Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Plays and Strategy

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Plays and Strategy

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Wednesday brings mostly day games across baseball. Since we'll need to set our DFS lineups earlier than usual, let's get right down to business and highlight some pitchers and hitters to target.

Pitchers

Shane McClanahan ($47) drew a favorable matchup against the Tigers in his first start of the season. He went on to record six strikeouts over six shutout innings. Another favorable matchup awaits him against the Nationals, who scored the fifth-fewest runs in baseball last season. While his salary will do a number on your budget, McClanahan is as appealing as it gets on the pitching side of things.

Another top starting pitcher that stands out is Cristian Javier ($52). Like McClanahan, he misses a lot of bats, recording a 33.2 percent strikeout rate last season. After allowing three runs over five innings against the White Sox in his first start this year, he is in a prime spot to bounce back against a Tigers team that scored the fewest runs in baseball last season.

Pablo Lopez ($39) could end up being a huge addition for the Twins. He immediately made his presence felt in his first start with his new team, recording eight strikeouts over 5.1 scoreless innings against the Royals. Now he will face his old team in the Marlins, who have scored just 10 runs over six games. That comes on the heels of them scoring the third-fewest runs in baseball last year.

Top Targets

Jose Abreu ($19) has wasted no time making an impact with the Astros. Through six games, he is 9-for-25 (.360) with a .429 OPS. He has a career .388 wOBA against left-handed pitchers, making him very appealing in a matchup against Tigers' southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez ($27).

Bo Bichette ($18) has at least one hit in every game this season, going 9-for-24 (.375) with a home run and a double. Also encouraging is that he has just three strikeouts over his 25 plate appearances. Another productive stat line could be upcoming against Zack Greinke ($25), who is not an overpowering force at this stage of his career. He has produced a strikeout rate of 17.2 percent or lower in both of the last two seasons.

Bargain Bats

If Brian Anderson ($13) can stay healthy for the Brewers, it looks like he is going to receive plenty of playing time. He has played in every game, starting off the season with a five-game hitting streak and three home runs. With left-handed pitcher David Peterson ($29) set to start for the Mets, Anderson could provide value.

With stolen bases up across the league, it's a bit of a surprise that Esteury Ruiz ($10) has yet to swipe one for the Athletics. Last year, he had 85 steals across Double-A and Triple-A. Part of the problem might be that three of his four hits this season have been doubles. At his cheap salary, his speed makes him someone to target against Hunter Gaddis ($25), who allowed four runs over 3.2 innings against the Mariners in his season debut. He has only pitched a total of 11 career innings in the majors.

Stacks to Consider

Rays vs. Patrick Corbin ($25), Nationals: Wander Franco ($21), Randy Arozarena ($19), Isaac Paredes ($13)

Despite posting a 6.31 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP last season, Corbin received the start on Opening Day for the Nationals. It was a struggle, with him allowing 10 base runners and four runs (two earned) over three innings. He threw 85 pitches along the way, recording just three strikeouts. With how poorly he has performed, expect the Rays to be stacked in a lot of DFS lineups, and rightfully so. Corbin allowed 27 home runs over 152.2 innings last season, so don't sleep on Paredes, who went deep 20 times over just 111 games last year.

Red Sox vs. Mitch Keller ($25), Pirates: Rafael Devers ($23), Masataka Yoshida ($18), Triston Casas ($16)

The Red Sox's lineup has been firing on all cylinders, scoring 34 runs across their five games. They scored the sixth-most runs at home in baseball last season, so playing all of their games at Fenway Park so far has certainly helped them get off to a hot start this year. Trying to slow them down will be Keller, who was roughed up for four runs over 4.2 innings by the Reds in his first start. For his career, Keller has a 1.58 WHIP.

Pirates vs. Corey Kluber ($25), Red Sox: Bryan Reynolds ($20), Oneil Cruz ($20), Ji-Man Choi ($12)

The Red Sox aren't the only team that could score plenty of runs in this game. Their starting rotation is in shambles with three projected members of it already on the IL. Kluber was lit up by the Orioles in his Red Sox debut, allowing five runs and two home runs over 3.1 innings. He allowed 10 total baserunners, four of which came via the walk. The centerpiece of any Pirates stack should be Reynolds, who has already his four home runs after slugging 27 last season.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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