FanDuel MLB: Thursday's Targets

FanDuel MLB: Thursday's Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

We've got an eight-game slate for tonight's main event, which is a bit larger than a normal Thursday night. Let's take a look at who we should be targeting.

Pitching

Yu Darvish, SD vs. NYM, ($11,500): Darvish is coming off a poor 18-point performance, and hopefully recency bias might have others steering clear of him. He had another 18 -point performance this season and followed that up with a 62-point outing. Darvish is facing the Mets, who have travelled across the country to San Diego and still play in a pitcher's park. He has 40 or more fantasy points in seven of his 11 starts this season.

Tyler Anderson, PIT vs. MIA ($7,200): Miami strikes out 28.5 percent of the time against southpaws, which is the third-highest mark in baseball. That goes up to 29.4 percent on the road, and the Marlins will be in Pittsburgh tonight. Anderson is a great GPP play as a result, just keep an eye on the weather to make sure the game isn't postponed due to rain.

Top Targets

Christian Yelich, MIL vs. ARI, ($4,000): Yelich gets Jon Duplantier and his 7.71 ERA at home, making this a juicy matchup. Yelich has gotten off to a slow start this season but there should be some positive regression to the mean as far as his numbers go. He's scored positive fantasy points in seven straight games and should hit double digits tonight.

Tyler Naquin, CLE at STL, ($3,400): Naquin is quietly having a great season with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. He should be in his usual cleanup spot and Adam Wainwright (4.22 ERA) isn't the dominant force on the mound he once was. Naquin appears to be seeing the ball well as he's scored 16, 10 and 25.2 fantasy points over his last three games.

Value Bats

Jacob Stallings, PIT vs. MIA, ($2,100): Stallings is having a nice breakout campaign with four home runs and 19 RBI. He should be in the cleanup spot again, providing RBI opportunity against Elieser Hernandez and his 7.71 ERA. Stallings won't be a popular target given his catcher status, making him a nice contrarian play for tournaments.

Daniel Vogelbach, MIL vs. ARI. ($2,100): Vogelbach has the same favorable matchup as Yelich but comes with a lower salary. Vogelbach has a career .339 wOBA against right-handed pitching and should be able to take advantage of the matchup against Duplantier. Make sure the slugger's actually in the lineup tonight, but remember he's only two seasons removed from a 30-home run season.

Stacks To Consider

Brewers vs. Duplantier: Yelich, Vogelbach, Kolten Wong ($3,000), Avisail Garcia ($3,000)

This is really a fade of Duplantier, who may or may not be a major-league caliber starting pitcher. Outside of the lower levels of the minor leagues, he's never had good numbers and is no longer considered much of a prospect. Look for the Brewers to take advantage of this home matchup and put up a bunch of runs.

Royals vs. J.A. Happ: Carlos Santana ($3,500), Whit Merrifield ($3,200), Salvador Perez ($2,900), Jorge Soler ($2,100)

Soler is a value play if he's back in the lineup. He had a .362 wOBA against lefties in 2019 and should be able to take advantage of this matchup. Merrifield can do fantasy damage with both his power and his legs, while Perez is an under-the-radar bat because he qualifies as a catcher. Santana is always in play against a lefty given his career .362 wOBA in that split.

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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