I rarely recommend three pitchers, but I just couldn't decide between these guys. More options on the mound might be needed though, as the hitting pool is extremely thin simply because we don't have many games on this slate. That should make it a fascinating one to dissect, though, so let's get started with those three arms!
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Pitching
Bryce Miller, SEA vs. LAA ($10,700)
This Mariners rotation is one of the deepest in the league, and Miller has been one of their best arms. The righty has a 1.92 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 rate through eight starts. He's also surrendered three runs or fewer in all of those while scoring at least 27 FanDuel points in seven straight starts. That form should be easy to duplicate in a home matchup with LA. The Angels have the worst K rate in baseball, while Miller has a 0.57 ERA, 0.45 WHIP and 11.5 K/9 rate in Seattle this season. I also don't mind that Miller has scored at least 38 FanDuel points in five of seven matchups with LA while entering this matchup as a -210 favorite.
Davis Martin, CWS at CLE ($9,900)
Martin had a couple of nightmare outings, but he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball outside of that. He surrendered nine runs to the Yankees and six runs to the Twins, but has a 1.69 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 8.9 K/9 rate across his other 14 starts. That makes him an easy option here because Martin has allowed one run or fewer in 10 of his last 12 starts. That sensational stretch is concerning for a short-handed team like Cleveland, with the Guardians ranked 28th in runs scored and wOBA.
Ian Seymour, TB at KC ($7,200)
Not many organizations are better at developing pitchers than Tampa Bay. That's just what they've done with Seymour, switching to a starting role a few weeks ago. In four appearances since taking on a bigger workload, Seymour has a 2.84 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 rate. That culminated in 6.2 scoreless innings in his most recent start, which was against the team he's facing here. The Royals rank 19th in runs scored and 20th in wOBA, with Seymour scoring 32 DraftKings points in that matchup.
Top Targets
Junior Caminero, TB (vs. Stephen Kolek) $3,800
How are there five players priced above Caminero on a short slate? That simply makes no sense because he might be the hottest hitter in baseball. Caminero has homered in seven of his last eight outings while collecting a .514 OBP, 1.323 SLG and 1.837 OPS in that span. That's the best week we might see all season. Most players don't even do that in a month. I don't mind the matchup with Kolek either, with the righty allowing nine runs in his most recent start.
Alec Burleson, STL (vs. Grant Holmes) $3,400
Burleson is one of the most underrated hitters in baseball. This guy hits third for the Cards every day, posting a .275 AVG and .811 OPS in a career year. While he enters this matchup hitless across his last 14 at-bats, Burleson had a .373 OBP and .983 OPS across his previous 23 games. I'll trust the 23-game sample size over a bad series, especially since he has a .395 OBP and .963 OPS against right-handers this year. Holmes is far from a scary righty, registering a 5.14 ERA and 1.71 WHIP across his last five starts. Not to mention, Burleson has three doubles in four at-bats against Holmes.
Bargain Bats
Mookie Betts, LAD (vs. Randy Vasquez) $3,200
Everyone knows that this former MVP is one of the best players of his generation, and he's showing why with his recent play. After a slow start, Betts has a .406 AVG and 1.174 OPS across his last eight outings. That's the success we've been waiting to see from the superstar, and it's still bizarre to see him sitting at $3,200 in a quality matchup like this. I'll dive into his opposition in the stacks section!
Lane Thomas, KC (vs. Seymour) $2,600
There weren't many great cheap options on this slate, but Thomas is enticing in this matchup. While I do like Seymour, I have to admit that he's one of the cheapest pitchers on this slate. He gives Thomas the platoon advantage, and the outfielder's tallied a .360 OBP and .840 OPS against lefties throughout his career. That recent form is nothing special for Thomas, but he's projected to hit leadoff and his splits are too good for this salary.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres (Vasquez): Shohei Ohtani ($4,100), Freddie Freeman ($3,500), Max Muncy ($3,300), Kyle Tucker ($3,200), Betts ($3,200)
The stacking options weren't great since we have so many great pitchers, but the Dodgers are always a viable choice. This is the best lineup in baseball, and they have one of the best matchups on the board. That's Vasquez, who has a 7.34 ERA and 2.02 WHIP across his last seven starts. The most recent was against LA, with the Dodgers dropping seven runs against the struggling Padres pitcher.
Shohei is always one of the safest options on any slate, averaging the most FanDuel points of any position player over the last two years. Freeman is starting to get hot, generating a .550 OBP and 1.344 OPS across his last nine outings. Muncy is flirting with a .900 OPS against righties since joining LA, while Tucker has a .383 OBP and .867 OPS against righties over the last three years.
