We're looking at another short Thursday card. The reason for that is that most teams are traveling ahead of their weekend series, but a handful of games is just the taste every baseball fan needs. We have five games making up the main card on FanDuel, and it should be a fun one. The pitching options feel risky, so we're going to start things off with a struggling arm who's in a solid spot.
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Pitching
Shota Imanaga, CHC vs. ATH ($9,700)
Imanaga might be the unluckiest pitcher in baseball. This guy has allowed 20 runs over his last three starts despite surrendering only 21 hits. The five walks aren't terrible either, and we believe Imanaga should be due for some positive regression behind his 3.73 xERA and 3.81 xFIP. He was also one of the best pitchers before this terrible three-start slide, sporting a 2.32 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 rate through his first nine starts. We'll trust that larger sample size in a home start against the A's because they have a .314 OBP and .695 OPS against lefties this year. We also don't mind that he's a -140 favorite!
Kai-Wei Teng, HOU vs. PIT ($9,000)
Teng just entered the Astros rotation a few weeks ago, and there's no chance they take him out with the way he's pitching right now. This righty has a 2.57 ERA and 1.10 WHIP for the season while posting a 1.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11.3 K/9 rate across his three starts. Most importantly, he got up to 91 pitches in his most recent start, so he's clearly ready for a full workload. A home matchup against Pittsburgh isn't too bad either, with the Pirates ranked 25th in K rate.
Top Targets
Michael Harris, ATL (vs. TOR Bullpen) $3,300
Atlanta has been one of the best offenses in the league, and Harris' resurgence is a major reason why. The outfielder has 13 homers while producing a .306 AVG and .865 OPS. Much of that damage has happened recently, with the center fielder amassing a .340 AVG and .977 OPS across his last 41 fixtures. That hot streak has Harris hitting second every day right now, and there aren't many better lineup spots with superstars surrounding him. He also doesn't have notable splits, so a bullpen game doesn't concern us either.
Kyle Tucker, LAD (vs. Ryne Nelson) $3,200
How wild is it to see Tucker at $3,200? This guy has been a $4K player throughout his career and is in the heart of the best lineup in baseball. The early-season struggles clearly caused this salary drop, but the All-Star is turning things around. Tucker has an OPS above .800 over the last month after homering Wednesday. He also has a .381 OBP and .864 OPS against righties over the last three years while showcasing a 25-25 profile. Nelson is not a righty we're worried about either, registering a 4.82 ERA so far this year. We wouldn't mind stacking Max Muncy ($3,200) and Mookie Betts ($3,000) in a rare, affordable stack for the Dodgers.
Bargain Bats
Trevor Larnach, MIN (vs. Seth Lugo) $2,900
Larnach is truly one of the most underrated hitters in baseball. He's been a platoon player throughout his career, collecting a .400 OBP and .820 OPS against righties this year. His recent form has made Larnach an everyday player, posting a .381 OBP and .855 OPS across the last two weeks. Lugo has been a scary matchup at times, but we're not fearful of him since he has a 5.45 ERA and 1.69 WHIP across his last seven starts. Not to mention, Lugo allowed 11 baserunners and seven runs across four innings in his last matchup with Minnesota.
Vinnie Pasquantino, KC (vs. MIN Bullpen) $2,800
Pasquantino got off to a slow start this season, but he's slowly getting it together. He had two hits and a homer on Wednesday en route to 28 FanDuel points. It's his fourth multi-hit game across his last six outings, with Pasquantino flirting with a .400 OBP over the last two weeks. That's an encouraging sign since Vinnie P has dropped below $3K, especially since they have a favorable matchup against Minnesota's bullpen here. We'll discuss that more in the stacks section!
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Bullpen Game): Ronald Acuna ($3,900), Matt Olson ($3,900), Harris ($3,300), Ozzie Albies ($3,100)
Toronto's bullpen has been decent, but they'll have a difficult time slowing down this Atlanta lineup. Atlanta ranks top 5 in nearly every offensive statistic, while ranked third in wOBA and xwOBA. Those numbers have been even better over the last month, and we don't want to fade them against a bullpen that has a 3.93 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.
Acuna is an easy option at the top of this stack, hitting five homers over his last five fixtures. Olson has at least 15 FanDuel points in five of his last eight games. Albies is as hot as the rest of these guys, scoring 51 FD points in the first two games of this series.
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins (Bullpen Game): Bobby Witt ($3,700), Pasquantino ($2,800), Carter Jensen ($2,700), Jac Caglianone ($2,600)
Using the Royals as a stack is contrarian, but this is a great spot to get these cheap bats into your build. This Twins pitching staff has been far from impressive, but the bullpen has been one of the worst in baseball. Their pen ranks 23rd in ERA and 27th in WHIP so far this season. It sounds like Andrew Morris will be the "long man," but his 1.52 WHIP only adds more value to these KC bats.
If you ever want to stack the Royals, you have to use Witt. This former MVP candidate has been a top 5 player in DFS over the last three years, averaging 12 FanDuel points per game this season. Jensen is expected to hit leadoff, generating a .814 career OPS against right-handers. Caglianone has been a slight disappointment, but he ranks in the top 10 percent in average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit rate, and bat speed.
