I’m subbing in for the next two days, and I’m excited to get into these midweek cards. I usually cover the weekend games, but I’ll be filling in today and tomorrow. Wednesday cards are one of the best slates of the week because, typically, all 30 teams are in action. Not all of them are played at once, though, so we’ll be focusing on the night games. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the pitchers!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Gerrit Cole (NYY) at LAA |
$10,800 |
$11,100 |
Low |
Low |
| Kyle Wright (ATL) vs. COL |
$9,800 |
$10,800 |
Medium |
Low |
| Drew Rasmussen (TB) at MIA |
$9,000 |
$9,800 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Lance Lynn (CWS) vs. KC |
$8,000 |
$8,900 |
Medium |
High |
I’m subbing in for the next two days, and I’m excited to get into these midweek cards. I usually cover the weekend games, but I’ll be filling in today and tomorrow. Wednesday cards are one of the best slates of the week because, typically, all 30 teams are in action. Not all of them are played at once, though, so we’ll be focusing on the night games. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the pitchers!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Gerrit Cole (NYY) at LAA |
$10,800 |
$11,100 |
Low |
Low |
| Kyle Wright (ATL) vs. COL |
$9,800 |
$10,800 |
Medium |
Low |
| Drew Rasmussen (TB) at MIA |
$9,000 |
$9,800 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Lance Lynn (CWS) vs. KC |
$8,000 |
$8,900 |
Medium |
High |
Starting Pitcher Strategy
There are tons of pitchers to pick from. We tried our best to narrow it down to four, but it was a challenging task. We didnt even get Jacob deGrom in here today because he has a lofty price tag against an elite Dodgers lineup. He’s still likely to have a great game, but there’s too much risk there for me to use him at that price. With that said, we have four guys who are good values, so let’s get started with a perennial Cy Young candidate.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Gerrit Cole (NYY) at LAA
You could have used Cole anytime over the last four years and done pretty well. While he did have an early-season slump, the right-hander still has a 3.31 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9 rate. We love that with his recent form, posting a 2.05 ERA and 0.87 WHIP across his last four starts. That should be easy to duplicate against the Angels, owning the worst K rate in MLB. That’s why he’s a-210 favorite, with LA projected for just 3.2 runs.
Kyle Wright (ATL) vs. COL
Using pitchers against the Rockies on the road has worked for years. This team is a bottom-10 offense in every metric outside of Coors, and they’ll surely struggle with a guy like Wright. That Atlanta righty is 16-5 with a 2.99 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. The oddsmakers certainly believe he will have a big night, entering this matchup as a -325 favorite.
GPP Recommendations:
Drew Rasmussen (TB) at MIA
Tampa churns out pitchers better than almost any organization in baseball, and they’ve stumbled into another gem with Rasmussen. The Rays righty has a 2.77 ERA and 1.07 WHIP for the year, registering a 2.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 9.1 K/9 rate across his last nine starts. That form should continue against Miami, with the Marlins ranked 27th in runs scored, OBP and OPS.
Lance Lynn (CWS) vs. KC
It’s been a rough season for the veteran righty, but the advanced numbers tell a different story. Lynn has a 3.31 xFIP this season, despite posting an ERA north of 5.00. That means positive regression is right around the corner, and it’s started with Lynn’s 2.83 ERA and 0.80 WHIP across his last six starts. We also don’t mind that he’s a -190 favorite against a 25th-ranked Royals offense.
Top Lineup Stacks
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. Mike Minor)
The Cardinals have been the best team in baseball against left-handed pitching, and it could have Minor in for a long night. The Reds lefty has a 6.10 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in the worst season of his career. That’s terrifying in a hitter’s haven like Great American, putting bats like Goldy, Arenado, Pujols, and O’Neill all in play.
Atlanta Braves (vs. Ryan Feltner)
The Rockies send out bad pitchers night after night, and they’ve got another one with Feltner. The Rockies righty has a 5.87 ERA and 1.42 WHIP this year, which is sadly better than his career averages. That certainly won’t go over well against one of the best offenses in the NL, possessing studs like Acuna, Olson, Swanson, and Riley.
