FanDuel MLB: Thursday Picks

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Published on July 29, 2021

Thursday's main slate brings us only five games, which definitely shrinks the player pool. Therefore we will have to be more selective in who we choose.

Pitching

Freddy Peralta at PIT ($9,700): I know it's lame to take the highest-salaried pitcher of the night but Peralta checks a lot of boxes. He's had at least 24 fantasy points in each of his last 12 starts and gets a good road matchup against the Pirates. Pittsburgh has the ninth-worst wOBA against right-handed pitching (.300), so this is a solid matchup for Peralta.

Casey Mize, DET vs. BAL ($6,900): While Mize hasn't been good as of late, there are a lot of 30-plus fantasy points performances when you look at his overall box scores. The recent stretch has reduced his salary cap hit and made him a nice GPP target. The Orioles have only a .294 wOBA against right-handed pitching, and their 25.0 percent strikeout rate is the ninth worst in baseball.

Top Targets

Fernando Tatis, SD vs. COL ($4,600): This is an easy call on a small slate given that Tatis fills a positional scarcity spot and is arguably the best fantasy player in baseball. He's leading all hitters in the DFS format with 16.04 fantasy points per game and is a five-tool talent.

George Springer TOR at BOS ($4,400): The Jays have a lot of good bats, so Springer can get lost in the mix after his late start to the season. He's always been outstanding against left-handed pitching with a career .381 wOBA, and Eduardo Rodriguez has allowed a .331 wOBA to right-handed hitters this year.

Value Bats

Jose Iglesias, LAD vs. COL ($2,700): If you're not going the Tatis route, Iglesias is a nice pivot at shortstop. Iglesias has at least 9.3 fantasy points in five of his last seven games and should be hitting in a good RBI spot. His matchup with Frankie Montas is a good one given that Montas has allowed a .351 wOBA on the road against right-handed pitching.

Randal Grichuk TOR at BOS ($2,400): Grichuk hasn't lit on the world on fire of late but this makes him a nice target if you're looking to save on salary cap space. Grichuk usually hits in the middle of the lineup and has a .343 wOBA this season against left-handed pitching.

Stacks To Consider

Blue Jays at Rodriguez: Springer, Grichuk, Vladimir Guerrero ($4,500), Teoscar Hernandez ($3,500)

All of these players hit lefties well, with Teoscar bringing a .443 wOBA against southpaws. Don't be afraid to sprinkle J.D. Martinez ($3,900) into your lineup too given his matchup with Hyun Jin Ryu. This is a good game to stack both sides; just hope it doesn't get rained out.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.