This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
We have our typical five-game slate on tap Thursday, one that features several former MLB arms that have been doing well overall in KBO play this season. We also have a few vulnerable pitchers at the opposite end of the player pool, and a couple of high-powered bats whose recent slumps may make them especially valuable tournament options.
As customary, I'll highlight what I consider to be two of the safer pitching options at different price points, followed by some one-off hitters across the salary scale that could also prove profitable for cash games and/or tournaments. I'll then recommend two stacks that I trust the most to potentially string some above-average offensive numbers together and pay off for you in tournaments.
Pitchers
Ryan Carpenter ($9,100) only has a 5-9 record, but his 3.21 ERA and 9.8 K/9 both speak to how effective he's been overall. The left-hander is averaging 17.6 DK points per game and has been at his best on the road, where he's generated 20.1 DK points per start while furnishing a 2.46 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .206 BAA across 58.2 innings. He's eclipsed 20 DK points in five of his last 10 starts alone, and Thursday, he faces an LG team that's averaging a pedestrian 4.5 runs per game along with the third-fewest hits (8.3) per game while posting the third-lowest team batting average (.252) in the league.
Chan Heon Jeong ($7,600) makes for an interesting value option that's an appealing pivot over several more expensive options on the slate. The right-hander owns an impressive 7-2 record, 3.22 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 16 starts and has been excellent at home, where he boasts a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .152 BAA and average of 16.4 DK points across four starts. The opposing Tigers are an excellent target as well, considering their KBO-low average of 3.9 runs per contest and equally bottom-of-the-barrel figure of 41 home runs, numbers that are complemented by the league's second-lowest team batting average (.244).
Top Targets
Ja Wook Koo ($6,000) is enjoying an excellent season overall (.301/.362/.506 slash line) and is swinging an especially hot bat of late, as he's racked up a .385 average and 1.048 OPS over his last 10 games. Koo is averaging an excellent 12.1 DK points per contest during that span, and he's put up 11.6 DK points over 12 games against Wiz pitching on the strength of three homers and 14 RBI.
Dong Won Park ($5,000) makes for a high-upside bat to deploy against vulnerable Kia starter Hyeon Su Kim, who's pitched to a 7.79 ERA, .279 BAA and 1.88 WHIP across 13 appearances (five starts). Park has 20 homers on the season, helping lead to an .859 OPS. He's hit for a solid .266 average at home as well, and the fact he's been mired in a 5-for-34 slump over his last 10 games makes him a particularly intriguing tournament play Thursday, either as a one-off or as part of a Heroes stack.
Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,000) is thriving both from a season-long and current perspective, making him worth a look in all contest formats versus Chae Heung Choi, who owns a 5.42 ERA and 1.61 WHIP for the season and a 6.97 ERA and .318 BAA across two starts versus the Wiz specifically. Hwang sports a .321/.387/.471 slash line for the season and a .341 average and average of 10.6 DK points per game over the last 10 contests, posting five double-digit DK-point tallies over the latter span.
Bargain Bats
Jose Fernandez ($4,500) is an exception to my usual custom of limiting player salaries in this section to $4K and under, as the veteran slugger is too good a bargain not to consider Thursday. Fernandez is averaging a solid 8.2 DK points per game for the season on the strength of a .315/.397/.452 line, but a lowly .194 average over his last 10 games could make him lower-rostered than usual much in the same way as Hwang. Fernandez showed some signs of breaking out of his slump Wednesday with a 3-for-3 night, and Dinos starter Min Hyeok Shin, who carries a 6.05 ERA, .305 BAA and 1.65 WHIP over 12 home appearances (nine starts) while allowing 10 homers across 51 innings in that sample, could help him keep his momentum.
Jae Hyun Choo ($2,800) is a proverbial free square at his salary Thursday and is in a potentially advantageous position versus Landers starter Sam Gaviglio, who's been better in his last two starts but who still produced an 8.38 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and .286 BAA over his first two road turns. Choo is an opposite-handed matchup for the right-handed Gaviglio, who had his share of trouble with left-handed hitters during his MLB days. Choo has also been a much better hitter at home, producing a .298 average and .836 OPS in 33 home games.
Stacks to Consider
Heroes vs. Hyeon Su Kim: Hye Seong Kim ($5,100); Dong Won Park ($5,000); Will Craig ($4,800)
Kim's various struggles were already outlined in Park's entry, and it's also worth noting Kiwoom is averaging a solid 5.0 runs per contest.
Kim is hitting .303 at home and averaging 9.0 DK points per contest there across 53 games. He also does an excellent job of supplementing his fantasy production with stolen bases (32 steals) and owns a .362 OBP, and he's managed 47 RBI despite hitting just three home runs thanks to a solid .273 average in runners in scoring position.
Park's attributes were already covered earlier in his entry, while Craig returned to action Wednesday after a brief absence and has generated a .424 average, 1.210 OPS and average of 9.7 DK points across 10 home games.
Bears vs. Min Hyeok Shin: Jose Fernandez ($4,500); Kun Woo Park ($4,700); Jae Hwan Kim ($5,400); Suk Hwan Yang ($4,600)
Shin's weaknesses were already covered in Fernandez's entry, and the Bears make for an especially appealing stack when considering their averages of 5.1 runs and 9.2 hits per game, along with their solid .269 team batting average.
Fernandez's appeal was already explained earlier in his entry, while Park sports an excellent .328/.404/.431 slash line, numbers he's complemented with 22 doubles and eight stolen bases. He's also hitting a solid .290 on the road.
Kim has been at his best on the road this season, posting a .306 average, .998 OPS and 10.3 DK points per game while belting 14 of his 18 homers when traveling. The veteran also has an impressive .337 average with runners in scoring position and has put up 9.1 DK points per game against Dinos pitching this season.
Finally, Yang is another mid-salaried option that carries appeal, and he's been on a tear over the last 10 games that's seen him produce a .444/.475/.861 slash line with four homers, 15 RBI and 13.5 DK points per contest. He's been most impressive on the road as well, with a .320 average, .981 OPS and average of 10.1 DK points in that split.
