Another Thursday means another short card. While we do have seven games in total, only five of them make up the main slate. What's fascinating about this short slate is that we have numerous great pitchers and a Coors Field game to stack. That's an ideal recipe for such a short slate, so let's get started by talking about the best pitcher in baseball.
Try our FanDuel MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
Pitching
Tarik Skubal, DET at MIN ($11,000)
There's really not much that needs to be said about the reigning AL Cy Young winner. Skubal has a 2.35 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in his quest for back-to-back Cy Youngs, collecting a 2.46 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over the last three years. He's paired that with an elite 11.6 K/9 rate, scoring at least 32 FanDuel points in 19 of 23 starts this season. That won't bode well for a Minnesota team that traded half its lineup at the deadline and which sits 20th in OBP and 22nd in runs scored. When he faced them this year at full strength, Skubal threw seven one-hit innings en route to 70 FanDuel points.
Jesus Luzardo, PHI at WAS ($10,100)
Luzardo's surface numbers are nothing special, but it's only two starts that have undone an otherwise outstanding season. He allowed 20 total runs to the Blue Jays and Brewers, but those have proven to be two of the best teams in baseball. In his other 22 starts, Luzardo has a 2.97 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate. That's what you're looking for from a player in this salary range, especially since he faces a woeful Washington lineup. The Nationals rank 21st in runs scored, 23rd in OPS and 24th in wOBA while posting worse numbers in the second half. That was on full display when Luzardo recorded 11 Ks en route to 48 fantasy points in their last matchup.
Edward Cabrera, MIA at CLE ($8,900)
It's taking baseball fans far too long to realize that Cabrera has become one of the best pitchers in the league. Injuries have derailed him a bit since posting a 3.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in his sophomore season, but he's compiled a 2.22 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 9.5 K/9 rate since May 1. He's also allowed just one run in four straight starts, scoring a season-high 64 FD points in his most recent outing. It's not like Cleveland is a concerning matchup, sitting 26th in runs scored, 28th in wOBA and dead last in xwOBA. We also like Tanner Bibee ($8,400) on the other end of this game.
Top Targets
Corbin Carroll, ARI (vs. Bradley Blalock) $4,600
Carroll is the most expensive position player on the slate, but he's earned it. He ranks third on this slate with 13.3 FanDuel points per game and is on pace to reach 35 homers and 20 steals. His recent form is even scarier, as Carroll has compiled a 1.006 OPS across his last 13 fixtures. He's also got the platoon advantage against the worst righty on this slate, registering a .923 OPS against righties this year. Carroll has clobbered Colorado throughout his career too, scoring at least 18 FD points in five of his six matchups with the Rockies this year. He'll be the face of our Arizona stack, and we'll talk about that below.
Jordan Beck, COL (vs. Eduardo Rodriguez) $3,400
Beck isn't getting much consideration for NL Rookie of the Year, but he probably should be. The outfielder has been one of the Rockies' best bats this season, scoring 10 FD points per game. That's no surprise since he's on pace for a 20-20 season, but his splits are the best part of this for DFS purposes. Beck has a .374 OBP and .935 OPS against lefties this season while posting a .372 OBP and .877 OPS at home. That's rough for Rodriguez, who has registered a 5.68 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. We don't mind a full-on Rockies stack in Coors Field, with Hunter Goodman ($3,500), Ezequiel Tovar ($3,400), Brenton Doyle ($3,300) and Tyler Freeman ($3,200) all in play.
Bargain Bats
Kerry Carpenter, DET (vs. Bailey Ober) $3,100
Detroit is trying to make a dash to the finish line after a terrible beginning to its second half, and they'll need contributions from Carpenter to lock up an AL Central title. He's been their everyday three-hole hitter against righties, providing a .287 AVG, .555 SLG and .891 OPS with the platoon advantage since 2023. Carpenter has also collected a .342 AVG, .905 and 1.261 OPS across his last 13 fixtures. That sort of power is horrifying for Ober because he's allowed 23 homers across 103 innings en route to a 5.16 ERA. In his last game against Detroit, Ober was obliterated to the tune of 11 hits and seven runs.
Brandon Nimmo, NYM (vs. Bryce Elder) $3,000
Nimmo has been all over the map in terms of consistency, but he might be starting one of his hot streaks. The outfielder has 47.3 FanDuel points over his last two outings and is now on pace for 25 homers and 20 steals. Most of that damage has happened with the platoon advantage, posting a .344 OBP and .794 OPS against righties since 2023. That's why he's in the heart of this dangerous lineup, and the Mets get to face one of the worst pitchers on this slate as well.
Stacks to Consider
Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies (Blalock): Carroll ($4,700), Ketel Marte ($4,500), Geraldo Perdomo ($4,000), Adrian Del Castillo ($3,000)
It's another DFS article, so it's another opportunity to stack a lineup against Colorado. The Rockies rank last in ERA, WHIP and xwOBA but are even worse at Coors Field. That's why Arizona is projected to score seven runs, the highest projected total on this slate. It's not like Blalock is going to help their horrendous averages, as he's amassed a 7.89 ERA and 1.71 WHIP this year.
Arizona is an easy stack in Coors Field, with Carroll looking like the best option on this slate. Marte isn't far behind him though, maintaining a .439 OBP and .998 OPS across his last 10 outings. Perdomo has the platoon advantage against Blalock, posting a .500 OBP and 1.130 OPS across his last 12 games. Del Castillo is the cheap option of the stack, totaling a .794 OPS in his brief career.
New York Mets vs. Atlanta (Elder): Juan Soto ($4,200), Pete Alonso ($3,600), Francisco Lindor ($3,400), Nimmo ($3,000)
We foreshadowed Elder's ugly numbers in the Nimmo write-up, so let's dive into it. He's only in this rotation due to injuries, generating a 6.12 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. It's hard to believe he's still around after looking at his recent form, as he's produced an 8.86 ERA and 2.09 WHIP across his last nine starts.
Let's kick-start our stack with Soto because he's rocked righties throughout his career. The perennial All-Star has a .417 OBP and .977 OPS against righties over the last three years. Alonso just became the all-time home run king for the Mets, and he's averaging over 12 FD points per game this year. Lindor has been slumping, but he also has some incredible BvP numbers against Elder, posting a 1.886 OPS in 10 at-bats against him.