Chicago White Sox (vs. Kris Bubic)
The White Sox have been the biggest disappointment in baseball, but this is a good spot for their offense to get going. This team is stacked with righty mashers, and they should have no issues exploiting a lefty like Kris Bubic. The Kansas City slinger has a 5.62 ERA and 1.68 WHIP so far this season. We also don’t mind that Chicago has a ton of value bats with their recent struggles, making them one of the most enticing stacks on the board.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 3B |
Nolan Arenado (STL) |
$5,900 |
$4,100 |
| 1B |
Paul Goldschmidt (STL) |
$6,300 |
$4,700 |
| 1B |
Matt Olson (ATL) |
$5,800 |
$4,000 |
| OF |
George Springer (TOR) |
$4,800 |
$4,000 |
| 1B |
Jose Abreu (CWS) |
$4,100 |
$3,200 |
- Arenado is making a late push for MVP, playing some of the best baseball of his career. Over his last 34 games, Nolan has a .344 AVG, .397 OBP, .687 SLG, and 1.084 OPS. That’s scary when looking at his splits, with Arenado amassing a .893 OPS against left-handers.
- The one guy clearly ahead of Arenado for MVP is Goldy. This has simply been the best hitter in the NL, amassing a .335 AVG, .418 OBP, .624 SLG, and 1.042 OPS for the year. He’s been killing it recently, too, collecting a 1.159 OPS across his last 33 games. He also benefits from facing a subpar southpaw, slinging a 1.333 OPS against lefties this year.
- The Braves don’t have a ton of potent lefty bats, but Olson is undoubtedly one of them. He’s been one of the most prestigious power hitters since his call-up, compiling a .511 SLG and .250 ISO since 2016. Most of that damage has come against right-handers, which is incredible since Olson has a .898 OPS across his last 23 games.
- Springer has a tough time staying on the field, but he’s always a beast when he’s hitting atop this Jays lineup. That alone makes him a great DFS option, generating a .395 OBP and .904 OPS across his last 26 games. That’s not far off of the guy we’ve seen throughout his career, and he should have no problem exploiting a TBD pitcher for the Cubs.
- It’s been a nightmarish season for the Sox, but Abreu continues to swing a hot bat. The former All-Star has a .347 AVG, .418 OBP, .506 SLG, and .924 OPS across his last 90 games. That’s a large sample size of slugging, and we obviously love that he has a .945 OPS against lefties since 2020.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Albert Pujols (STL) |
$2,000 |
$2,800 |
| OF |
Andrew Vaughn (CWS) |
$3,700 |
$3,000 |
| SS |
Javier Baez (DET) |
$3,900 |
$2,800 |
| C |
Cal Raleigh (SEA) |
$3,900 |
$2,500 |
| 3B |
Alec Bohm (PHI) |
$4,700 |
$3,200 |
- Why is Pujols the minimum on DraftKings? Everybody knows this future Hall-of-Famer is raking right now, producing a .491 OBP, 1.000 SLG, and 1.491 OPS across his last 17 games. That’s a ridiculous run, and it doesn’t even consider that Albert has a 1.231 OPS against left-handers this year.
- The White Sox make for a relatively cheap stack, and Vaughn is the best value of the bunch. This masher always bats in the heart of this order, accruing a .384 OBP and .889 OPS against lefties since his call-up. That’s tough to find from such an affordable player, and he makes for a pristine pairing with Abreu.
- Baez has had a horrific debut season in Detroit, but he always does well with the platoon advantage in his favor. In fact, Javy has a .314 AVG, .500 SLG, and .827 OPS against lefties this year. That’s the stud we’ve seen throughout his career, and it looks even better since he faces a low-K guy like Marco Gonzales.
- Using catchers can be tough, but Raleigh is the best option at that position. This dude homered on Tuesday and has been slaughtering southpaws all year. In 83 at-bats against lefties, Cal has compiled a .361 OBP, .522 SLG, and .883 OPS. Those are sensational splits from such a cheap player, and he’s a great option on DK with the mandatory catcher position.
- Bohm has been a massive boost for the Phillies in the second half, leading this playoff charge. The third baseman has a .341 AVG and .864 OPS since June 24. He’s done a ton of that damage against lefties, providing a .359 AVG and .978 OPS against them this year.
Hitter Strategy
It will be easy to build a lineup with all of this value. One would think it’s tough to stack the Cardinals but getting a minimum-priced Albert Pujols opens up everything else. You can stack him with Arenado and Goldy, but that’s not the only way to approach it. The White Sox have plenty of value too, and it should make lineup construction a breeze. Some other offenses we like include the Blue Jays, Mariners, and Phillies.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
