This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursdays are often light in MLB, even in September. That's true this week, as this evening there are only five games. Are your options for DFS purposes more limited than usual? Undoubtedly, but there is still plenty of choices to be made, and here are some suggestions to help you make those choices.
PITCHING
Sandy Alcantara, MIA at NYM ($10,500): The Marlins and Mets got rained out Thursday, so it's possible Miami will move around its rotation a bit. If not, though, Alcantara will be on the mound. He has finally gotten a chance to put together a full season of good pitching, posting a 3.27 ERA over 27 starts. The Mets, meanwhile, are 29th in runs scored and seem like a mess of a franchise right now.
Keegan Thompson, CHC vs. PIT ($6,200): Alcantara commands a high salary, so if you want to save some of your budget on pitching, Thompson is the way to go. It's not so much about Thompson himself -- he does have a 3.03 ERA, but mostly from pitching out of the bullpen. No, it's about the matchup. The Pirates are the only team below the Mets in runs scored. They are also last in team OPS as well.
TOP TARGET
Wander Franco, TAM vs. BOS ($3,900): Franco debuted as arguably the most vaunted prospect since Mike Trout. Given his age, his .277/.339/.459 slash line is impressive. However, over the last 21 days he has a 1.002 OPS. Plus, on the season he's posted a .987 OPS versus lefties. Eduardo Rodriguez is a lefty, and he has a 5.12 ERA. He's usually better than that, but a career 4.20 ERA is not exactly concerning either.
VALUE BAT
Frank Schwindel, CHC vs. PIT ($3,300): Schwindel is 29. Prior to this season he had only played in six MLB games. This season he's played 36. That being said, in those 36 games he has a .306/.349/.595 slash line with eight home runs. A fluke? Perhaps, but the Cubs are trotting him out because what else can they do? I can definitely see him performing well Thursday, as Mitch Keller has a 6.75 ERA this year and a 6.29 ERA in his career.
STACK TO CONSIDER
Braves vs. Chi Chi Gonzalez: Freddie Freeman ($4,000), Dansby Swanson ($3,500), Joc Pederson ($2,900)
Gonzalez pitching at Coors Field is a recipe for disaster. For the Rockies, at least. It's a potentially great thing for Atlanta. Gonzalez has a career 5.25 FIP. He's had a FIP under 5.00 only once, and that was in his rookie campaign when he had a 4.94 FIP with Texas. Also, this year he has a 6.08 ERA. Colorado tried to move him to the bullpen, but Jon Gray went down with an injury and now Gonzalez is back in the rotation.
Has Freeman taken a step down from his MVP-level numbers of 2020? Sure, but he still has a .294/.386/.502 slash line with 28 home runs. On top of that, he has a 1.017 OPS versus righties since 2019. Swanson's .319 OBP is a little lacking, but he's still hit .263 and slugged .488. He also has 26 home runs and nine stolen bases. Pederson can't hit lefties, but against righties he's shown a ton of power potential. He's slugged .498 versus righties since 2019, and now he's at altitude.
