This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
DraftKings has decided to feature the afternoon slate Thursday. That gives us six games on the DFS docket, but the first pitch is at 12:35 p.m. ET. We have to work with the tools at our disposal today, though, as on any other day. As such, here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Tyler Anderson, LAA ($8,500): Anderson's 3.70 ERA is paired with a 4.64 FIP, but there are still two reasons I'd roster him Thursday. One, his road ERA. While Anderson has a 4.81 ERA at home, he has a 2.48 ERA on the road. Two, the matchup. The White Sox are going to finish over 100 runs below any other MLB team and they somehow have a collective .617 OPS.
Aaron Civale, MIL at PIT ($7,700): Civale struggled with the Rays, which is a team that was defined by struggle this season. However, in 13 starts for the Brewers, the righty has a 3.84 ERA. Pittsburgh is going to finish in the bottom 10 in runs scored and in the bottom five in team OPS.
Top Targets
It's a throwback Thursday because I'm recommending Paul Goldschmidt ($5,200). Though he's not the hitter he used to be, the first baseman has 21 homers and 30 doubles, and he still has a .799 OPS versus lefties and a .758 OPS on the road. More importantly, the Cards are at Coors. Kyle Freeland has a 4.95 ERA and has allowed 1.57 homers per nine innings. Also, since 2022 he has allowed righties to hit .288 against him.
Might as well flip the script. Since 2022, Ryan McMahon ($5,100) has a .776 OPS versus righties and a .794 OPS at home. The third baseman also has hit 20 homers and 20 doubles in each of the last five full MLB seasons. Meanwhile, since 2022 Kyle Gibson has let lefties post a .272 average. Plus, since the start of July, he has a 4.62 ERA.
Bargain Bat
Even with a season that has been a full-on slog for his team, Taylor Ward ($4,400) has not checked out. He has a .991 OPS over the last three weeks. While he does hit lefties better, he has a solid .768 OPS against righties since 2022. He has a .798 OPS on the road this season. Chris Flexen has a 5.15 ERA, but I wanted a right-handed hitter because Flexen struggles versus his fellow righties. Over the last three seasons, right-handers have hit .302 against the White Sox hurler.
Stack to Consider
Royals at Nationals (Patrick Corbin): Bobby Witt ($6,500), Salvador Perez ($4,500), Maikel Garcia ($3,900)
Corbin's on the mound? Get me three righties. I've been doing it for years, and the southpaw has given me no reason to stop. He has a 5.58 ERA and righties have hit a whopping .317 against him. Over the last three seasons, right-handers have batted .312 against Corbin. That has happened in the modern MLB. Where eight guys, at most, are going to hit .300 this season. So, yeah, let's focus on a righties stack.
Witt, of course, is going to win a batting title, so he is a rare breed of modern hitter. Oh, also he has a 30/30 season with 45 doubles on top of that, and he's topped 100 RBI and runs scored for the first time. Witt rules. I say that as a Tigers fan. Perez is a fine choice for your DFS catcher. He has 27 home runs and over 100 RBI, and this matchup is to his liking. The righty has a .892 OPS versus lefties and a .848 OPS on the road. Garcia does not bring power. Don't expect that from him in your lineup, either at second or third base. He has five triples and 37 stolen bases, though, and he's only been caught stealing twice. Garcia is an excellent base runner on the occasions he gets on base.
