This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's the first Wednesday of the MLB season, and it features your classic "getaway day" schedule. That means a lot of afternoon action. The DFS contests on FanDuel are a mishmash of three slates featuring a handful of games. Given the unusual circumstances, I have recommendations from every selection of contests. They start at 12:40 p.m. EDT, 3:07 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. I don't intend to take this route most of the time, but the formatting of today's DFS slates is a bit odd, and we're all still getting in the flow, right?
Pitching
Sonny Gray, STL vs. LAA ($10,300): Gray was unlucky last year, posting a 3.84 ERA with a 3.12 FIP. The righty had an incredible 5.21 K/BB rate! His first start this year was so-so, but facing the Angels should be to his benefit. The Angels finished 28th in runs scored last year, and the addition of Jorge Soler isn't going to make those numbers soar. Considering they only scored five runs in a three-game series with the White Sox, we're starting to see numbers backing up that assertion.
Garrett Crochet, BOS at BAL ($9,500): Crochet has one contract extension and one decent start as a Boston starter under his belt. While last year was an altogether new experience for him, he had a 2.68 FIP and 12.88 K/9 rate. The Orioles were very good offensively last year, but have a couple key bats injured, and Crochet is a lefty. That will neutralize some Baltimore bats.
Dylan Cease, SD vs. CLE ($9,300): Last year, his first with the Padres, Cease had a 3.03 ERA at home. Don't read into his 6.23 ERA after one start too much. Cease struck out seven Atlanta players in 4.1 innings, but then allowed Jarred Kelenic, of all people, to hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning as he began to flag. This is a reminder not to sweat a single start. I'll happily roster Cease against a Guardians team that was middling in runs scored last year and has a worse lineup than last season.
Clay Holmes, NYM at MIA ($8,200): Holmes starting for the Mets on Opening Day, his first start since 2018. He was liberal with the walks but allowed only two earned runs through 4.2 innings, and that was against the Astros. The Marlins are a different story. I know they have started the year unexpectedly well, but I think Miami will be in the running for worst offense in MLB. It finished in the bottom five in runs scored and team OPS last year and have a worse roster to start this season.
Top Targets
Rest assured, Yordan Alvarez ($4,100) will be driving the ball out of the park as the season goes on. He's slugged .581 in his career and hit over 30 home runs in each of his last four campaigns. Landen Roupp will be making his first start of the season. He won the fifth spot in the rotation, but the 26-year-old has a lot to prove. The righty had a 3.58 ERA with the Giants last year mostly pitching out of the bullpen.
The counting stats haven't appeared early on, but Jackson Merrill ($3,600) has been putting the bat on the ball. He's picked up at least one hit in every game for the Padres so far, and let's not forget that as a rookie he had 24 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Ben Lively had a 3.81 ERA last year, well below his career 4.54 number. However, that ERA was paired with a 4.65 FIP, and he allowed 1.37 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Eventually getting out of Oakland and into Sacramento is going to boost the Athletics' offense…right? JJ Bleday ($2,600) hit 20 home runs last season, but really popped by hitting 43 doubles. The lefty had a .773 OPS versus righties in 2024, but also a .791 OPS on the road. I was skeptical about Jameson Taillon, who had a 4.58 ERA on the road last season, coming into this campaign. Well, in his first start of the campaign he allowed six runs with a single strikeout in 4.1 innings against the Diamondbacks.
If not for Royce Lewis getting injured, Jose Miranda ($2,400) may not have a regular role with the Twins, or at least not in the field since he's certainly in the DH mix. However, here we are. Though he's right handed, Miranda was better against his fellow righties last year, managing an .856 OPS. Sean Burke has admittedly pitched well in MLB so far, but in 16 starts in Triple-A last year he had a 4.68 FIP. I'm not buying it just yet.
Stacks to Consider
Mets at Marlins (Connor Gillispie): Juan Soto ($4,500), Pete Alonso ($3,900), Mark Vientos ($3,400)
When the Marlins are turning to you in a last-ditch effort to fill out their rotation, that doesn't bode well for a pitcher's projections. Gillispie made his first-ever MLB start this year against Pittsburgh. He walked four batters, allowed a homer, and gave up four runs in five innings. The Pirates have a below-average offense, which is not the case with the Mets. This trio also has quite a bit of power for good measure.
Wherever Soto goes, he's going to post an OBP over .400 and showcase some solid power. Since 2023 he has a .992 OPS versus righties, but also an 1.024 OPS on the road. Given that he's just begun his run with the Mets, it's good to know his bat plays everywhere. In the worst power campaign of his career, Alonso hit 34 home runs and had 31 doubles. His groundball rate was up and his fly-ball rate was down, so if he can level that out he'll have over 40 home runs again. Vientos came out of nowhere last year by slugging .516 with 27 homers in 111 games. Though he was better against lefties, he did also slugged .502 against righties.
Cardinals vs. Angels (Yusei Kikuchi): Willson Contreras ($3,000), Nolan Arenado ($3,000), Masyn Winn ($2,800)
Kikuchi parlayed a strong post-trade run with the Astros into a deal with the Angels, but prior to that trade he had a 4.75 ERA in 22 starts with the Blue Jays. That's a reminder that he has a career 4.57 ERA, and in his first start with the Halos he gave up three runs in six innings to the White Sox. Kikuchi has proven capable of handling his fellow lefties in recent years, but since 2023 he's let righties hit .257 against him. Thus, this is a three-righty stack.
Contreras was only able to play in 84 games last season, but he had a .380 OBP and hit 15 home runs. Since joining the Cardinals, the catcher-turned-first-baseman has an .878 OPS versus southpaws. Arenado has started strong, which is likely a relief for both him and the club after he nixed any offseason deals. His power disappeared last year, but he still batted .272. Also, since 2023 he has an .802 OPS at home. The assertion "He's hitting the ball hard and the results will come eventually!" has been thrown out with Winn already. That's not ideal…but also he's been hitting the ball much harder after tweaking his swing this offseason. He's only 23, and he did have 15 homers, five triples, and 11 stolen bases last season.
Los Angeles vs. Atlanta (Bryce Elder): Shohei Ohtani ($4,500), Max Muncy ($3,200), Tommy Edman ($2,700)
Atanta had to call up Elder from Triple-A with Reynaldo Lopez hitting the injured list. The righty had a 6.52 ERA last year and allowed 1.45 homers per nine innings. That was only over 10 starts, but in 2023 he made 31 starts, and he had a 4.42 FIP. Lefties hit .336 against Elder last season, so I have three guys who can hit left handed.
Ohtani already has two homers and two stolen bases, and of course last year he won MVP while just serving as a designated hitter. He also had an 1.128 OPS versus righties and an 1.091 OPS at home. Muncy is off to a slow start, but he should be just fine. Since 2023 he has an .867 OPS versus right-handed pitchers and an .869 OPS at Dodger Stadium. Edman emerged for the Dodgers in the playoffs last season. This year the switch hitter has three home runs and a stolen base through seven games.
