This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
The long wait is mercifully over. It's finally Opening Day! Thursday brings the first full slate across the majors with all 30 teams in action. Of the 15 games on the docket, 10 of them will make up the main slate on Yahoo. With so many options to sift through, let's dive into the slate to see where advantages can be gained.
Pitching Overview
Since it's the first day of the season, the schedule is loaded with ace pitchers. Among those who will be available to choose from in the Yahoo contest include Chris Sale ($55), Justin Verlander ($52), Blake Snell ($49) and Corey Kluber ($47). Snell figures to face the toughest task out of that quartet since he'll be facing the potent Astros lineup. However, things might be a little easier for him if Carlos Correa (neck) is forced to sit out.
Sale should be a popular option on the road against the Mariners considering his strikeout upside. He's posted some monster strikeout numbers during his time in the majors, but he finished last season with a career-high 38.4 percent strikeout rate. Verlander was no slouch in that department last year, either, posting a 34.8 percent strikeout rate. At a slightly cheaper price than Sale, he also figures to be highly owned against a Rays team that doesn't exactly have an imposing lineup.
With so many great pitchers expected to take the mound, it's a position to pay up for. However, those who want to go with a loaded lineup approach, Hyun-Jin Ryu ($37) is likely to be one of the more popular cost effective choices. He'll receive the starting nod with Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) on the IL and has a great matchup at home against the Diamondbacks. Not only did the Diamondbacks trade away Paul Goldschmidt during the offseason, but they just lost Steven Souza (knee) for the entire year. Ryu sported a 0.93 WHIP across 15 innings this spring and has a career 1.19 WHIP and 3.12 xFIP at home.
For those really bargain hunting at starting pitcher, Trevor Cahill ($25) might be the most highly owned of the cheap options. He'll be facing his former squad in the A's who have already lost one of their best power hitters in Matt Olson (hand). Cahill was dominant pitching in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum last year, recording a 3.15 xFIP, 0.91 WHIP and a 27.4 strikeout rate across 11 starts.
Key Values/Chalk
Finding good hitting options can be tough to find on Opening Day with so many top pitchers taking the mound. However, the defending champion Red Sox have an appealing matchup against left-hander Marco Gonzales. Expect J.D. Martinez ($25) and Mookie Betts ($25) to be two of the most popular options to pay up for. They finished with a .406 wOBA and a .488 wOBA against lefties last year, respectively. Xander Boegarts ($19) should also be highly owned at a most budget-friendly price.
For those who decide not to pay up for Martinez or Betts, Mike Trout ($25) should also be one of the highest-owned hitters. Coming off of his monster contract extension, he'll face the underwhelming Mike Fiers. Fiers gave up five runs against the Mariners in Japan and has allowed 1.4 HR/9 for his career. As far as cheap players who could be highly owned, Angels' leadoff hitter Kole Calhoun ($8) might be a popular option.
The Cubs will be able to escape the cold with their first series of the season being played at Globe Life Park in Arlington. That alone makes their hitters more intriguing. They'll face Mike Minor, who allowed 16 of his 25 home runs at home last season. That could lead to a high ownership percentage for Kris Bryant ($22), who has a career 158 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. Albert Almora Jr. ($8) will likely bat leadoff and could be highly owned based on his career .351 wOBA against lefties.
Stacks
The most popular stacks will likely come from the Red Sox, Angels and Cubs. A Red Sox stack will be expensive, which could lead to stacks made up of the Angels and Cubs having higher ownership percentages. Any Cubs stack should include Almora based on his price. The same can be said for Calhoun in an Angels stack. Their stack might actually be more attainable, even if you don't want to bargain hunt at starting pitcher. Deploying Calhoun, Trout and Andrelton Simmons ($13) could provide significant production without destroying your budget.
One stack to consider in GPP is the Pirates against Luis Castillo and the Reds. There has been some buzz about a potential bounce back season for Castillo based on his improved numbers during the second half last year, but he's shown a propensity to give up home runs. Left-handed hitters handled him to the tune of a .373 wOBA last year, leaving Adam Frazier ($9), Josh Bell ($13) and Corey Dickerson ($15) as cheaper options with upside. Throw in Starling Marte ($17) and a Pirates a stack is worth considering.
