This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Enjoy some early fireworks, in the guise of MLB DFS success, with the help of my DFS lineup recommendations. There are 11 games on the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. It's a big week for baseball, and for summer in general, so get those lineups in. Good luck!
Pitching
Ronel Blanco, HOU at TOR ($10,300): After Blanco opened the season with an out-of-nowhere no-hitter, there was plenty of reason to be skeptical. However, over 14 starts since that outing, Blanco has managed a 2.77 ERA. It would seem he has actually emerged as a viable, above-average MLB starter. Toronto is down in the bottom eight in runs scored, so I doubt it will provide much of a threat to Blanco's breakthrough campaign.
Davis Daniel, LAA at OAK ($9,100): In his first MLB start, Daniel pitched eight innings of shutout ball against the Tigers. Now, the Tigers don't have an imposing offense, but neither do the Athletics. Oakland is 28th in runs scored and has a sub-.300 OBP as a team as well. Plus, the A's have a pitcher-friendly ballpark as well.
Michael Wacha, KC vs. TAM ($8,500): Since a bad start May 4 (maybe he was too distracted celebrating Star Wars Day?), Wacha has a 2.43 ERA over seven starts. The Rays' offense has cratered in 2024, as they are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, and also in the bottom six in home runs.
Top Targets
Once again, Jose Altuve ($3,700) is primed to hit over .300, and with 13 homers and 13 stolen bases he could be in the running for a 20/20 season as well. Since 2022 he has an .885 OPS on the road, but crucially a .966 OPS versus lefties. That is crucial because Yusei Kikuchi is left-handed, and because righties have hit .286 versus the Jays starter this year.
In his first season as a Dodger, Teoscar Hernandez ($3,400) has hit 18 home runs. That's bolstered by a .607 slugging percentage versus lefties. Jordan Montgomery's first season with a new team, the Diamondbacks, has not gone as well. He has a 6.40 ERA, and righties have hit a whopping .333 against him.
Bargain Bats
Last year, newly minted Rockie Nolan Jones ($3,100) emerged with a .931 OPS, 20 homers, and 20 stolen bases in 106 games. This season started slowly, but he has an .803 OPS over the last three weeks, and he still has Coors Field for a home ballpark. Colin Rea has a 3.61 ERA but a 4.80 FIP. His strikeout and walk rates are low, which means he allows a lot of contact, particularly to lefties. That's not a good recipe in Denver.
The Rangers have had troubles offensively, but Josh Smith ($3,000) has ameliorated the situation at third base in the wake of Josh Jung's long-term injury. Smith has slashed .291/.386/.450 with seven homers and four stolen bases. The lefty also has a .978 OPS at home. Adam Mazur's first five starts in MLB have been fairly disastrous. He has a 7.25 ERA, and lefties have posted a .333 average against the rookie.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers at Rockies (Dakota Hudson): Christian Yelich ($4,500), Brice Turang ($3,800), Jake Bauers ($3,300)
Hudson has a 4.85 K/9 rate in his first season with the Rockies. He also finished below 5.00 strikeouts per nine last season, so this is not some fluke. Unsurprisingly, Hudson has struggled mightily at Coors Field, where he has a staggering 8.58 ERA. Given that lefties have hit .285 against him since 2022, I have three southpaws in this stack.
Yelich has built upon his rebound campaign in 2023 this season. He's slashed .329/.403/.500 with eight homers and 19 stolen bases. His three triples are also encouraging, as Coors is conducive to turning a line drive into the outfield into extra bases. Turang stole 26 bases last season, but he's already to 28 this year because his plate discipline has really improved. The second baseman has a .351 OBP, and he also has a .908 OPS on the road where he has shown much more power. Bauers has never managed a steady role in MLB, but he has seven homers and seven stolen bases with the Brewers this year. He also has a .912 OPS over the last three weeks for good measure.
Reds at Yankees (Carlos Rodon): Spencer Steer ($3,400), Jonathan India ($3,000), Noelvi Marte ($2,600)
The Yankees' rotation gets healthy, and a couple of their pitchers have the bottom fall out on their performance. Well, you can't win 'em all. Rodon has a 13.17 ERA over his last three starts, and he's allowed five homers over his last two outings. If you aren't sold on three outings, since the start of May he has a 5.46 ERA and 1.9 HR/9 rate. Rodon does keep his fellow lefties in check well, so this is a three-righty stack from the Reds.
While his average has dipped from last year, Steer has 10 homers and 13 stolen bases in 83 games, so why quibble? He has an .863 OPS versus lefties, though, and an .809 OPS on the road as well. India has gotten red hot, posting an 1.083 OPS over the last three weeks. Usually, India tends to do better against his fellow righties, but he has an .844 OPS against southpaws in 2024. Marte is only recently back from a lengthy suspension, but he did pick up three hits and a stolen bases in his first game back. Last year, in only 35 games, the promising prospect hit .316 with three homers and six stolen bases.
