Good morning everyone! Each weekend, we publish our free analysis of the daily plays position-by-position. If you haven't already tried out Daily Fantasy Baseball, now is the perfect time to take it for a test spin. The beauty of Daily Fantasy is the short-term time commitment (one-day games) and the opportunity to win real money fast. To help aid you in the lineup construction process, below is a free sample of the type of daily content that is published over at Fantistics' sister site, MyFantasyFix. I always recommend starting to build your roster around your favorite pitcher of the day and fill out the rest of the lineup spots based on relative value-to-cost. To make this easier, below you'll find our top plays, value plays, and cheap (or punt) plays.Use this as a guide as you set your lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings. Please also tune in to our show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio from 10AM-1PM ET on weekend mornings as we discussed values once lineups are announced.
Vegas Lines:
Toronto @ Boston (-120) - 9 runs
Minnesota @ Texas (-120- 9 runs
New York Yankees @ Baltimore (-117) - 8.5 runs
Seattle @ Houston (-140) - 8.5 runs
Weather Concerns:
Indians at Tigers- This game is almost assuredly going to get delayed at some point and since it's an inter-division game, I wouldn't be shocked to see this game get totally postponed. Right now there's a 60-80% chance of rain in the game window.
Phillies @ Pirates - 40%chance of rain for most of the afternoon
Yankees @ Orioles - 40%chance of rain during the first two hours of the game window but it looks clear from 3pm onward.
Royals @ Cardinals - 40-50% chance of rain for most of the afternoon
Twins @ Rangers - 40-50% chance of rain for most of the afternoon
Red @ Cubs - 30-40% chance leading up to and during game time.
Flyball Hitters (>40%) vs Flyball Pitchers (>40%):
Josh Reddick
Mookie Betts
Curtis Granderson
Quality Fastball Hitters vs Heavy Fastball Pitchers (>60%):
Shin-Soo Choo
Alex Gordon
Quality Slider Hitter vs Heavy Cutter Pitcher (>25%):
Travis Slider
Quality Cutter Hitter vs CutterSlider Pitcher (>25%):
JD Martinez
Corey Dickerson
Quality Curveball Hitter vs Heavy Curvebal Pitcher (>25%):
Jusin Upton
Avisail Garcia
Quality Changeup Hitter vs Heavy Chaneup Pitcher (>25%):
Giancarlo Stanton
Mookie Betts
Randal Grichuk
Pitchers:
Top Play:
Max Scherzer @ Milwaukee - Scherzer is going to be really heavily owned tomorrow as the right handed moves to Milwaukee to take on a Brewers team that struggles against right-handers and the Brewers are starting a rookie in Taylor Jungmann on the mound. I won't spend a ton of analysis on this since he's an obvious play, just know the Brewers rank in the bottom 5 in the league in terms of wOBA, wRC+ and strikeout rate.
Chris Sale @ Tampa Bay - At the high price,I still like Scherzer a little better but Chris Sale has been on quite a roll lately (39 strikeouts over his last 3 starts). Tampa does rate pretty strongly against left-handed pitching (108 wRC+) but they still have a strikeout rate of 22.2% against left-handers.
Value Plays:
Cole Hamels @ Pittsburgh - The Pirates offense is anemic against left-handed pitching (23.9% strikeout, .122 ISO, & .294 wOBA) and in the last week the Pirates have generated just a .063 ISO and .266 wOBA. Hamels is reasonably priced at just $9,700 on FanDuel but he's a bit more expensive on DraftKings at $10,800.
AJ Burnett vs Philadelpha* - The only reason I'm not totally sold on Hamels is the fact that the Phillies offense is about as bad as the Pirates'against lefties. Pitching at home, Burnett is a sneaky option on the daily scene but he's one I like to turn to given his heavy groundball tendencies (55.5% groundball rate). Burnett doesn't have a huge ceiling but his floor is also very high. Burnet has given up 2 or fewers runs in all but 2 starts this season but given his league average strikeout rate, he's not a great tournament option.
Lance McCullers vs Seattle* - Seattle's offense has disappeared lately and on the season they have struggled against right-handers to the tune of a 23.2% strikeout rate and .145 ISO. McCullers has been very good since being called up and his success has little to do with luck. His ERA is 2.32 but his xFIP is only 2.78. He has a 29.3% strikeout rate but a 10.9% swinging strike rate. Pitching at home,I have no idea why he's only $6700 on FanDuel and $7800 on DraftKings.
