It's a busier Thursday than we tend to get for MLB. The DFS slate is built upon an afternoon selection of games totaling six contests. First pitch arrives at 12:35 p.m. ET. That means getting in your lineups early, so be sure to be on the ball. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Chase Burns, CIN vs. SFG ($8,700): Burns followed two strong starts with a bad one but he still has a 3.31 ERA to begin this season. He's doing well to start 2026, and do recall in 2025 he had a 2.64 FIP and 13.92 K/9 rate (though that was in 43.1 innings and involved relief work). It's too early to say that the Giants are going to finish in the bottom five in runs scored…but on that front they already have started digging themselves a hole to get out of.
Steven Matz, TAM at CWS ($8,500): After a season spent pitching in relief, Matz is back to working as a starter. It's gone well thus far, as he has a 2.96 FIP with three wins in as many outings. The White Sox have had one of those starts in which the numbers are not sustainable long term, but it looks wild for the time being. As a team they are simply trying to keep their batting average over the Mendoza Line and their OPS over .600.
Foster Griffin, WAS at PIT ($6,800): At this point, and at this salary, consider me intrigued by Griffin. He's returning from a stint in Japan to post a 1.76 ERA through three starts. Do I think that level of pitching continues? No, but he has yet to have a bad game since returning to MLB. On the flip side, while the Pirates are clearly better offensively than they were last season, they did finish last in runs scored in 2025. There is only so far an offense can climb from one campaign to the next.
Top Targets
Right now, the only real viable right-handed hitter in the Brewers' lineup is catcher William Contreras ($5,200). He's hit .305 to start this year, and also slugged .475. That slugging percentage is encouraging, because his power dipped in 2025, though he still had 17 home runs. Considering the position he plays, that was an acceptable number of homers. Why was I so determined to have a righty from Milwaukee? Patrick Corbin is starting for the Blue Jays. He has a 5.49 ERA over the last six seasons largely because righties have hit more than .300 against him in that time.
The excellent (and patrilineally-expected) hitting skills have been on display for Vladimir Guerrero ($5,200), and I expect the power will show up soon enough. He's basically a lock for 20 homers and 30 doubles as a baseline. Guerrero has averaged .328 with a .446 OBP, and he can hit lefties, righties, at home or on the road. I am beginning to wonder if Brandon Sproat needs more time in the minors. He had a 4.79 ERA in four starts with the Mets last season, and he has a 10.45 ERA to start this season with the Brewers.
Bargain Bats
The slow start for Junior Caminero ($4,900) may have some concerned his breakthrough in 2025 was built in no small part upon the minor league ballpark the Rays called home for one season. However, he still slugged .477 on the road in 2025, and he didn't slug .500 against lefties solely because of his home park. Anthony Kay has a 2.45 ERA this season, but I don't trust that to continue given that he has a 1.38 K/BB rate and 1.23 HR/9 rate. The southpaw has managed to not allow a single hit to a lefty, yet, but of course Caminero is a righty.
Some regression this season is likely for Trent Grisham ($3,600) after he hit 34 home runs last season. That being said, he does have two homers, a triple and a stolen base in 2026, and he's mostly scuffled against lefties and on the road. This game is at home for Grisham, though the pitching logistics are trickier. There is an expectation-slash-projection that Walbert Urena, a righty, will get the call from the minors to start. That could be the start of a bullpen game for the Angels, but hopefully Grisham can get two or three plate appearances against a righty Thursday.
Stack to Consider
Reds vs. Giants (Landon Roupp): Elly De La Cruz ($5,700), Sal Stewart ($4,500), Eugenio Suarez ($4,200)
Roupp has had two good starts this season but also one woeful start. Given that he had a 3.80 ERA last season in his first year as a full-time starter I am not buying in at this point. Additionally, last year he benefited greatly from San Francisco's pitcher-friendly park. On the road he had a 4.76 ERA and 1.5 HR/9 rate. Notably, his fellow righties have always hit him better, so I have two right-handed Reds in this stack.
De La Cruz is a switch hitter, but he's consistently struggled against lefties, and hit righties well. He's also absolutely tearing it up to start 2026. In addition to an unsurprising five stolen bases through 18 games, he has hit six home runs. If he stays healthy, at least 30 stolen bases are a given, but could he be in line for his first 30/30 campaign? Stewart was my pick for NL Rookie of the Year, and so far I have zero regrets about that. He's slashed .323/.434/.726, and the first baseman has swiped three bags to go with seven homers. The right-handed slugger Suarez has returned to Cincinnati after hitting 49 home runs last season. In his younger days, he showed he can hit for power in a Reds uniform, presumably finding some benefit in his home park. As a Red he had three seasons with more than 30 home runs, including getting to 49 in 2019.
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