA. This is less about that, and more about the matchup. The White Sox are last in runs scored to start 2024, and they seem like an excellent bet to stay there. Also, this is the first leg of a doubleheader. Chicago might not even have its best lineup in action!
Paul Blackburn, OAK vs. STL ($9,800): The Cardinals may not remain in the bottom 10 in runs scored when all is said and done, but it does feel plausible. Blackburn has not allowed a single run through three starts, which is remarkable. Even his 2.53 FIP is quite good. Oakland has a good ballpark for pitchers, so this game being at home gives me the push to roster Blackburn.
Andrew Abbott, CIN at SEA ($8,200): Abbott had a 3.87 ERA as a rookie, which was a fine initial foray into MLB. He has a 2.60 ERA through three starts, and the Mariners are in the bottom five in runs scored. Abbott is also a lefty, so Seattle's southpaws are likely going to be neutralized.
Top Targets
I'll be honest, outside of looking for value options for DFS purposes, I pay attention to the Royals for one reason: Bobby Witt ($4,100). He went 20/30 as a rookie and 30/49 as a sophomore. He has an 1.025 OPS to start 2024. Witt will face Jonathan Cannon on Wednesday. Cannon is making his MLB debut, and he started 2023 in High-A.
Do you want power? Pete Alonso ($3,500) has you covered. He's already hit six homers and he's slugged .567 to start 2024. He's never failed to hit 37 homers in a full MLB season as well. Bailey Falter, in his first full season with the Pirates, allowed 1.69 home runs per nine innings, so that bodes well for Alonso's power possibilities.
Bargain Bats
I'd like to believe Jesse Winker ($3,000) is going to build upon his hot start with the Nationals. Let's not forget the lefty has a career .372 OBP. Maybe he just needs to be healthy to get into gear. Righty Landon Knack will be making his first MLB start, and the 26-year-old has a 4.02 ERA in three Triple-A starts. Winker picked up multiple extra-base hits again Tuesday. This is the time to take a shot on him.
For a baseball team IRL, to use the parlance of… well probably five years ago, Eugenio Suarez ($2,900) is deeply flawed. For DFS players, he is a guy who has regularly racked up 30 homers, and last year even though he only had 22 home runs he had 96 RBI. The guy delivers counting stats, and he has an .843 OPS against lefties since 2022. Jordan Hicks is a lefty, and though he has only made 10 MLB starts, he has a 4.75 ERA in his career.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta at Astros (J.P. France): Marcell Ozuna ($4,000), Austin Riley ($3,600), Michael Harris ($3,100)
Granted, France's 8.22 ERA is built upon a terrible start against the Rangers, but his other two starts were not good as well. As a rookie last season, the righty had a 4.66 FIP, in line with his 4.52 home ERA. I have two right-handed hitters in this stack, because righties hit .276 against France last season.
Ozuna is off to a torrid start to the season, having slashed .364/.417/.727 with seven homers. That follows him returning to form in 2023, including hitting 40 home runs. Riley has been immensely consistent after tweaking his approach at the plate. In each of the last three seasons he's had over 30 homers and 30 doubles , and he's also batted .290 to start 2024. Harris is my one lefty in this stack. He has a .295 average in his career, and he's stolen 20 bases in each of his first two seasons. The lefty has an .876 OPS in his career as well.
Dodgers vs. Nationals (Jake Irvin): Freddie Freeman ($3,600), Max Muncy ($3,400), James Outman ($2,700)
As a rookie, Irvin had a 4.61 ERA. Through four starts in his sophomore season, he has dropped his ERA all the way to 4.24. That's with a .250 BABIP, though, so he has perhaps been lucky to be that mediocre. I have three lefties in this stack for a straightforward reason. Namely, lefties have hit .274 against Irvin in his career.
Even with a slow start from a power perspective, I have zero worry about Freeman. He hasn't slugged below .500 since 2015, and he has had over 100 RBI in each of his first two seasons with the Dodgers. Muncy has a certain level of play he rises to, given that he has two seasons with 35 homers and two with 36. He also has an .808 OPS against righties since 2022. Outman is off to a slow start, but as a rookie he had an .353 OBP with 23 homers and 16 stolen bases. That was built upon an .836 OPS against righties.