Jon Lester vs Cincinnati - If you're playing on a slate with the evening game, Lester is very much in play against a Reds team that can generate a lot of strikeouts. Lester has been significantly better in Wrigley than on the road this season
*Recommended two-pitcher website option
Catchers:
Top Play:
Buster Posey vs Rubby De La Rosa - Buster is surprisingly inexpensive on DraftKings at $4,200 and he's facing Rubby De La Rosa who has allowed a hard hit percentage of 35% the last 2 seasons. Posey is averaging 1.77 points per plate appearance on DraftKings and 0.58 on FanDuel. Rubby has allowed 16 earned runs over his last 2 games and has given up 6 homeruns over his last 3.
Value Plays:
Yasmani Grandal vs James Shields - Grandal is a much better hitter from the left-side of the plate and he'll get that opportunity on Sunday. He's been hitting really well lately with a .352 wOBA over the last 7 days and he has a .791 OPS versus right-handed pitchers since 2012. He's a steal at just $3,300 on DraftKings.
Salvador Perez vs John Lackey - Despite hitting 4 homeruns over his last 8 games, he's still only $2,700 on FanDuel. John Lackey isn't usually a guy I want to pick on but he's allowed 22 hits over his last 2 games and has allowed 4 homeruns over his last 4. He's not historically the best hitter against right-handed pitching but on FanDuel he's a decent choice for salary relief.
Cheap Option:
Dioner Navarro vs Eduardo Rodriguez - If Russell Martin gets the day off (which he might since the game went 11 innings on Saturday), Dioner Navarro is an intriguing punt play on FanDuel option against the left-handed Eduardo Rodriguez. E-Rod is due for some regression (100% strand rate, 2.79 xFIP-to-ERA differential, and a below average 8.9% swinging strike rate). Navarro has a .842 OPS versus left-handers since 2012.
Tournament Option:
Jonathan Lucroy vs Max Scherzer - He's facing Max Scherzer and he's been mired in a season-long slump. Regardless, his price has fallen on both FanDuel and DraftKings he has always been a strong hitter (.791 OPS vs right-handers and .347 wOBA).
First Baseman
Top Play:
Edwin Encarnacion vs Eduardo Rodriguez - I said it with Navarro and I'll say it again here. E-Rod has been fantastic. So good that he's due for some pretty substantial regression and I think he's going to have some trouble navigating through a tough Blue Jays lineup today. EE eats left-handers for breakfast (.845 OPS vs lefties since 2012) and while he's still expensive on DraftKings ($5,000), he's only $4,100 on FanDuel.
Miguel Cabrera vs Corey Kluber - If there's one player who can hit Corey Kluber, it's Miguel Cabrera. In 33 career at-bats, Miggy has 18 hits with a third of those going for extra bases. He has an OPS of 1.541 with 4 homeruns and 9 RBI and he gets to play a day game, a time when Miggy has thrived this year (1.278 OPS) and Kluber has struggled (5.23ERA).
Value Plays:
David Ortiz vs Marco Estrada - After giving up 29 homeruns in just over 150 innings last season, Estrada has managed to give up just 7 homeruns over 50 innings this season. Regardless, Big Papi is a great play on Sunday against the Flyball pitcher Estrada. Since 2012, Ortiz has a .401 wOBA and .962 OPS against righties and the best part is his price tag of $2,500 on FanDuel and $4,100 on DraftKings.
Jose Abreu vs Nate Karns - Coming into Saturday, Jose Abreu has homered for 3 straight days yet his price is still just $3,800 on FanDuel. Karns has come back down to earth a bit over his last couple of starts, giving up 3 homeruns and 9 total runs over that span (8 earned). Most of Abreu's power has come against right-handers and he seems locked in right now. It's a nice discount given his upside.
Mark Canha vs Matt Shoemaker - Canha has some pretty impressive reverse splits against righties this year with a .384 wOBA and .899 OPS, good for an average point per plate appearance of .79 on FanDuel and 2.22 on DraftKings. You won't find a price per point at the first base position than Canha on today's slate.
Prince Fielder vs Phil Hughes - A drop in velocity has caused Phil Hughes to lose several percentage points on his strikeout rate this season. Facing him in Texas, Prince Fielder has great statistics against against righties (.369 wOBA and .852 OPS). Hughes has allowed homeruns in 9 of his 12 starts with 4 mutli-homerun games mixed in.
