Tonight’s MLB DFS main slate at DraftKings and FanDuel has six games starting at 6:50 p.m. ET. The Sleeper and Underdog picks are also from the six-game slate.
Check out our best picks on the MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet 
Today’s MLB DFS & Player Props Picks
Thursday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Yusei Kikuchi (HOU) vs. LAA
Yusei Kikuchi has pitched well lately. According to FanGraphs, in his previous five starts spanning 31.1 innings, the lefty has had a 3.45 ERA, 2.87 xFIP, 3.09 SIERA, 0.93 WHIP, 4.8 BB%, 28.0 K%, 30.9 CSW%, 107 Stuff+, 101 Location+, 104 Pitching+ and two quality starts. Kikuchi has a favorable matchup against a team he spun a quality start against in his most recent turn.
The Angels are 19th in wRC+ (94) with a 21.6 K% versus lefties and 26th in wRC+ (87) with a 22.7 K% on the road this year. They're also tied for 20th in wRC+ (88) with a 25.8 K% in the previous 14 days. So, the Astros are -278, and the game's total is 8.5 runs.
Luis Severino (NYM) vs. PHI
Luis Severino has pitched well lately, with the underlying data to match. In his last five starts totaling 29.1 innings, Severino has had a 3.07 ERA, 3.56 xFIP, 3.72 SIERA, 1.26 WHIP, 8.4 BB%, 26.9 K%, 28.5 CSW%, 114 Stuff+, 101 Location+, 103 Pitching+ and three straight quality starts. Severino isn't a risk-free pick because his matchup isn't perfect.
Instead, the Phillies are tied for 12th in wRC+ (104) with a 22.1 K% versus righties and 10th in wRC+ (106) with a 23.1 K% on the road. Furthermore, Philadelphia was sixth in wRC+ (114) with a 22.5 K% in the previous 14 days. While the Phillies aren't a pushover, the betting info for Severino is stellar. The Mets are -140, and the game's total is 8.0 runs.
Suggested Lineup Stacks
Patrick Corbin has thrived lately. I didn't expect to write the previous sentence at any point this year. Nevertheless, the veteran lefty has had a 3.34 ERA, 2.88 xFIP and 3.16 SIERA in his last five starts. Corbin's pitch modeling was underwhelming, though. Corbin had 79 Stuff+, 103 Location+ and 95 Pitching+ in his previous five starts. Corbin's longer recent track record of serving as a punching bag and underwhelming pitch modeling makes him an appealing pitcher to stack against. Finally, Corbin has coughed up a .373 wOBA to 578 righties this year, making Chicago's right-handed batters the most exciting options to stack.
Core Studs
- Seiya Suzuki is rolling. In his previous 27 games and 129 plate appearances, he's hit four homers with five stolen bases, 18 runs, 12 RBIs, a .434 OBP, .183 ISO and 168 wRC+.
- In 443 plate appearances against lefties since 2022, Dansby Swanson has hit 17 homers with a .357 OBP, .193 ISO and 131 wRC+.
- Isaac Paredes has slugged 17 homers with a .363 OBP, .211 ISO and 141 wRC+ in 386 plate appearances against lefties since 2022.
Value Plays/Punts
- Jonathan Aranda is having an encouraging conclusion to his 2024 campaign. In his last 16 games and 54 plate appearances, he's hit two homers with eight runs, five RBIs, a .315 OBP, .208 ISO and 120 wRC+.
- In 495 plate appearances this year, Jesse Winker has hit 14 homers and stolen 14 bases with a .363 OBP, .155 ISO and 122 wRC+.
- Brendan Donovan has had a .366 OBP, .138 ISO and 123 wRC+ against righties since 2022.
Thursday's Top 3 Sleeper and Underdog Player Props
Check out our best picks on the MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet
Jesse Winker: 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs - More (Sleeper) (1.77x)
Jesse Winker: 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs - Higher (Underdog)
Winker is in good form and has a cushy matchup tonight. In his last 24 games and 65 plate appearances, Winker has had eight runs, 10 RBIs, a .250 batting average, .338 OBP, .464 slugging and .214 ISO. Meanwhile, Taijuan Walker has allowed a .293 batting average, .356 OBP and .516 slugging to left-handed batters this season. The veteran righty has also been torched for a 6.29 ERA, 6.54 xERA and 5.09 SIERA this season.
Dansby Swanson: 6.5 Fantasy Points - More (Sleeper) (1.69x)
Dansby Swanson: 7.5 Fantasy Points - Higher (Underdog)
In addition to Swanson's excellent numbers against lefties, he's also raked lately. In his previous 27 games and 118 plate appearances, he's hit six homers with seven stolen bases, 28 runs, 22 RBIs, a .347 OBP, .219 ISO and 135 wRC+.
Seiya Suzuki: 1.5 Total Bases - More (Sleeper) (1.82x)
Seiya Suzuki: 1.5 Total Bases - Higher (Underdog)
Suzuki isn't just on a flukey heater. The right-handed-hitting outfielder is also a handful for southpaws. In 416 career plate appearances against lefties, he's hit 22 doubles, five triples and 10 homers with a .281 batting average, .453 slugging and .172 ISO. Finally, Corbin has allowed 33 doubles, seven triples, 21 homers, a .313 batting average and .521 slugging to 578 right-handed batters this season.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
