This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday's first pitch is at 12:35 p.m. EDT. Playing an MLB DFS contest that features the full slate? It would be fun, but you have to get your lineup in quite early on a weekday. As such, I am focusing my recommendations on the six-game slate that starts at 6:35 p.m.h
Pitching
Kevin Gausman, TOR vs. DET ($11,100): Gausman's last season with the Giants was great, as he had a 3.00 FIP. His first season with the Blue Jays? Also great, as he had a 2.37 FIP. Through two starts this year, Gausman has not allowed an earned run. Now he faces a Tigers team that was last in runs scored in 2022 and is a great candidate to repeat on that front.
Spencer Strider, ATL vs. CIN ($10,900): Strider had a rookie season that put him on the map, posting an 1.82 FIP and striking out 13.81 batters per nine innings. Through two starts this year he has a 2.45 ERA and has struck out a whopping 14.73 batters per nine. Cincinnati's team average is good, but the lineup does not impress on paper, and it is still down in the bottom 10 in runs scored.
Top Target
While I am a little concerned about the lack of stolen base attempts from Adolis Garcia ($3,500) so far (he stole his first base Tuesday), it's early. Last year he had 25 stolen bases, and that was paired with 27 home runs. Garcia also has an .807 OPS at home since 2021. Brad Keller doesn't strike out a lot of batters, and he has posted an ERA over 5.00 in each of his last two seasons. Additionally, since 2021 he's allowed righties, like Garcia, to hit .293 against him.
Bargain Bat
It's been a slow start for Marcell Ozuna ($2,500), but he has two home runs on only three hits this season. He hit 23 home runs in 124 games last season, with 22 of them coming against righties. Ozuna has power, and Hunter Greene has a problem with allowing home runs. Greene has given up 1.68 homers per nine innings in his career.
Stack to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Tigers (Eduardo Rodriguez): Matt Chapman ($4,400), Bo Bichette ($4,000), George Springer ($3,700)
Rodriguez's first campaign with the Tigers was tough. He had a 4.43 FIP in 17 starts and lost almost one mile per hour off his fastball. Through two starts this year, the lefty has a 7.30 FIP and has struck out a mere 5.40 batters per nine innings. He's also already allowed three home runs across 10 innings. Now, he faces perhaps baseball's most formidable lineup, so I have three righties to stack here.
Chapman is off to a torrid start, and his batting average will certainly drop from .477. That being said, he hit 27 home runs in his first season as a Jay, and he also had an .826 OPS at home. Bichette bounced back from a slow start last year to hit .290 with 24 homers and 13 stolen bases. He's slashed .299/.342/.494 in his career, and he's only 25. Springer is off to a slow start, but still has a homer and two stolen bases. Last year he hit 25 homers and swiped 14 bags in 133 games and has a career .849 OPS, so I expect him to pick things up.
Red Sox at Rays (Taj Bradley): Rafael Devers ($4,300), Masataka Yoshida ($4,300), Alex Verdugo ($3,200)
The Rays have had an incredible season thus far, but this could be the first slip up. Bradley is making his MLB debut after being called up from Triple-A. The 22-year-old has made seven starts at the Triple-A level in his career and has a 3.82 ERA. This injury-related spot start could give the Red Sox the opportunity they need.
Devers has already delivered four home runs this year, but that's to be expected from a guy with a career .514 slugging percentage. The southpaw also has a .958 OPS versus righties since 2021. Yoshida came over from Japan with the reputation of hitting for contact, so his .216 batting average is a surprise. He's likely to improve on that front, and he still has a .356 OBP thanks to his keen eye. Verdugo is another lefty, and he's more of a guy who hits for average as well. He has a career .287 average, and a .318 average in 2023. However, he does have an .814 OPS against right handers since 2021.