Second Baseman
Top Play:
Jason Kipnis vs Alfredo Simon - I really like the Indians bats today against the right-hander Alfredo Simon. Simon has struggled pretty mightily with his control this season and with Kipnis batting leadoff in front of big bats that love right-handed pitching, he's in line to have a pretty good shot at scoring some runs.
Value Play:
Dee Gordon vs Jorge De La Rosa - Normally I don't like to pick on groundball pitchers but the exception is when they are facing speed guys. Today Dee Gordon is just $3,200 on FanDuel and $4,400 on DraftKings. Gordon has a .336 batting average on ground balls this year so I really like the matchup against De La Rosa who draws ground balls 49% of the time.
Joe Panik vs Rubby De La Rosa - Panik is a better option on DraftKings than FanDuel given the price considerations ($3400 vs $3600) but he's a solid option against De La Rosa who has struggled recently. Since June, Panik has 6 multi-hit games and 5 extra base hits. He's averaging 1.46 points per plate appearance on DraftKings.
Punt Play:
Jeff Baker vs Jorge De La Rosa - With a lefty on the mound, there's a good chance we'll get to see Jeff Baker in the lineup on Sunday. He's been drawing favorable lineup spots against lefties but rightfully so. Since 2012, he leads all second baseman in wOBA with .401 and his OPS is .934. He's dirt cheap on DRaftKings at $2,700 and pretty reasonable on FanDuel at $2,600.
Dilson Herrera vs Mike Foltynewicz - He's minimum priced on FanDuel and he's hit well since being activated off the DL. He's well regarded in the prospect world and was hitting .367/.369/.500 in 22 Triple-A games before being activated by the Mets in May and then fracturing a finger.
Third Baseman:
Top Play:
Josh Donaldson vs Eduardo Rodriguez - Sticking with the theme, I love the Blue Jays right-handers today. Donaldson has been unbelievable this year and he's absolutely elite against left-handers. Since 2012, he has a 1.064 OPS and .450 wOBA against lefties . Boston isn't the best place for homeruns but Fenway has allowed the most doubles to right-handed hitters since 2012. He's worth paying up for today.
Other top play: Kris Bryant vs Anthony DeSclafani
Value Plays:
Alex Rodriguez vs Mike Wright - A-Rod is hot and he's chasing down history. I don't usually like to mix stats with touchy-feely but A-Rod is a competitor and he looks locked in at the plate. He needs just 4 more hits to get to 3,000 and he could reach that plateau any game now. He historically has better reverse splits and Mike Wright is back up from the Minors to start for the Orioles on Sunday. Wright has allowed 4 homeruns in 4 starts and they'll be playing in Camden Yards, the 5th most homerun prone park to right-handers.
Danny Valencia vs Eduardo Rodriguez - With a lefty on the mound, that means Danny Valencia should draw the start. Valencia is very good against lefties with a .390 wOBA and .893 OPS since 2012. He's also really cheap on both FanDuel ($2500) and DraftKings ($3200). Valencia has had at least one extra base hit in each of his last 3 starts.
Other value plays: Carlos Santana vs Alfredo Simon, Todd Frazier vs Jon Lester
Cheap Options:
Brock Holt vs Marco Estrada - Pablo Sandoval left Saturday's game with quad tightness so there's a good chance that Brock Holt will remain in the lineup on Sunday. Holt has been playing really well lately and has a .426 wOBA over the last 7 days. At $2700 and $3300 on DraftKings, he can provide enough salary relief to fit in a top tier starting pitching along with an elite bat. He has nice upside against Marco Estrada.
Justin Turner vs James Shields - Justin Turner can hit righties really well and his fantastic year just keeps going. He has 4 multi-hit games over his last 7. Over the last 3 seasons, he has a .385wOBA and .878 OPS. He's just $2700 on FanDuel.
Shortstop:
Top Play:
Troy Tulowitzki vs Dan Haren - It's an unfavorable park shift for Tulo but Dan Haren is up to his old tricks with the long-ball. Over the last week, Tulo has a .404 wOBA and since 2012, he has a .383 wOBA and .885 OPS against right-handed pitching. Tulo is $4,400 on FanDuel but if you don't want to go down to Correa, there aren't too many other options today.
