This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursdays always tend to be the lightest slates of the week, and that's what we have here. There are only eight games, and they're split in half between day and night games. We'll focus on the four games starting at 7:00 EDT because that's the main slate on FanDuel. Despite only eight teams in action, there are still some interesting options, so let's get started with the arms!
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Pitching
Jesus Luzardo, PHI at TB ($10,200)
This lefty flashed some moments of brilliance in his time with the Marlins, but something has changed since he joined Philly. Luzardo has finally found some consistency, compiling a 1.94 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate. He's also scored at least 37 FanDuel points in five of seven starts, allowing three runs or fewer in all of them. That's terrific with the way Tampa's offense has been tumbling, averaging just 2.8 runs across their last 20 outings.
Chris Bassitt, TOR at LAA ($9,600)
It looked like Bassitt lost fantasy relevance after a nightmarish 2024 season, but he's recaptured the form that made him a DFS darling in the past. The righty has a 2.95 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 rate in a bounceback season. That looks even better when you look at his opposition, facing the Yankees, Orioles, Astros, Guardians, Atlanta, Red Sox and Mets in seven starts. That's about as difficult as it gets, but a matchup with LA is his easiest of the season. Not only are the Angels missing Mike Trout, but they also rank 26th in wOBA, 27th in K rate and dead-last in OBP.
Top Targets
Freddie Freeman, LAD (vs. Brandon Pfaadt) $4,200
Freeman started the season on the IL, but he's been unstoppable since going hitless in his season debut. The perennial All-Star has a .440 OBP and 1.161 OPS since then. His numbers against righties are even more ridiculous, registering a .462 OBP and 1.253 OPS against them this year. That would make him a worthy option against anyone, but Pfaadt has been slumping recently. The D'Backs pitcher has a 6.75 ERA and 1.87 WHIP over his last two starts. If you want to stack Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani ($4,600) is obviously one of the best options on the board next to Freeman.
Kyle Schwarber, PHI (vs. Ryan Pepiot) $4,400
Schwarber tends to be one of the streakiest players in baseball, but he's been hot since opening day. The slugger has a .410 OBP and .999 OPS this season, while scoring at least 19 FanDuel points in six of his last nine outings. He's also got the platoon advantage against a right-hander, and this is not one we're worried about. Pepiot has a 5.14 FIP and 1.41 WHIP this season, with Philly projected to score 4.5 runs in this game. If you want to stack the Phils, Bryce Harper ($3,900) and Trea Turner ($3,000) are the best options to pair with Schwarbs.
Bargain Bats
Anthony Santander, TOR (vs. Jose Soriano) $3,000
It feels silly to use a player with a .180 BA, but it's just a matter of time before Santander starts rolling. It feels like we might be starting that inevitable run, with the slugger homering in three of his last eight outings. We're talking about a guy who had a .712 OPS on May 31 last year and then hit 35 homers over the last 104 games. That power potential makes him a phenomenal option at just $3K, especially since he had a SLG above .500 against righties last year. Soriano is far from a scary one, and we'll dive into that in the stacks section.
TJ Friedl, CIN (vs. Spencer Schwellenbach) $2,700
Friedl continues to be an undervalued DFS asset. This outfielder is the leadoff hitter for one of the best offenses in baseball, and he's a legitimate 25-25 threat. We've seen glimpses of that recently, with Friedl flirting with a .300 AVG and .900 OPS across his last 19 outings. He's also got six steals in that span and is coming off a two-homer game on Wednesday! A matchup with Schwellenbach is challenging, but the Atlanta righty has a 7.17 ERA and 1.65 WHIP across his last four starts.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays at Angels (Soriano): Vladimir Guerrero ($3,300), George Springer ($3,100), Santander ($3,000) and Bo Bichette ($2,800)
This is one of the most difficult slates to stack I've seen all season. There are really no bad pitchers among these eight teams, but Toronto looks like the best option against Soriano. The righty threw six scoreless innings against Detroit in his most recent start, but had a 5.67 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across his previous five starts.
We have to kickstart our Blue Jays stack with one of the best hitters in baseball. That's Vladdy, with the All-Star posting an .847 OPS across his last 10 outings. That's on par with what we've seen throughout his career, and he should pair beautifully with Santander. As for Springer, he's on pace for a 20-20 season, generating a .419 OBP and .960 OPS. Bichette is the cheap option south of $3K, tallying a .289 career BA and .791 OPS.
