We have an unusually decent-sized MLB DFS main slate on tap for a Thursday night. DraftKings features a 10-game slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET, while FanDuel and Yahoo feature nine games. The elite arms (Gerrit Cole, Dylan Cease, Joe Musgrove, Tony Gonsolin) will be out in full force, but there are plenty of stud and sleeper hitters available for daily fantasy lineups, too. We have some spots to keep an eye on when it comes to weather, so make sure to check the MLB Weather Center during the day before locking in your picks.
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Today's MLB DFS Playbook: Lineup picks, tips for Thursday
SP Gerrit Cole, Yankees (@ Red Sox). Cole now has 11 quality starts in his past 13 outings, lowering his ERA below 3.00 again. Besides the game against the Twins a month ago when he allowed five home runs, he is back to being vintage Cole. I lean Dylan Cease as the SP1 on DK and FD due to matchup only as Cole faces the tough Red Sox offense in Fenway with the wind blowing out. He is still viable in all formats, though, and even better if Rafael Devers sits with a bad back/hamstring
SP Joe Musgrove, Padres (vs. Giants). Musgrove might come in low owned tonight due to the star power at SP. He pitches plenty of innings and has eight plus strikeouts in three of his past four starts.
C William Contreras, Braves (vs. Cardinals). Contreras is in a great spot against Matthew Liberatore, who is allowing .323 ISO/.403 wOBA to righthanded bats. Contreras has a .247 ISO on the split, putting him in play at a solid mid-value price.
1B Jose Abreu, White Sox (vs. Tigers). Don't look now, but Abreu is back. He is on an 11-game hit streak and is slashing .455/.489/.659 during that span.
2B Santiago Espinal, Blue Jays (@ Mariners). Espinal continues to hit lefties this season, posting a .348 average with three home runs and a .231 ISO/.428 wOBA. Tonight he faces Marco Gonzales, who has scared no one this season.
3B Joey Wendle, Marlins (@ Mets). Wendle has been hitting near the top of the Marlins order as of late and now has hits in five straight starts, pushing his average to .353 over past 15 days. Trevor Williams has historically struggled against lefthanded bats and is no different this year, allowing a .205 ISO/.352 wOBA and a low 8.9-percent K-rate
SS J.P. Crawford, Mariners (vs. Blue Jays). I'm a Crawford fan and like that he is hitting in the two-hole now. He can be a streaky hitter and is hitting .333 over his past five games and is 4-for-10 since his return from suspension. He gets a great matchup against a spot starter from Toronto tonight.
OF Kris Bryant, Rockies (@ Diamondbacks). Let's just keep picking on Dallas Keuchel. The entire Colorado outfield is in play (Connor Joe, Yonathan Daza), but I lean Bryant as the best of the three. After his return from injury, he has been raking with hits in six of his past seven games. He's also always been a lefty crusher with a .197 ISO/.382 wOBA
MORE PICKS: SP Spencer Strider, Braves (vs. Cardinals); C Carson Kelly, Diamondbacks (vs. Rockies); 1B Garrett Cooper, Marlins (@ Mets); 2B Jonathan Villar, Orioles (vs. Angels); 3B Brandon Drury, Reds (vs. Pirates); SS Jose Iglesias, Rockies (@ Diamondbacks); OF Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves (vs. Cardinals)
For even more picks, plus full analysis and strategy advice, subscribe and check out Fantasy Alarm's full MLB DFS Playbook for Thursday's slate.