This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
With a lot of early start times Wednesday, there are only five games to choose from for the main slate on Yahoo. Even with such a limited schedule, there is still a nice mix of high-end pitching options and offensive stacks that could provide plenty of production. Let's start breaking down the matchups to see where an advantage can be gained.
Pitching Overview
The most expensive option for the slate is Gerrit Cole ($54) in his matchup against the Rangers. Coming of his career-high 34.5 percent strikeout rate last year, he kept things rolling in that department with 10 strikeouts in his first start against the Rays. While he allowed four runs across six innings, only one of them was earned. The Rangers couldn't solve him last year with Cole recording a 1.00 WHIP and 40 strikeouts over 25 innings in their four meetings. After the Rangers didn't make any significant hitting upgrades this winter, Cole is once again in a favorable spot to shine.
Following Cole in terms of price is Jameson Taillon ($45) versus the Cardinals. Taillon posted a career-best 3.20 ERA across 191 innings last year and did an excellent job of keeping hitters inside the ballpark by allowing 0.9 HR/9. Even though his 22.8 percent strikeout rate wasn't off the charts, he did record a career-best 10.7 percent swinging strikeout rate. He could be one of the more popular pitching options for this limited slate, but facing the Cardinals is no easy task.
In terms of cheaper options, Ross Stripling ($38) stands out as the top option against the Giants. The Giants have one of the least impressive lineups in the league and are having trouble scoring runs in the early going. Ross was stellar pitching at Dodger Stadium last year, recording a 2.75 xFIP and 27.3 percent strikeout rate.
Key Values/Chalk
Some of the top teams in the league figure to be popular options in the hitting department Wednesday. One of the most appealing is the Red Sox against Marco Estrada. Estrada rebounded from a poor start against the Mariners in Japan to shut out the Angels on Friday, but the Red Sox have a much more fearsome lineup. He's already allowed 2 home runs across 11 innings after allowing at least 1.5 HR/9 in back-to-back seasons. J.D. Martinez ($25) will likely be highly owned with Mookie Betts ($25) right behind him.
The Cubs also find themselves in a position to put up some runs against Julio Teheran and the Braves. Teheran allowed a career-high 36.5 percent hard-hit rate last year and while he held right-handed hitters to a .269 wOBA, lefties had more success with a .320 wOBA against him. That could leave Anthony Rizzo ($18) with a high ownership percentage. Popular options could also include Kyle Schwarber ($17) and Ben Zobrist ($15), who had a .358 wOBA against righties last year.
Finally, the Dodgers are set up to be a popular choice against Derek Holland. Holland improved significantly last year compared to his disastrous stint in 2017 with the White Sox, but he still wasn't great with a 4.07 xFIP and 1.29 WHIP. The Padres got to him for three runs across four innings during his first start this season and now he'll be faced with trying to slow down a tough Dodgers' lineup that features four players in Justin Turner ($20), A.J. Pollock ($21), Enrique Hernandez ($16) and Austin Barnes ($13) who all hit lefties well. Turner figures to be the highest owned out of that quartet since he has posted a wRC+ of at least 179 in back-to-back seasons against left-handed pitchers.
Stacks
The Red Sox will be a popular stack considering their loaded lineup and favorable matchup against Estrada. Based on his propensity to give up home runs, Mitch Moreland ($15) and Rafael Devers ($20) are also great cheaper options to consider. Also don't forget about Andrew Benintendi ($17), who posted a .376 wOBA against righties last year.
If you want to stack lefties on the Cubs against Teheran, Rizzo, Schwarber and Zobrist could be a valuable trio since they will only cost a combined $50. For those looking to save even more money, Jason Heyward ($10) might be someone to take a chance on in tournament play. For those going with the Dodgers stack, it's hard to pass up pairing Turner with Pollock and Hernandez, although they will cost a combined $57.
While everyone might be focusing on the big market teams in the Red Sox, Cubs and Dodgers, the A's present another stack to target that might not be as highly owned. Nathan Eovaldi improved significantly after being acquired from the Rays last year, but he still allowed a decent amount of base runners with a 1.28 WHIP. He has a 1.35 WHIP for his career, so it's not exactly an area that he's excelled in. After the Mariners lit him up for six runs and three home runs in his first start, he'll run into another team that can score runs in bunches. Khris Davis ($24) is swinging a hot power bat right out of the gate and should be the top target for any stack involving the A's. Matt Chapman ($21) also has plenty of power upside while Robbie Grossman ($10) could provide some cheap value in his role as the A's leadoff hitter against righties.
