This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Pitching
Zack Wheeler, PHI vs. DET ($10,800): You won't get an argument from me if you want to go the Spencer Strider ($11,400) route here given how dominant he's been this season. However, Wheeler and Strider have the same over/under for strikeouts (8.5) and Wheeler is the bigger home favorite between the two suggesting he's more likely to get the win. The Mets have a team .313 wOBA against right-handed pitching while the Tigers are last in the league with a .281 mark. Detroit strikes out 4.5 percent more of the time against right-handed pitching for the Mets so you should be getting my drift by now. Wheeler is coming off his worst start of the season so he should be less popular than Strider making him the better target in tournaments.
Jose Berrios, TOR vs. HOU ($8,800): It's a small slate of games and it's likely a couple of starting pitchers only go a couple of innings. The Angels/Cubs game has two lefty starters and both teams hit southpaws well. That leads me to Berrios, even though the idea of fading the Astros doesn't seem wise. However, looking at the numbers they'll show Houston is in the bottom-half of the league in wOBA (.309) and in the upper-half for strikeout rate (23.0 percent). Berrios comes into this game hot scoring at least 37 fantasy points in four straight games (and five of six).
Top Targets
Mike Trout, LAA vs. CHC ($3,600): Trout won't destroy your salary cap and there's a few reasons (outside of him simply being Mike Trout) to like him tonight. He's gone 5-for-18 against Drew Smyly with two home runs, three doubles and seven RBI in his career. Trout comes into the game hot by homering last night, his second in the last seven games.
Rafael Devers, BOS at CLE ($3,600): Devers is averaging 11.3 fantasy points per game and is already up to 50 RBI this season. He has a .917 OPS against right-handed pitching since 2021 and the matchup with Aaron Civale isn't tough. Civale isn't a high strikeout pitcher and he had a 4.92 ERA last season in 20 games started.
Bargain Bats
Amed Rosario, CLE vs. BOS ($2,500): Rosario appears to be over the knee issue that's been bothering him and should be hitting in the two spot for the Guardians tonight. Rosario has always hit lefties better and has a respectable .815 OPS against left-handed pitching since 2021. He's also a threat to swipe a base with eight steals already this season after a total of 31 the previous two season.
Drew Ellis, PHI vs. DET ($2,000): Ellis is at the bare minimum for a salary cap hit and has the righty vs. lefty matchup working in his favor. The Phillies are penciled in for around five runs and did have a 56.4 fantasy points effort last week in a two-home run game. While he's not a big prospect at 27, he's shown power throughout the minors and Tyler Holton isn't a bad matchup who shouldn't pitch long into the game.
Stacks To Consider
Mets at Atlanta (Strider): Francisco Lindor ($3,300), Brandon Nimmo ($3,300), Starling Marte ($2,900), Jeff McNeil ($2,700)
Wait, what? This will likely be the most unpopular stack considering Pete Alonso will likely be out and no one typically looks to fade Strider. The Mets saw Strider earlier this season and rang up four runs in only five innings on him although that game was in New York. Nimmo, McNeil and Lindor have combined (in a small sample) to go 10-for-24 (.416) with all of them batting at least .400. This is a case of playing pot odds and of course I'd only use this stack in GPPs.
Phillies vs. Tigers (Holton): Bryce Harper ($3,600), Nick Castellanos ($3,400), Kyle Schwarber ($3,000), Ellis
Again, it's tough to imagine Holton pitching deep into this game and it's likely the Phillies get to feast on some second tier pitching. Schwarber has warmed up (as he typically does this time of the season) and he could have easily made the "Top Targets" or "Bargain Bats" spots. Castellanos has a .876 OPS against lefties this season (76 plate appearances) and Ellis obviously provides a lot of salary cap relief with upside. While the Mets will likely be the most unpopular stack, the Phillies will likely be one of the more popular ones. Don't be afraid to mix and match players from the Phillies lineups using players less likely to be used in lineups.
