This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Today there are eight early games and only five games tonight making up the main slate. As the season moves on the games will shift during the week to the late slate, offering a larger variety of options at each position.
There aren't any stud pitchers toeing the rubber tonight and at the same time there are limited stacking options on offense considering the pitchers and environments they'll be playing in. Tonight will likely come down to doing the research on the 10 teams in action, and mixing and matching to find a winning combination.
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PITCHER
Jon Gray, COL at SD ($8,000): Gray's ERA and WHIP were actually better in Coors last season, although his K rate was better on the road. Gray struck out over a batter per inning and, whether it was on the road or at home, gave up less than a home run per nine innings pitched. The Padres had the second-lowest wOBA last season vs. right-handed pitching at .299 and could be without one of their best bats again in Wil Myers.
Also consider: Johnny Cueto, SF vs. SEA ($8,500)
GPP Fade: Clayton Richard, SD vs. COL ($7,000): His first outing (seven innings, one earned run) and home ballpark may lull owners into a false sense of security, but this is the same pitcher who had a 4.30 ERA and 1.47 WHIP at Petco last season. The Rockies have a number of bats who hit left-handed pitching well: Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon all had wOBA marks of over .400 last season vs. southpaws.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Jhoulys Chacin, MIL vs. STL ($6,000): While there was an advantage to pitching in Petco last season, it's worth noting Chacin gave up only a .245 wOBA at home last season. While he's no longer pitching for San Diego, he does have the home aspect working for him today in Milwaukee as a new member of the Brewers. Look for Chacin to settle in to his new surroundings and pitch more like the guy who held a 1.84 ERA during 14.2 innings during spring training.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Justin Smoak, TOR vs. CHW ($3,700): Toronto has the highest implied team total tonight and is the biggest favorite on the board as well. Their offense came alive last night and it seems like Carson Fulmer is the best pitcher to pick on in this slate of games. Fulmer isn't a top prospect, and his fly ball tendencies shouldn't play well in Rogers Centre. Smoak has gotten off to a hot start this season and had a .356 wOBA in Toronto last season against right-handed pitching.
SECOND BASE
Joe Panik, SF vs. SEA ($2,700): Panik comes into the game with three home runs on the season and has reached base multiple times in every game except one. Felix Hernandez isn't the same dominant pitcher he was a few seasons ago and has given up wOBAs of .352, .338 and .393 on the road to lefties the last three seasons. Panik doesn't strike out much, and batting in an improved lineup this season should help bolster his overall stats.
THIRD BASE
Adrian Beltre, TEX at OAK ($2,700): It's been a while since Beltre's price tag was this low, which is a combination of a slow start and the fact that he just turned 39. However, this is a good matchup for him, as he gets the righty vs. lefty split that he's take advantage of over the years. He holds a career .382 wOBA vs. lefties, and last season that number ballooned to .464 (.441 on the road). Not surprisingly, Sean Manaea struggled the most with right-handed bats last season, giving up a .347 wOBA to that side of the plate.
SHORTSTOP
Trevor Story, COL at SD ($2,600): Story's success last season against left-handed pitching has already been noted (he had a .420 wOBA vs. lefties to be exact) and that followed a .409 mark in his rookie campaign. He's a great play tonight, as his ownership may not be as high as other Rockies given his slow start. Story has reached base three times over the first two games of this series, though, and it was encouraging to see him run and swipe a bag during Monday's contest.
OUTFIELD
Curtis Granderson, TOR vs. CHW ($2,100): At this price Granderson will be very chalky tonight, especially if he ends up in the leadoff spot once again for the Jays. While he's well past his prime at 37, Granderson has always hit right-handed pitching well, owning a .366 wOBA against that handedness for his career. Like Smoak, this pick has a lot to do with the matchup against Fulmer.
Matt Joyce, OAK vs. TEX ($2,500): Joyce was held out of Tuesday's lineup with an ankle injury and has been limited to the DH role lately. He's supposed to move back into the lineup as an outfielder in the near future; just make sure he's in the lineup tonight. It's a decent matchup against Doug Fister who got crushed last season by lefties, giving up a .365 wOBA to them. Meanwhile Joyce had a .361 wOBA vs. right-handed pitching during 2017 and typically has a nice spot towards the top of the lineup.
UTILITY
Nolan Arenado, COL at SD ($4,600): It was a toss-up between Arenado and Josh Donaldson ($4,100) for this spot as both sluggers are in great matchups tonight. Donaldson has been on fire over his last few games and Arenado is arguably the best hitter against left-handed pitching in the league. Even on the road last season Arenado had a .520 wOBA vs. lefties, showing that Coors wasn't playing a dominant factor in that split. Given the lack of stud pitching to spend up on, it would make sense to plug both Donaldson and Arenado into your lineup (yes, you can do that this season with the Utility spot) and then build around them for all cash games.
