MLB Daily Fantasy Dose: Fantasy Owners Can Get Swept Up by the Indians

Here's a look at the MLB daily fantasy picture for Thursday's 11-game slate:

Stacks of the Day

• Cleveland Indians (at Cincinnati Reds): ​Cleveland aims for a four-game sweep over Cincinnati and fantasy owners should prepare for the same thing. Everything lines up once again, as they have the 12th-best team wOBA against right-handed pitching and they're facing a rookie pitcher allowing opposing lefties to hit for a .346 average.

3-player stack: 2B Jason Kipnis, SS Francisco Lindor, 3B/OF Jose Ramirez
5-player stack: 1B/DH Carlos Santana, Kipnis, Lindor, Ramirez, C Yan Gomes

• Pittsburgh Pirates (vs. Atlanta Braves): Braves RHP Mike Foltynewicz is about to regress - rapidly - as he has benefited from a suppressed 0.96 walk rate, and he's somehow stranding an absurd 97.6 percent of all baserunners. Even if those figures don't come back to earth, fantasy owners can bank on his inflated 17.4 percent home run to fly ball ratio.

​3-player stack: 1B John Jaso, OF Andrew McCutchen, OF Gregory Polanco
5-player stack: Jaso, McCutchen, Polanco, C Francisco Cervelli, OF Matt Joyce

• Los Angeles Dodgers (at Los Angeles Angels): RHP Jhoulys Chacin allowed five hits with two earned runs over seven innings in his Angels debut, but he'll have a tougher matchup in the battle of Los Angeles. Chacin has held lefty hitters to just a .222 average, but he's surrendered four home runs and five walks to just 12 strikeouts.

​3-player stack: 2B Chase Utley, SS Corey Seager, 3B Justin Turner
5-player stack: Utley, Seager, Turner, OF Trayce Thompson, OF Joc Pederson

Bargain Plays

• 2B Jimmy Paredes, Blue Jays (at Twins): Paredes homered in his first at-bat with Toronto, but he finished the game just 1-for-4. As a switch-hitter he has favored right-handed pitching over his career, and he could draw another start against Twins RHP Ervin Santana. He'll have a prime RBI spot in Toronto's lineup and has the power to get out of Target Field.

• 2B/3B Chris Coghlan, Athletics (vs. Yankees): Coghlan is hitting .184 with five homers against RHPs, compared to .067 with no homers against lefties. He's striking out at a career-high rate of 25.8 percent, but he'll have an easier time against Yankees RHP Ivan Nova and his 4.44 K/9. His .186 BABIP will rise with a hard-contact rate of 29.6 percent.

• 1B Matt Adams, Cardinals (vs. Rockies): While playing time isn't guaranteed, Adams is hitting .281 with all three of his homers against righties. Strikeouts are a risk against Rockies starter Jon Gray, but the Cardinals have the second-best team wOBA against righties, so there will be RBI opportunities.

Contrarian Options

• OF Bryce Harper, Nationals (at Mets): The batter vs. pitcher subsection of the fantasy baseball community will point to Harper's career 0-for-20 line against Mets RHP Matt Harvey as a sign to fade. Owners should instead be focused on Harper's 1.022 OPS and nine home runs against RHPs this season, and Harvey's .900 OPS allowed to left-handed hitters.

• Marco Estrada, Blue Jays (at Twins): Blue Jays pitching was absolutely crushed during a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays in Rogers Centre, but they'll turn to Estrada to end the misery in a very pitcher-friendly park. Estrada is striking out 8.45 hitters per nine, and his 7.5 percent HR/FB rate will regress, but he remains an option until it does.

• 1B Freddie Freeman, Braves (at Pirates): The red-hot Braves offense has an appealing matchup with Pirates LHP Jeff Locke and Freeman will lead the way as usual. He's hitting 10 points higher against lefties than righties and Locke represents an appealing lefty on lefty matchup. He allows lefties to hit .333 with two strikeouts through 29 batters faced.