This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday has a healthy nine games with the Giants at the Diamondbacks finishing off the slate as the last contest of the night. The question of the night for cash games will come down to: Trevor Bauer or Tyler Glasnow for the starting pitching spot. Let's see who I recommend.
Pitching
Tyler Glasnow, TB vs. KC ($10,700): Every good pitcher has an off game and if they are elite (Glasnow is), they bounce back the next game. Glasnow saves $800 in salary cap as a pivot from Trevor Bauer and could easily score as many fantasy points. There's no apparent reason to shy away from Bauer either; in fact, make sure you use both in a lineup for multi-entry tournaments. Glasnow will be a less popular option in GPPs and has the Royals at home (a team with a .291 wOBA against right-handed pitching on the road, 21st in the league), which helps.
Nick Pivetta, BOS vs. ATL ($7,800): Pivetta has been a trendy sleeper over the last couple of seasons and he may be finally panning out. He has had at least 14 fantasy points in every of his 10 starts. Atlanta hasn't seen Pivetta yet and they have a below-average 20th-ranked wOBA against righties on the road. The extra salary saved by using Pivetta is handy, although I'd leave him alone in GPPs.
Top Targets
Eduardo Escobar, ARI ($2,900): Johnny Cueto's numbers suggest he's not as good as he's actually been (6.7 percent HR/FB rate) and at some point there's going to be regression to the mean. He's on the road and Escobar should be hitting cleanup, likely leading to extra RBI points. With his salary I could have gone with him in this spot or the "Value Bats" section but chose here because I think he's both. Use him in both cash and tournament play.
J.D. Martinez, BOS ($4,200): The truth is, there is never a bad time to use the players with a higher salary than Martinez (Fernando Tatis, Ronald Acuna, etc.). On a night like tonight though, it's risky to go contrarian in any format. Martinez has crushed lefties and is at home, plus this game also has an over/under of 10, the highest on the slate.
Value Bats
Keston Hiura, MIL ($2,000): Hiura was smashing in the minors before his call-up and he seems like a must-start at this salary. Chris Paddack has been a disappointment this season and has yet to pitch past the sixth inning, and he's on the road which theoretically shouldn't help. You'll likely use Hiura at second base (he has duel eligibility at first base too) and he's a fantastic option for salary cap space.
Josh Reddick, ARI ($2,000): Reddick is back, and it's a bit wild to think how high he was hitting in the Red Sox order when that was a peak offense compared to his spot for the D-backs now. I totally plan on fading Cueto and think Reddick is a huge value here in his home park. This should be his coming out game for Arizona.
Stacks To Consider
Diamondbacks vs. Cueto: Reddick, Escobar, Ketel Marte ($3,400), David Peralta ($2,900)
It's a limited sample (15 innings) but Cueto has allowed a .358 wOBA on the road and he's on the wrong side of 35 years old. Arizona has the sixth-best wOBA (.339) at home against right-handed pitching and this isn't a stack that drains your salary cap.
Yankees vs. Alek Manoah: Aaron Judge ($3,700), Gleyber Torres ($3,400), Luke Voit ($2,800), Gio Urshela ($2,200)
The Yankees are a bit thin these days with Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu out, both hitters who are usually at the top of the batting order. Urshela and Voit could easily have landed in the "Value Bats" section given their salaries, and Vegas not only has New York to win but to have one of the highest team run totals of the night as they face a pitcher (granted, one with massive buzz behind him) making his big-league debut. Torres has eligibility at both middle infield spots as well, allowing some extra flexibility with a roster.
