RADIO
Welcome to Thursday baseball! I know football is kicking off tonight, and I'm excited as anyone. However, there is still plenty of money to be made in baseball and FanDuel has dropped some big contests for us tonight. There is also some football money on the sites, so we may see some dead baseball lineups in the lower-dollar contests.
Getting to the actual slate, there isn't much to love. We only have seven games on the slate and a few pitchers worth considering. As for hitting, there are four or five offenses worth stacking and it'll be important to decipher who comes out on top. Let's dive in and find a top play at each position!
Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DFSVarney
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Wade Miley - HOU vs. SEA - $9,400
You can certainly play Stephen Strasburg, but he's more of a tournament play against a tough Braves lineup. Wade Miley has a friendlier match-up with the Seattle Mariners and Vegas agrees with a run total well under four. Miley has been a bit lucky this season, but is still striking out close to eight batters per nine innings and sub-.300 wOBA's against both lefties and righties. His price is fair on FanDuel and I expect Miley to finally right the ship against a weaker Mariners squad.
Austin Pruitt - TB vs. TOR - $6,300
There isn't a ton to love at pitcher, and the Blue Jays are one a few teams that are expected to score under four runs. Pruitt has gone five plus innings in two straight games and now sees his best match-up yet. The Blue Jays have some firepower and young talent, but still rank 24th in all of baseball with a team .298 wOBA vs righties. They also strikeout just over 25% of the time. You don't need much from Austin Pruitt, as long as he can get you five innings to qualify for the win. There isn't much to love at pitcher and Pruitt has a great shot of at least "getting it done". You will get success with your bats tonight.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
C/1B - Anthony Rizzo - CHC vs. MIL (Anderson) - $4,200
With only seven games on the slate, we don't have as many options as we're used to. The Cubs are in must-win mode and faing off with a lackluster pitcher in Chase Anderson. On the season, Anderson has allowed a 5.21 xFIP to opposing righties. His wOBA looks solid, but that's just a .211 BABIP playing tricks on you. Miller Park is great for lefty power and Rizzo has had his fair share of success against Anderson. Rizzo is one of the best hitters in baseball, striking out less than 20% of the time and sporting a .406 wOBA vs righties. If you can pay up at first, Anthony Rizzo is your top option.
2B - Nick Solak - TEX @ BAL (Means) - $3,100
John Means has clearly been one of the luckiest pitchers in baseball. He's simply keeping his ERA afloat with a .236 BABIP and % HR/FB rate. Those are two numbers that will regress to the average and Means will take a beating in the process. The Rangers will head into Camden Yards with Vegas expecting them to exceed five runs. Nick Solak has been great since coming to the majors, sporting a .361 wOBA vs lefties on top of an already extremely successful minor league season. He's still cheap on FanDuel and pretty hard to get away from in cash games.
3B - Renato Nunez - BAL vs. TEX (Allard) - $2,900
I actually really like the Orioles tonight.We'll get to Allard in a second, but Renato Nunez is a guy I will target every time he faces off with a lefty. On the season, he's held a .344 wOBA and has hit 12 homers in just over 100 at-bats. He's always been a lefty killer and even more so in his home ballpark. Kolby Allard is a solid prospect, but he's had serious struggles with righties over the course of his career and hasn't shown any signs of letting those up recently. The sample size is small, but a 4.16 xFIP and 44% hard contact rate don't speak well. Nunez is way too cheap on FanDuel for the upside he has against a lefty.
SS - Xander Bogaerts - BOS vs. MIN (Perez) - $4,100
We haven't touched on the Boston Red Sox up to this point, but we're about to double down. Let's start with Xander Bogaerts. He's not the most explosive or powerful Red Sox bat, but they go as he goes. When Bogaerts is swinging a hot bat, there isn't a more lethal lineup in the league. Bogaerts is actually better against righties, but a .362 wOBA against left-handers is still dominant. Especially when you can assume at least two at-bats from right-handed bullpen arms. He won't be overly popular at SS and has as much upside as anyone. We'll get to Martin Perez.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
J.D. Martinez - BOS vs. MIN (Perez) - $4,400
You know how I said Bogaerts was actually better against righties? That's far from the case here. In fact, J.D. Martinez has been one of the best hitters against lefties in all of baseball. It actually sounds fake to say he's sported a .544 wOBA against lefties. In just over 100 at-bats, he's hit 17 home runs nine other XBH. Martin Perez isn't a terrible pitcher, but he's well past his best days and a .349 wOBA to righties won't work in Fenway Park. Expect the Red Sox to put up a ton of runs and be an offense you want exposure to. If you're asking me to pay up for one outfielder, it's J.D. Martinez and it's not close.
Austin Meadows - TB vs. TOR (Thornton) - $4,000
The Rays will fly under the radar tonight, which is foolish considering the five plus runs they're expected to score. Austin Meadows is far and away the best hitter on the team and he's swinging a hot stick the past week. Trent Thornton is as average as it gets, allowing a .340+ wOBA to both lefties and righties. He's also given up 23 home runs in under 100 innings. Austin Meadows is one of my favorite plays on the slate and I suspect he comes in under 10% owned.
