FanDuel MLB: Thursday Targets

FanDuel MLB: Thursday Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

There's an odd early game in Cincinnati today, but there are also 10 later games for us to choose players from for the main slate. Keep an eye on the weather, as it's going to be wet in some parts of the country.

Pitching

The Tigers are actually a favorite tonight at home and the Guardians don't have an offense to worry about. Tarik Skubal ($10,100) has been consistent with five games of 38 or more fantasy points in his eight starts, and he's averaging over a strikeout per inning. He's also pitched better at home in his short career. Cleveland has the fourth-worst wOBA (.276) against left-handed pitching.

Shohei Ohtani ($9,900) is another pitcher who gets better results at home than on the road, and he'll toe the rubber tonight for the Angels. Ohtani has a 2.30 ERA at home this season in a small sample and last season had a 1.30 ERA across 78.1 innings in Los Angeles. While the Blue Jays aren't a pushover, they're playing over 2,500 miles from home.

For some reason I have a soft spot for Vince Velasquez ($6,800), and it's probably because he averaged over a strikeout per inning for his career. His last outing came in mop-up duty out of the bullpen but he went at least five innings in his previous four appearances. The Red Sox are in the middle of the pack in most offensive categories on the road against right-handed pitching, so this isn't a matchup to shy away from.

Top Targets

Aaron Judge ($4,600) averages the most fantasy points per game (15.07) of any hitter and there's no reason to avoid using him tonight in Tampa. Ryan Yarbrough's ERA sits at 4.20, and Judge had a .415 wOBA against southpaws last season. Don't overthink this one.

Paul Goldschmidt ($4,100) has always feasted on left-handed pitching and he'll face off against Eric Lauer tonight. Goldy has 15 hits in 32 plate appearances against lefties this season with six doubles and three home runs. While this is a small sample, Goldschmidt owns a .431 wOBA against lefties for his career.

Bargain Bats

Kyle Garlick ($2,500) should be hitting in the cleanup spot for the Twins, and the matchup against Daniel Lynch isn't one to avoid. Garlick has the right-vs-lefty advantage and in 26 plate appearances against lefties, he has a .515 wOBA. 

Chad Pinder ($2,400) is at home and facing lefty Martin Perez, which should be a favorable matchup for Pinder. He has a respectable .332 wOBA against lefties for his career and qualifying at second base is a bonus. Perez has allowed a career .348 wOBA to right-handed hitters.

Stack To Consider

Colorado Rockies vs. Washington (Patrick Corbin): C.J. Cron ($3,900), Connor Joe ($3,200), Randal Grichuk ($3,200), Brendan Rodgers ($2,900)

The Rockies as a team have the second-best wOBA against left-handed pitching (.359) and targeting teams facing Corbin has proved to be fruitful this season. I picked all right-handed hitters here, but truthfully you can go with any of the Rockies hitters. Cron could have easily made the Top Targets section and is a good cash game option provided you have the salary cap space for him.

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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