Value Plays:
Carlos Correa vs Roenis Elias - Correa has yet to get a hit against a right-handed pitcher but luckily he faces a southpaw on Sunday. Correa is still just $3,000 on FanDuel and $4,100 on DraftKings. On a day where there aren't many great shortstop options, Correa looks really attractive in all formats.
DraftKings play:
Francisco Lindor vs Alfredo Simon - The switch-hitting prospect is getting the call on Sunday. He's not available on FanDuel but he's just $3,900 on DraftKings. Lindor doesn't have a lot of power but he's a speed guy who can usually get on base at a fairly good clip. At the price point on DraftKings, he's a worthy punt option.
Outfield:
Top Play:
Giancarlo Stanton vs Jorge De La Rosa - I don't care how many groundballs a guy usually gets, that same pitcher doesn't usually face Giancarlo Stanton. On the season, Stanton has a .568 ISO against left-handed pitchers and since 2013, he has an OPS of 1.019 against southpaws. He's Bryce Harper expensive but that's what happens when you hit 5 homeruns over the last week.
Value Plays:
Joc Pederson vs James Shields - Pederson is mired in a 1-for-22 slump but a matchup against a heavy change throwing pitcher might be just what the doctor ordered. Pederson has a 3.85 wCHC/c on the season and Shields throws his change 23% of the time. Joc has a .401 wOBA and .940 OPS against right handed pitching this year.
Starling Marte vs Cole Hamels - Marte is a great hitter against left-handed pitching. The last 3 seasons, he has averaged 0.80 fantasy points per plate appearance on FanDuel and 2.28 points per plate appearance on DraftKings. The matchup against Hamels is less than ideal but Marte has 11 hits in his last 8 games.
Josh Reddick vs Matt Shoemaker - Reddick is another example of a flyball hitter going up against a flyball pitcher. Against righties, Reddick has an .824 OPS against right-handers. I've said it before but I'll say it again, when he's healthy , he's elite. On the season, Reddick has an excellent .270 ISO.
Hanley Ramirez vs Marco Estrada - In the highest game total of the day, Hanley is in a great spot versus Marco Estrada. Hanley's best hit pitches are curveballs (4.34 wCB/c) and changeups (4.36 wCH/c) and coincidentally, those are Estrada's highest thrown secondary pitches. At only $3,600 on FanDuel and $4,700 on DraftKings (and SS eligble), he's a fantastic play.
Carlos Gonzalez vs Dan Haren - Carlos Gonzalez has faced Dan Haren 26 times. Within those plate appearanes, he has managed a 4:3 strikeout-to-walk rate (better than his career average), with 9 hits, 7 of which went for extra base hits. Of those 7 extra base hits, 4 were round trippers. At a mere $3,400, CarGo is a great value play on FanDuel and a reasonable tournament choice on DraftKings for $4,200.
Cheap Plays:
Seth Smith vs Lance McCullers - Smith had been batting 5th but he got the chance to lead off on Friday and responded by going 2-for-4. Facing another righty on Sunday, Smith is a nice cheap option at only $2,500 on FanDuel and $3,700 on DraftKings. He has a .346 wOBA vs righties since 2012.
Chris Coghlan vs Anthony DeSclafani - Coghlan has been on quite a roll with a .412 wOBA over the last week and another good matchup against the righty DeSclafani on Sunday. Coghlan has a fantastic .216 ISO against right-handed pitching this season and he got the chance to hit second in front of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant on Sunday. If the favorable lineup positioning continues, his $2,700 price tag on FanDuel and $3400 price on DraftKings can look like a steal.
Good morning everyone! Each weekend, we publish our free analysis of the daily plays position-by-position. If you haven't already tried out Daily Fantasy Baseball, now is the perfect time to take it for a test spin. The beauty of Daily Fantasy is the short-term time commitment (one-day games) and the opportunity to win real money fast. To help aid you in the lineup construction process, below is a free sample of the type of daily content that is published over at Fantistics' sister site, MyFantasyFix. I always recommend starting to build your roster around your favorite pitcher of the day and fill out the rest of the lineup spots based on relative value-to-cost. To make this easier, below you'll find our top plays, value plays, and cheap (or punt) plays.Use this as a guide as you set your lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings. Please also tune in to our show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio from 10AM-1PM ET on weekend mornings as we discussed values once lineups are announced.
