The nine game MLB schedule for Thursday limits daily fantasy player’s ability to architect. This isn’t the case for some of the best daily fantasy players around the world as they use what is given and they build from that point. The good news is some of the top performing teams will be in action, including the Los Angeles Angels who have scored 43 runs over the past seven days.
The Baltimore Orioles have been one of those teams to build your roster around hitting a league highs in home runs with 15 over the past seven days and 47 over the past month. The only concern for fantasy owners is will the bats cool off against Yu Darvish? We have seen the Orioles hitters attack both Chris Sale and Masahiro Tanaka over the past couple weeks.
As far as starting pitching you have a handful of the games top starters going including Darvish, Tanaka, Madison Bumgarner and Zach Grienke. The second tier of fantasy starting pitchers for Thursday Night including Sonny Gray and Max Scherzer. The fantasy sleeper of the night includes the Pittsburgh Pirates starter Vance Worley, who has been sharp in limited starts this season. Worley has made three starts for the Pirates, allowing only four earned runs over 20.2 innings pitched for the club.
Here are some of the fantasy plays for Thursday:
Garrett Jones, First Baseman verse Kyle Kendrick: Jones has faced Kendrick 14 times in his career picking up five hits, including one home run with three runs batted in.
Jimmy Rollins, Short Stop verse Nathan Eovaldi: Rollins has posted a .375 batting average against Eovaldi in 24 career at bats. Three of his nine career hits are extra base hits, including one home run and four walks.
Drew Stubbs, Outfielder verse Zach Grienke: Stubbs might be the only Colorado Rockie to start against Greinke in this matchup. In 21 career at bats for the Dodgers starter, Stubbs has nine career hits with two of them going for extra bases.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Outfielder verse Phil Hughes: This matchup goes back to when Ellsbury was on the Boston Red Sox and Hughes was with the Yankees. Ellsbury has seven career hits in 19 at bats with four walks against the Minnesota Twins starter.
Max Scherzer, Starting Pitcher verse Tampa Bay Rays: Rays batters have posted a .159 batting average in 82 at bats verse Scherzer. The only concern comes with the long ball with four of the Rays 13 career hits against him leaving the ball park.