This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It's been a long time since we've had major league baseball in our lives. After delaying the start of the regular season by almost four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will finally see the league return Thursday. With it comes the return of DFS! It's only a two-game slate, but let's discuss how to attack it while creating your Yahoo entry.
Pitchers
This slate is basically a game of one of these things is not like the others. The aces set to take the hill are Gerrit Cole ($48), Max Scherzer ($48) and Clayton Kershaw ($40). The fourth starter is Johnny Cueto ($28), who is not nearly as dominant as the aforementioned trio. Cueto missed almost all of 2019 following Tommy John surgery and had a 5.71 FIP across the four starts that he did make toward the end of the season. Facing a tough Dodgers lineup likely won't help his cause. If you are trying to differentiate your lineup in a GPP, then rolling with Cueto isn't all that crazy of an idea. However, he's way too risky in cash contests.
The chalk starting pitcher is likely to be Kershaw. He's healthy and will not be on a limited pitch count, which is a big boost to his upside. The Giants lineup is also really ugly, even more so than expected with Buster Posey opting out of the season and Evan Longoria (oblique) and Brandon Belt (heel) injured. Kershaw's strikeout upside can't compare with Cole and Scherzer, but facing this lineup leaves him with a high floor.
Top Targets
Stacking the Nationals against Cole might not be ideal. Cole is expected to be ready for his usual workload in this game and also has a strong bullpen behind him. However, if there is a hitter on the Nationals to take a chance on, it might be Trea Turner ($22). He generally doesn't strike out a lot given his career 18.6 percent strikeout rate. He also doesn't have a problem hitting right-handed pitchers given his .360 wOBA against them last season. If he can get on base a time or two, he could also provide a steal. With so many aces taking the mound, rolling with someone with Turner's skillset could prove to be worthwhile.
The delayed start to the season has really helped Aaron Judge ($20), who wasn't going to be ready for the original Opening Day because of injury. He's healthy now and looks to be locked in, slugging three home runs in the run-up to Opening Day. He's a threat to hit a home run whenever he steps into the batter's box, so he's one player on the Yankees to at least consider even if you aren't stacking them.
Bargain Bats
The Giants brought back Hunter Pence ($11) to provide veteran leadership and a much-needed right-handed bat for their lineup. He mashed lefties with the Rangers least year, posting a 155 wRC+ against them. He is dealing with a foot issue, but he's expected to at least be able to serve as the DH for this game. If he is indeed in the lineup, he could provide some cheap production.
Another cheap right-handed hitter that should be in the lineup for the Giants is Wilmer Flores ($11), who will be in his first season with the team. He's been productive against left-handed pitchers, posting a career .341 wOBA against them. He was even better last season with a .405 wOBA versus southpaws.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Cueto: Mookie Betts ($26), Cody Bellinger ($24), Joc Pederson ($14)
Expect the Dodgers to be the chalk stack of the night. Betts and Bellinger obviously have massive ceilings, though they will take up a significant portion of your budget. Pederson is a more cost-effective option to help round out this trio. He should see added playing time this season with the addition of the DH in the National League. He's also handled right-handed pitching really well, recording a wRC+ of at least 137 against them in three of the last four seasons.
Yankees vs. Scherzer: Gleyber Torres ($21), Brett Gardner ($14), Gio Urshela ($12)
If you're spending big at starting pitcher, you'll need to find some cheaper bats to stack. Torres doesn't fit that mold, but he could be key to any Yankees' stack. He's emerged as one of the building blocks of the team, posting a .358 wOBA and a .256 ISO last season. On the cheaper side of things, Gardner and Urshela are viable targets. Gardner can get on base and posted a .368 wOBA versus righties last season. Urshela is coming off a breakout campaign in which he finished with a 132 wRC+ to go with his stellar defense a third base. Despite Miguel Andujar ($11) being healthy, Urshela has a hold on the starting third base job as the season gets underway.
