With four games on the afternoon slate, five on the evening slate, and 10 overall, Thursday is a strange one for MLB DFS contests. Sometimes on small split slates, there are only a couple worthwhile pitchers, but one glance at today's SP rankings reveals several decent options regardless of when you're playing. Unfortunately, unless you're playing in an all-day daily fantasy baseball contest, our top-ranked, Trevor Bauer, isn't available, but you can still find a good starter on FanDuel and two decent options on DraftKings.
The afternoon slate isn't quite as strong in terms of talent, of Chris Bassitt (@ Tigers), Spencer Turnbull (vs. A's), and Zack Wheeler (@ Nationals) all at least have favorable matchups. Zach Davies (@ Phillies) and Zach Eflin (vs. Brewers) have also been decent this year and don't have horrible matchups on paper. Getting either Bassitt or Wheeler would give you the most upside since they have the highest K-rates, but they're also the most expensive.
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Luis Castillo (vs. Cubs) is clearly the best pitcher on the evening slate, but he also has the toughest matchup in the worst park. Trevor Williams (@ Padres) and Eric Lauer (vs. Pirates) both lack the strikeout upside you want in DFS, but given the matchups and relative lack of Ks available tonight, they make for good value options. Marcus Stroman (@ White Sox) faces a team in the top five in strikeout percentage against righties, so he has a little more upside than usual tonight.
It doesn't look like there are any games in danger of being affected by weather today, but feel free to double-check with the Fantasy Alarm Weather Center closer to lineup lock.
MORE THURSDAY MLB: DFS picks | Betting picks (coming soon)
Today's Daily Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Rankings: Thursday, May 16
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opponent | Opp. wRC+ vs. LHP (rank) | Opp. wRC+ vs. RHP (rank) | FD | DK |
| 1 | Trevor Bauer | Indians | vs. Orioles | N/A | 85 (22nd) | $11,400 | $10,800 |
| 2 | Luis Castillo | Reds | vs. Cubs | N/A | 114 (6th) | $10,300 | $10,600 |
| 3 | Chris Bassitt | A's | @ Tigers | N/A | 73 (T-27th) | $10,000 | $8,600 |
| 4 | Zack Wheeler | Mets | @ Nationals | N/A | 80 (24th) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| 5 | Jose Quintana | Cubs | @ Reds | 104 (T-11th) | N/A | $8,900 | $9,200 |
| 6 | Spencer Turnbull | Tigers | vs. A's | N/A | 87 (20th) | $8,300 | $8,000 |
| 7 | Marcus Stroman | Blue Jays | @ White Sox | N/A | 101 (13th) | $7,400 | $7,700 |
| 8 | Trevor Williams | Pirates | @ Padres | N/A | 84 (23rd) | $7,900 | $8,300 |
| 9 | Zach Eflin | Phillies | vs. Brewers | N/A | 98 (17th) | $9,200 | $9,100 |
| 10 | Zach Davies | Brewers | @ Phillies | N/A | 100 (T-14th) | $7,800 | $7,000 |
| 11 | Eric Lauer | Padres | vs. Pirates | 64 (T-28th) | N/A | $6,700 | $6,800 |
| 12 | Adam Wainwright | Cardinals | @ Braves | N/A | 100 (T-14th) | $7,700 | $7,500 |
| 13 | Michael Pineda | Twins | @ Mariners | N/A | 115 (5th) | $6,500 | $7,300 |
| 14 | Julio Teheran | Braves | vs. Cardinals | N/A | 109 (8th) | $8,100 | $8,000 |
| 15 | Homer Bailey | Royals | vs. Rangers | N/A | 107 (10th) | $6,900 | $6,000 |
| 16 | Anibal Sanchez | Nationals | vs. Mets | N/A | 100 (T-14th) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| 17 | Lance Lynn | Rangers | @ Royals | N/A | 104 (12th) | $7,500 | $7,600 |
| 18 | Dylan Covey | White Sox | vs. Blue Jays | N/A | 76 (16th) | $5,500 | $6,200 |
| 19 | Erik Swanson | Mariners | vs. Twins | N/A | 116 (4th) | $6,300 | $7,100 |
| 20 | Dan Straily | Orioles | @ Indians | N/A | 70 (29th) | $5,600 | $4,800 |
wRC+ is defined by Fangraphs as "[measuring] how a player’s wRC compares with league average after controlling for park effects. League average for position players is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than a league average hitter would have in the same number of plate appearances. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average." For more on the stat, click here.
