St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that outfielder Brendan Donovan (elbow) has been ruled out of Thursday's home opener against the visiting Miami Marlins after being hit twice with pitches in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres. Donovan's right elbow is the issue after being removed late in the series finale in San Diego. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 27-year-old to be day-to-day. The Cardinals can ill-afford another injury to one of their outfielders, as they already have Tommy Edman (wrist), Lars Nootbaar (ribs) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder) on the injured list. With Donovan out on Thursday, rookie Michael Siani is drawing the start in left field and batting ninth against Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers. Siani makes for a poor DFS play in the nine-hole in the Cards' home opener.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) is out of the lineup for the team's home opener on Thursday against the Miami Marlins due to a hand injury that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres. When the swelling in Contreras' hand goes down, he will undergo imaging to determine the severity of the injury, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. Ivan Herrera is catching right-hander Lance Lynn on Thursday and batting cleanup against Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers. The Cardinals added catcher Pedro Pages from Triple-A Memphis when they put Matt Carpenter (oblique) on the injured list on Thursday, so there's a possibility that Contreras will be forced to the IL himself, depending on the results of the tests on his hand.

Washington Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker (illness) is back in the starting lineup on Thursday, playing left field and batting sixth against the Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran left-hander Martin Perez. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter is clearly feeling better, but fantasy managers in DFS contests will probably want to avoid the lefty-lefty matchup. In six career at-bats against Perez, Winker is hitting .167 with a .334 OPS. However, he's gone 5-for-11 in the early going in his first four contests with the Nationals before getting sick earlier this week. In Winker's career against southpaws in 460 plate appearances, he's batting .204/.320/.337 with just 13 home runs, so the odds are against him having a big game on Thursday.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz will get the day off on Thursday as the team takes on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. With Ruiz on the bench, Riley Adams is getting the start behind the dish to catch right-hander Josiah Gray while batting fifth against Pirates left-hander Martin Perez. Adams has just one career at-bat against Perez and does not have a hit. Ruiz has gotten off to a nice start for the Nationals in 2024 through five games played, going 6-for-20 (.300) with a home run, three RBI and a run scored in 21 plate appearances. Fantasy managers playing in DFS contests looking for a cheap catching option could do worse than Adams in the five-hole against a very hittable pitcher in Perez.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen is taking the day off on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. With McCutchen getting a breather, outfielder Connor Joe will serve as the team's DH on Thursday and bat fifth, with Jack Suwinski getting the start in left field and hitting cleanup against Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray. Suwinski is hitting .333 in his career in just six at-bats against Gray with a solo home runs, so he could be a sneaky low-cost DFS play as he draws into Pittsburgh's lineup. Joe is hitless in his six career at-bats versus Gray. The 37-year-old McCutchen is off to a slow start this year after a nice bounce-back performance in 2023 in his return to the Bucs. He's currently 3-for-16 (.188) with two RBI and nine strikeouts in 21 plate appearances over his first four games.