This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Pitching
Julio Urias, LAD vs. OAK ($8,800): It's likely most fantasy players will flock to Shohei Ohtani ($10,400), especially coming off a 61-point performance. However, that was against the Tigers and he's got a more difficult task today facing the Mariners. Urias hasn't been great as of late with 11 earned runs over his last two starts (11 innings), but he still holds a 2.47 ERA and is striking out over a batter per inning at home on the season. Oakland has a .298 wOBA against left-handed pitching this season, which is the fourth worst in baseball.
Adrian Houser, MIL vs. PIT ($7,400): I love to target pitchers coming off a bad start in GPPs since they tend to be a contrarian play thanks to recency bias. Houser is coming off a start in which he lasted only four innings and gave up six runs. However, that was in Atlanta, and the league's most dangerous offense can blow up anyone on any given day. Houser has a much easier task tonight at home, where he's been more effective all season. This is also a good matchup against the Pirates who strike out over 25 percent of the time and have only a .301 wOBA on the road against right-handed pitching.
Top Targets
Mookie Betts, LAD vs. OAK ($4,400): Betts has been dealing with an ankle injury, but that hasn't slowed him down at the plate as he's riding a nine-game hitting streak with a home run in each of his last two games. He was replaced by Jason Heyward last night in a blowout game but should be good to go against JP Sears. Besides the hit streak he has a 1.126 OPS against southpaws this season and is averaging over 15 fantasy points over those last nine starts. Just make sure he's in the lineup and didn't further aggravate his ankle last night.
Cody Bellinger, CHC vs. CIN ($4,000): Somehow it seems Bellinger is still underrated despite batting .316 with 16 home runs, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He should be back in the cleanup spot against righty Luke Weaver, and it's a fantastic matchup for Bellinger who has a 1.089 OPS over the last three weeks. He has over 15 fantasy points in 12 of his last 22 games, and Weaver is allowing a .404 wOBA on the road this season to left-handed hitting. Bellinger also has a good history in a small sample against Weaver, going 4-for-10 with two home runs.
Bargain Bats
Dansby Swanson, CHC vs. CIN ($3,200): Usually it's rare to find me recommending two players from the same team, but there's only six games on the main slate and the Cubs have been on fire. They've scored 41 runs in their first three games of this series and get an ideal matchup against Weaver and his 6.80 ERA (1.60 WHIP). Swanson comes into the game on a tear, homering four times in his last three games and launching five in his last nine. The Cubs have the highest implied run total tonight, so it's completely reasonable to use multiple players from their lineup for cash games.
Tyler O'Neill, STL vs. MIN ($2,600): The Cardinals are a good offense to target tonight in GPPs, and O'Neill offers a lot of upside without killing your salary cap. He's homered in back-to-back games and has a six-game hitting streak leading to a 1.228 OPS over the last week. Sonny Gray (3.22 ERA) should make the outfielder an unpopular play despite the fact that over his career, Gray has allowed home runs to O'Neill, Nolan Arenado, Dylan Carlson and Tommy Edman (five home run total in 49 at-bats).
Stacks To Consider
Cubs vs. Reds (Weaver): Christopher Morel ($4,100), Bellinger, Nico Hoerner ($3,300), Swanson
The case has already been made for Bellinger and Swanson and there's a few different players you could consider aside from the four listed. Morel and Hoerner can occupy the middle infield spots and address positional scarcity on a six-game slate. Hoerner is averaging over 11 fantasy points per game this season and has scored 64.7 over his last three contests. This is one of the odd nights where a stack like this is viable in cash games and not just tournaments.
Cardinals vs. Twins (Gray): Paul Goldschmidt ($3,700), Lars Nootbaar ($3,500), Arenado ($3,400), O'Neill
Nolan Gorman ($3,500) can easily replace any one of these hitters, and his second base eligibility makes him an even more attractive option. Gray comes into this game struggling as of late, allowing 10 earned runs over his last three starts (17.2 innings, 5.23 ERA). Nootbaar seems to be flying under the radar despite a 1.356 OPS over the last two weeks. Gray's numbers (ERA, K/9, BB/9) have all been worse on the road than at home this season and the Cardinals hold a .331 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season, the sixth-best mark in baseball.
