This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Thursday brings 10 more games in MLB, eight of which will make up the main evening slate on Yahoo. There are some exciting matchups among them, including the Twins hosting the Indians and the Rays taking on the Braves. Let's dig into the options and discuss some players who are worth considering for your lineup.
Pitchers
The second-most expensive starting pitching option is Dinelson Lamet ($48), who looked sharp in his season debut by allowing one run and recording eight strikeouts across five innings against the Diamondbacks. The strikeouts should come as no surprise given that he has a 30.8 percent strikeout rate for his career. The Giants may get Evan Longoria (oblique) back for this game, but their lineup still has plenty of holes in it for Lamet to exploit.
As far as cheaper options go, Brady Singer ($35) could be worth a look. The former first round pick had never pitched above Double-A before this season, but he held his own against the Indians in his debut, He finished that matchup having allowed two runs and recording seven strikeouts over five innings. An encouraging stat for him in the minors is that he only allowed 0.8 HR/9 across 90.2 innings at Double-A and 0.2 HR/9 over 57.2 innings at Single-A. If he can continue to keep hitters inside the ballpark, he could be a cheap source of value for this slate.
Top Targets
After missing the first four games of the season because of an oblique injury, Anthony Rendon ($22) returned in style by hitting a home run Tuesday against the Mariners. He went hitless Wednesday, but he did draw two walks and score a run. He is a huge addition for the Angels' lineup and could really do damage here against Marco Gonzales ($31) considering he had a 158 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers last season.
The good news for the Orioles is that John Means ($32) is expected to make his season debut after dealing with arm fatigue. The bad news is that they have to face the Yankees, who scored nine runs against them Wednesday. Heavily involved in the scoring during that contest was Aaron Judge ($20), who went 2-for-3 with a home run. He could prove to be a tough out for Means given that he had a .459 wOBA versus left-handed pitchers last season.
Bargain Bats
The entire starting outfield for the Red Sox bats from the left side of the plate, so adding Kevin Pillar ($13) to play against left-handed pitchers was an important move. It's paid off so far with Pillar hitting 8-for-14 with a home run and three doubles for the season. Expect him to be in the lineup against Steven Matz ($38), who has posted a WHIP of at least 1.34 in two of the last three seasons.
If you're looking to attack the Angels' matchup against Gonzales, but can't afford to squeeze Rendon into your entry, don't sleep on Albert Pujols ($8). Pujols is a shell of his former self, but he still has power. He's already on the board with his first home run this season after slugging 23 of them in 2019. He also had added success against lefties last year with a .340 wOBA.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Martin Perez ($26), Red Sox: Pete Alonso ($21), Amed Rosario ($18), J.D. Davis ($16)
It's shaping up to be a long season for the Boston pitching staff. Perez is basically only starting because they don't have any better options. His bloated 1.49 career WHIP has played a large part in his finishing with an ERA of at least 5.12 in back-to-back seasons. This is an ideal spot to deploy the Mets, with Alonso providing the highest ceiling of the bunch. Davis is also a viable option based on his .378 wOBA against lefties last year.
Padres vs. Kevin Gausman ($27), Giants: Fernando Tatis Jr. ($22), Tommy Pham ($17), Manny Machado ($15)
Gausman is usually a pitcher to target in DFS because he simply can't keep men off base. He recorded a 1.42 WHIP last season and has a 1.35 WHIP for his career. He had the same issue in his season debut against the Dodgers, allowing seven baserunners over just four innings. This matchup is stellar for Pham, who has a career .372 OBP. Tatis and Machado bring plenty of power to this stack with the duo already combining to hit three home runs through six games.
Royals vs. Ivan Nova ($29), Tigers: Jorge Soler ($23), Whit Merrifield ($19), Adalberto Mondesi ($17)
The journeyman Nova isn't much more than an innings eater at this stage of his career. He posted a 4.98 FIP last year and hasn't recorded a FIP below 4.00 since 2013. His strikeouts are almost nonexistent with a career 16.7 percent strikeout rate, and he's also given up at least 1.4 HR/9 in each of the last three seasons. This could all add up to a big night for the Royals, especially Merrifield. He's come out of the gate firing on all cylinders, hitting 9-for-23 with two home runs and three doubles.