Vegas Lines:
Miami @ Colorado (-120) - 11 runs
Los Angeles Angels @ New York Yankees (-115) - 8.5 runs
Houston @ Toronto (-120) - 8.5 runs
San Franciscro (-140) @ Philadelphia - 8.5 runs
Milwaukee at Minnesota (-115) - 8.5 runs
Texas @ Kansas City (-130) - 8.5 runs
Weather Concerns:
Detroit at Chicago White Sox - There's a 40-60% chance of thunderstorms during the game window but Chicago is supposed to get rain for most of the day. It's looking a little dicey at this point so tread carefully and check the weather closer to roster lock.
Miami at Colorado - There's a decent chance of rain at the beginning of the game (40-50% chance) but the rain chance diminishes significantly as the afternoon proceeds. I think there's a chance this game is delayed but I think it should get in.
Flyball Hitters (>40%) vs Flyball Pitchers (>40%):
Lucas Duda
Curtis Granderson
Brian Dozier
Mike Moustakas
Quality Fastball Hitters vs Heavy Fastball Pitchers (>60%):
Andrew McCutchen (2.11 wFB/c)
Paul Goldschmidt (2.28 wFB/c)
Bryce Harper (1.52 wFB/c)
Freddie Freeman (1.72 wFB/c)
Pedro Alvarez (1.58 wFB/c)
Quality Slider Hitter vs Heavy Slider Pitcher (>25%):
Robinson Cano (2.43 wSL/c)
Jason Kipnis (1.50 wSL/c)
Ryan Raburn (1.66 wSL/c)
**No other pitchers today throw any secondary pitch more than 25% of the time
Pitchers:
Top Plays:
Johnny Cueto vs San Diego - Pitching at home, Johnny Cueto is a really nice option against the Padres on Sunday. Cueto has always been a better pitcher at home than away but the split differential has been even more stark this season with Cueto posting .219 wOBA at Great American Ballpark and .337 on the road. The Padres have a 21.6% strikeout rate against RHP this season (7th highest in the league) and over the last week they have just a .111 ISO as a team.
Gerrit Cole @ Atlanta - Cole's home/away splits are pretty even throughout his short career but he has been marginally better on the road than in PNC park. The Braves don't strike out a lot against right-handed pitching (just an 18.1% K rate) but their wOBA vs RHP is just .305 and their ISO is the 4th lowest in the league at .120. Cole hasn't allowed more than 3 earned runs in any start this season and has given up 2 or fewers earned runs in 9 of his 11 starts this season.
Other Options:
Carlos Carrasco vs Baltimore- Baltimore strikes out A LOT against right-handed pitching (22.9%) and Carrasco has a 29% strikeout rate with a 1.71 ERA over his last 3 starts. I think he might be overlooked quite a bit on Sunday but he's actually a really nice play with the Orioles struggling to generate offense over the last week (slashing .219/.277/.332 as a team).
Chris Archer @ Seattle - Another team that generates a lot of whiffs against right-handers is Seattle. Archer has been elite on the road this season but for his career his home/away splits are pretty even. While the Trumbo addition makes their lineup stronger, neither he nor Cano have really gotten it going this year and with Nelson Cruz coming back down to earth, I think Archer is in a great spot. Oh yeah, did we mention that he has 27 strikeouts over his last 16 innings pitched included a 8 inning, 2-hit performance against the Mariners two starts ago. Since he has been so hot, I think his ownership levels will be a little inflated. I think he's a great option but I'm not sure I like him better than Cueto or Cole.
Jordan Zimmermann vs Chicago Cubs - The Cubs lead the league in strikeouts against right-handed pitching so Zimmermann pitching at home is an excellent choice. Zimmermann is a master at limiting damage and if you take out his second start of the season at Boston, Zimmerman hadn't allowed more than 3 earned runs in any game since July 2014. He'll provide a bit of salary relief but still carries nice point potential in a 50/50. Due to the limited overall ceiling, I'd look to Archer or Carrasco in tournaments.
**I don't love Zack Greinke against the Cardinals today. Given his price point, the Cardinals success against RHP, and Greinke's reverse home/away splits, I'm fading him today.
Multi-Pitcher Sites:
Alex Wood vs Pittsburgh - The Pirates are absolutely terrible against left-handed pitching (23.9% K rate and .294 wOBA) and while Wood doesn't have huge K upside, he's allowed just 3 ER over his last 3 starts and is a great option on DraftKings as a second pitcher.
