FanDuel MLB: Thursday Targets

FanDuel MLB: Thursday Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

There are four games throughout the day before a small, five-game slate Thursday night.

Pitching

The top three pitchers listed tonight -- Zack Wheeler ($10,600), Martin Perez ($10,500) and Luis Severino ($10,400) -- are all in play. Severino has been dominant with at least 40 fantasy points in four of his last five games, and he gets a Rays team with a 24.6 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. Perez is coming off his worst start of the season but should rebound against a Tigers team that has the second-lowest wOBA (.286) against lefties. Wheeler has been the most consistent, and outside of one game with 28 fantasy points, he's scored at least 40 in his last eight starts.

Beau Brieske ($7,000) is definitely a gamble, but other than Jalen Beeks he frees up the most salary cap room for hitters. Brieske's scored 29 and 37 fantasy points in his last two games, and Texas is in the bottom seven in the league in both strikeout rate (23.8 percent) and wOBA (.287) against right-handed pitching.

Top Targets

There's nothing wrong with starting your cash game roster with one of the top three pitchers and then immediately plugging in Aaron Judge ($4,600). Judge might be the better hitter in baseball right now and has a 1.090 OPS at home this season. The Rays will likely start Beeks as part of a bullpen day, and recently the pitchers who have followed him have struggled in relief duty.

Adolis Garcia ($3,900) has heated up over the last couple of weeks, scoring at least 15.2 fantasy points in six of his last 11 games. While it's a small sample (28.1 innings), Brieske has allowed eight home runs to right-handed batters, leading to a .383 wOBA against him.

Bargain Bats

Patrick Corbin has been awful this year and he's a great pitcher to pick on. Alec Bohm ($2,500), a right-handed hitter, is a player to target for the Phillies, and he has an excellent track record against Corbin. While it's a small sample, Bohm has gone 5-for-12 with two home runs and two stolen bases. 

Christian Yelich ($3,200) carries a bargain salary relative to his upside and should be hitting leadoff for the Brewers tonight vs. Tylor Megill. Megill has struggled mightily the last two seasons against left-handed hitting, allowing a .349 and .418 wOBA against that handedness.

Stacks To Consider

Yankees vs. Rays (Beeks, et al): Judge, Anthony Rizzo ($3,600), Giancarlo Stanton ($3,600), DJ LeMahieu ($3,300)

The Yankees are always in play to stack. This group doesn't have a massive salary cap hit, and it's reasonable to consider using this stack in cash games. The Yankees are an overwhelming favorite in this game at -270 and have gone 28-7 at home this season.

Phillies at Nationals: Bryce Harper ($4,500), Kyle Schwarber ($4,000), Rhys Hoskins ($3,300), Nick Castellanos ($2,700)

I really like Castellanos despite the fact he's off to a slow start this season. He still has a .351 wOBA against southpaws and his career mark sits at .373. Hoskins has also been a lefty killer, sporting a .393 wOBA. I'm not worried about the lefty-vs.-lefty matchup for either Schwarber or Harper, and this could be Corbin's last outing if he gets shelled again. If it makes sense for the salary cap, Bohm can obviously be used here as well.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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