Justin Elick 
Our evening slate for Thursday includes some solid plays and a top-tier offense in Coors Field. Let’s find ourselves some value and cash in while we watch Thursday Night Football!
MLB DFS Aces
Chris Bassitt vs New York Yankees
It is no secret that the New York Yankees have been a trainwreck this season. The Blue Jays still have plenty to play for, and one of their best will be on the bump tonight.
Over 192.1 innings of work this season, Bassitt has been one of the more consistent starters in MLB. He has a 174/57 K/BB, and has allowed more than 2 ER just once in his last five starts. His main glaring weakness is the longball (28 allowed in 2023), which is a concern here, but with a solid WHIP of just 1.17, many of these homers come with very few, if any, ducks on the pond.
The Blue Jays are a solid -185 favorite tonight as they make their playoff push. I’m riding with the Bassitt hound here in what looks like a solid matchup for him.
Jesus Luzardo vs New York Mets
Neither New York team has found success this season, and I’m not banking on the Mets doing well tonight either. The Reds fan in me is desperate for them to lose, but Luzardo has been mostly sharp this season. He has a 198/54 K/BB over 171.1 innings of work, and the Mets have been struggling offensively for months.
The Marlins are very close to locking down the final wild card spot, barring a collapse. They own the tiebreaker over the Reds and Cubs, and don’t need much other than a few wins to lock it down. This game is close in Vegas’ eyes, as the Marlins are inexplicably just a -135 favorite against the Mets and David Peterson.
I’ll go with the proven commodity here with a lot on the line.
Jordan Montgomery vs Seattle Mariners
One of the more underrated midseason acquisitions, Montgomery has been solid since his arrival in Arlington. Over his last three starts, he has the total stat line of 21 IP, 14 H, 1 ER with a 17/3 K/BB. Texas is yet another team battling for playoff positioning, and Montgomery has been a revelation for them.
The Seattle offense likes to disappear at times, and J-Mont has done an exceptional job of keeping the opposition off the board lately. He is a solid mid-tier option tonight.
MLB DFS Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chris Flexen
We don’t have many more times we get to pick on Flexen, so let’s end it with a bang. The Dodgers are the obvious top stack on Thursday, and it goes without saying. Flexen owns a 7.01 ERA and 1.69 WHIP on the season with just a 71/36 K/BB over 96.1 IP.
The Rockies have few better options somehow, but their ineptitude is our gain.
Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, James Outman, and Will Smith are the clear top options. I can’t envision a scenario where Dodgers bats aren’t key tonight. Get some value where you can find it when lineups come out. Flexen is in for another bumpy ride.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Luke Weaver
Weaver found ways to get wins this season, but mostly as a result of offenses propping up bad starts. Overall, he has a 6.47 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 119.3 innings of work. As mentioned above, the Blue Jays have plenty to play for, and I expect them to tee off on Weaver en route to an easy win.
Losers of two straight, losing this one with the pitching matchup that is on tap could be catastrophic. Bo Bichette, Vladdy, George Springer, and Whit Merrifield are the guys I’m after the most here. Weaver is simply filling innings in a lost season for New York.
Miami Marlins vs David Peterson
While I do think the Braves continue to have success, I can’t just highlight the most expensive stacks. The Marlins are in a pretty good spot against Peterson. He has found his strikeout pitch of late, punching out 7 or more in four of his last five starts. That said, he has allowed 13 ER over his last four outings.
The Marlins need this win to all but eliminate the Reds, and unfortunately I think they get it done.
Miami’s offense hasn’t been great recently, but Luis Arraez, Jake Burger, Jazz Chisholm, and Jon Berti are the guys I’m after here.
MLB DFS Summary
Good luck on Thursday night, let’s make some cash!
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Good luck and hope to see you in the green.
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