Mike Fiers vs Minnesota -With a favorable park shift, Mike Fiers is in play on DraftKings and other two pitcher sites facing a Twins lineup that doesn't hit right-handers very well (.294 wOBA and 21.7% K rate).
Catchers:
Top Plays:
Buster Posey vs Sean O'Sullican- Posey with a favorable park shift? Sign me up. Posey has a .359 wOBA against right-handed pitching and O'Sullivan is very homer prone. Posey is an above average hitter against all three pitches that O'Sullivan throws (fastball, slider,change) and while he's expensive, $3,800 and $4,300 is actually pretty reasonable for a hitter of his caliber.
Value Plays:
Chris Iannetta vs CC Sabathia - It's not often that Iannetta gets to face a left-hander but he gets that opportunity on Sunday, with a favorable park shift nonetheless! Iannetta has an .868 OPS and .378 wOBA versus left-handers since 2013 and CC Sabathia has an .839 wOBA versus right-handed batting.
Punt Play:
Kevin Plawecki vs Josh Collmenter - He's not necessarily a great hitter but at near minimum priced, Kevin Plawecki is a solid punt play at the catcher positon thanks mostly to a nice park shift from New York to Arizona.
JT Realmuto vs Kyle Kendrick - Another catcher I'm happy to punt with (at least on FanDuel, $4,100 on DK is hardly a punt), is JT Realmuto against the homerun prone Kyle Kendrick. Realmuto has been hitting well lately with back-to-back extra base hit games and 4 hits on Friday.
First Baseman:
Top Plays:
Miguel Cabrera vs Jeff Samardzija - Miggy's day vs night splits have been exaggerated this season, with him having an incredible 10 of his 11 homeruns coming during the day with a .419/.495/.817 slash line. Tomorrow Miggy faces the suddenly homerun prone Samardzija and at $4,800, he's pricey but not too pricey to sacrifice the rest of your lineup.
Paul Goldschmidt vs Jacon deGrom - If price were no object, Paul Goldschmidt would be one of the best plays of the day regardless of position. If there'sone area of deGrom's game where he struggles, it's when he moves away from Citi Field and pitches in friendly hitters parks. Early this season, deGrom allowed 3 HR in Yankee Stadium and 2 HR in Wrigley and now goes to the second most homerun friendly park in the league. Goldy has been swinging a hot bat with 4 HRs over the last week but he's going to really hurt the rest of your lineup if you pay up at $5,700 on FD and $5600 on DK.
Value Plays:
Prince Fielder vs Jeremy Guthrie - Left-handed batters are Jeremy Guthrie's worst nightmare (.872 wOBA vs LHB since 2013) and Prince Fielder's price is all the way down to $3,800 on FanDuel and $4,800 on DraftKings. Fielder is a really strong slider hitter and Guthrie throws a heavy dose of them. He has a .366 wOBA and .846 OPS against right-handers since 2013.
Lucas Duda vs Josh Collmenter - My favorite value play of the day is Lucas Duda. Collmenter struggles against left-handed batters and Duda crushes righthanded pitchers. Sounds like a match to me. At $3,600 on FanDuel and $4,800 on DraftKings, he's a great value. Duda has a .379 wOBA and .876 OPS against right-handed pitching since 2013.
Brandon Belt vs Sean O'Sullivan - After getting on a nice roll the last two weeks, Belt has gone cold the last two games in Philly. Fortunately, he's still priced moderately around the industry and I really like the righty/lefty matchup he draws against Sean O'Sullivan tomorrow.
Note: Joey Votto, Adam Lind, and Freddie Freeman are all nice value plays due to their righty/lefty splits but they both face heavy groundball pitchers. I generally don't like to target hitters against groundball pitchers but they could be decent tournament options.
Second Base:
Top Play:
Jason Kipnis vs Bud Norris - All of the Indians left-handers are in play against the righty Bud Norris. KIpnis has been the best second baseman from an offensive perspective this season and is the most productive against sliders. Norris throws a heavy dose of fastballs and sliders and even though he's expensive, especially on FanDuel, he's the clear cut best option at the second base position today.
Value Plays:
Logan Forsythe vs Mike Montgomery - The Rays face yet another lefty on Sunday and Forsythe remains a great value play hitting 4th in Tampa's batting order. On DraftKings, he's particularly valuable at only $3,400. He's averaging 1.74 fantasy points per plate appearance on DraftKings against right-handed pitching since 2013.
