This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The MLB trade deadline has passed! The Detroit Tigers did… okay? Alright, I've satiated my Tigers fandom. Now I will focus on why you're here, Wednesday's DFS slate. There are only five games on the slate starting at 7:10 p.m. ED T or later. Here are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Framber Valdez, HOU vs. PIT ($9,500): Valdez started the season slowly, but he's been his usual self on the mound of late. He is going to allow fewer than one home run per nine innings for the fifth season in a row, and his groundball rate is a robust 59.9 percent. He's the same pitcher, but he just took a different path getting here in 2024. For all the fun that Paul Skenes brings, the Pirates are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, and unless you're Shohei Ohtani, being an ace won't help your team's offense.
Logan Webb, SF vs. OAK ($9,000): The Webb who pitches is San Francisco is different from the Webb who pitches elsewhere. Since 2022 he has a 2.66 ERA at home, and he has allowed a paltry 0.4 homers per nine at home in that time. The Athletics have climbed out of the bottom 10 in runs scored, but they still lack for offensive firepower.
Top Target
With 20 homers on the season, Yordan Alvarez ($3,700) may fall short of 30, a number he's hit in each of the last three campaigns. Even so, he's slashed .299/.384/.533 and the Cuban is still an elite hitter. The Pirates are in an uncertain space vis-à-vis the rotation, but Luis Ortiz is in line to start. As a relief pitcher by and large, he may not be in the game long. With only five games on the slate, though, I'll take the elite slugger.
Bargain Bats
It would appear that what Taylor Ward ($2,900) did in 2022 was anomalous, maybe even fluky. However, the righty does remain a force against southpaw pitchers. This year he has a .906 OPS versus lefties. Kyle Freeland is a lefty, and he has bananas splits for a Rockies pitcher. His home ERA? 1.88. His road ERA? 9.96.
No, Mike Yastrzemski ($2,500) is not in the same class of hitter as his Hall of Fame granddad. However, since 2022 he has a .772 OPS against righties, and this season he has an .886 OPS at home. Ross Stripling, who posted a 5.36 ERA with the Giants last year, has a 6.02 ERA with the Athletics this season. Strikingly, lefties have hit .346 against Stripling this season.
Stack to Consider
Reds vs. Cubs (Kyle Hendricks): Elly De La Cruz ($4,300), Jeimer Candelario ($3,000), Jake Fraley ($2,900)
Hendricks got by for many years. He used guile and craft to manage as a righty who doesn't touch 90 mph with his fastball. Those days are gone. This year he has a 6.95 ERA. Hendricks has averaged a mere 6.27 strikeouts per nine while giving up 1.79 homers per nine. That makes the Reds a stack that is well worth it.
De La Cruz has stolen 55 bases! We should make more of that, but also his 18 homers and .350 OBP are notable. While De La Cruz is a switch hitter, his .891 OPS versus righties pops. Candelario is also a switch hitter, but both lefties and righties hit Hendricks with gusto. Lefties have hit .307 against him, though, so Candelario should probably take that approach. Crucially, he has an .818 OPS at home. Fraley is a lefty, and while he's lost power, he's still got some fantasy-related value. He's hit .279 and stolen 14 bases.
