We have a slightly split schedule Wednesday, but the majority of games will be in the evening. The main slate kicks off at 7:07 pm ET and includes 10 games. There are also three games earlier in the day on a slate that begins at 1:05 pm ET, and our optimizer can help build rosters for that set of games. The focus of this article will be the main slate.
Pitchers
There aren't many aces set to take the mound, but it's a fairly deep group of pitchers. Both Framber Valdez ($10,300) and Sonny Gray ($9,500) have been inconsistent lately, but they face the Rockies and Pirates, respectively. Gray is cheaper and has been better, so I'd lean his direction.
Eric Lauer ($8,000) doesn't have the typical profile that is desirable to target for DFS purposes, but he has limited runs very effectively and will draw a favorable matchup against the Twins. Ryan Bergert ($7,200) is in a similar position, having posted at least 16 DraftKings points in his last three starts with a 20:4 K:BB across 16.2 frames in that span.
The Pirates duo of Carmen Mlodzinski ($6,300) and Bubba Chandler ($6,300) is interesting. It will be important to monitor the news for those who want to roster either pitcher, but Chandler is likely to cover more innings and also has more upside.
Top Hitters
Carson Whisenhunt hasn't had the best start to his big-league career, and the Cubs are a solid team to consider stacking. At the very least, it's worth rostering some of the key players in their lineup. Seiya Suzuki ($4,300) is a good choice for multiple reasons, including his price and .372 wOBA paired with a .263 ISO against lefties this season.
It can be dangerous to ride a hot hand, but George Springer ($5,000) is on fire and draws a favorable matchup against Simeon Woods Richardson. Woods Richardson has a subpar 9.7 K-BB percentage and 4.86 SIERA and is returning from the injured list.
Value Bats
Quinn Priester was a huge story line in season-long fantasy leagues for most of the summer, but he's quietly started to unravel in recent outings. He's allowed multiple home runs in two of his last three starts and walked five in the third. This still isn't a matchup in which I want to get overly invested, but Pavin Smith ($3,100) has been hitting fifth in the order and has performed reasonably well.
Aaron Civale has, unsurprisingly, also come back to earth in his last two starts, making some options in the Royals' lineup interesting. Mike Yastrzemski ($3,700) is serving as the leadoff hitter against righties and is averaging 7.6 DK points across his last 10 games.
Stacks to Consider
Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels (Jack Kochanowicz): Josh Smith ($3,400), Wyatt Langford ($4,300), Corey Seager ($4,600)
Kochanowicz is among the easiest pitchers to identify as a target to stack against. He has a 1.69 WHIP paired with a 3.3 K-BB percentage and 1.50 HR/9. The Rangers are down Marcus Semien (foot), but they still have plenty of talent atop their lineup. They also check in at a reasonable price, another positive for rostering them.
Houston Astros vs. Colorado Rockies (Chase Dollander): Jeremy Pena ($5,300), Jose Altuve ($5,400), Christian Walker ($4,100)
This game isn't at Coors Field, but Dollander is still worth targeting. He's allowed 12 earned runs across 13.1 innings since returning to the majors, though two of those came at Coors Field. The Astros haven't been a great lineup in the last month (.300 wOBA), but this matchup still stands out.
Try our DraftKings MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