Dee Gordon vs Kyle Kendrick - I can't justify his enormous price tag of $5,500 on DraftKIngs but at just $3,900 on FanDuel, I absolutely love him as a value play. There should be a lot of runs being scored by the Marlins on Sunday against Kyle Kendrick and Gordon should have ample opportunities to score those runs.
Joe Panik vs Sean O'Sullivan - If you haven't caught on yet, I really like a lot of the Giants lineup on Sunday considering their reasonably low price point and favorable pitching environment. Panik has been on a tear lately and at just $3,200 on FanDuel and $3,800 on DraftKings, he's a tough value to pass hitting 2nd in the Giants batting order in a game with a game total of 8.5 runs.
Third Baseman:
Top Plays:
Nolan Arenado vs Jose Urena - With a projected game total of 11 runs, I want as much exposure to these two lineups as I can. Arenado is good against right-handed pitching, but not elite, and he's been hitting the ball really well. Playing him is more about stacking the odds in your favor with a high game total, nice hitting environment and a weak opposing starting pitcher.
Value Plays:
Evan Longoria vs Mike Montgomery - The Rays get another lefty and as always, any time Longoria faces a left-handed pitcher he must be considered. Longoria has a .892 OPS and .377 wOBA against left-handed pitching since 2013.
Kris Bryant vs Jordan Zimmeramnn - Kris Bryant is a great price on DraftKings ($4,200) and while he faces a good pitcher in Jordan Zimmerman, we all know what Bryant is capable of at this point. He's been an excellent hitter against both sides of the plate but the majority of his power has been generated against right handed pitching (.188 ISO).
Joey Gallo vs Jeremy Guthrie - An all-or-nothing power hitting lefty against a pitcher who loves to give up homeruns to lefties? What's not to love, especially at a $3,200 price on FanDuel and $3,500 on DraftKings. Without a penalty for outs, Gallo is particularly enticing on DraftKings.
Tournament Play:
Chris Davis vs Carlos Carrasco - On paper, Chris Davis is exactly the type of guy you want to play today. He is pretty reasonably priced at $3,200 on FanDuel and $4,000 on DraftKings and he gets to face a right-hander. However, I'm a little nervous about the way the Orioles are playing and Davis has looked a little lost at the plate. On top of that, Davis has a really high strikeout rate and Carrasco is a big time strikeout pitcher. Given the nice matchup on a historical basis, he's a nice tournament play but he's too risky to deploy in a cash game.
Shortstops:
Top Play:
Troy Tulowitzki vs Jose Urena - He's prohibitively expensive and he sometimes gets days off on Sunday but if he's in the lineup Sunday, he must be considered. The projected game total is 11 runs and what's a Rockies stack without Tulowitzki?
Value Play:
Brandon Crawford vs Sean O'Sullivan - O'Sullivan has allowed left-handed batters to have a .509 wOBA and 1.235 OPS against him to begin the year. Crawford has cooled down considerably since his hot streak several weeks ago but he still gets an excellent matchup and a nice park shift on Sunday.
Cheap Plays:
Jose Iglesias vs Jeff Samardzija - Iglesias is a hit machine that doesn't possess a lot of power or speed and usually hits at the bottom of the batting order yet is a consistent contributior in the daily format. He's minimum priced FanDuel at $2,200 and just $3,100 on DraftKings. He'll provide great salary relief on a day were you're going to want to pay up for some of the offenses.
Outfielders:
Top Plays:
Giancarlo Stanton vs Kyle Kendrick - For the third day in a row, Giancarlo Stanton is the top play of the day. Today he gets Kyle Kendrick, the same pitcher who has allowed 15 home runs in his first 11 games of the year. Stanton gets one of the best park shifts in the league, moving from Miami to Colorado for today's game. He's expensive but he's nearly a must-have in your lineups.
Mike Trout vs CC Sabathia - I usually hate recommending Mike Trout because I usually feel like it goes without saying he's always a great option. However, on Sunday I think he's actually worth clearing some salary to pay for against CC Sabathia is a great hitting environment in New York. Sabathia has allowed right-handers an .839 OPS since 2013 and Trout has a .402 wOBA and .924 OPS against lefties.
Joc Pederson vs Lance Lynn - I'm deploying the lefty Joc Pederson against Lance Lynn on Sunday. While he's quite a bit more expensive than last week when he was my recommended value play (he's $4,100 on FanDuel & DraftKings), he's a great option against Lance Lynn who struggles while pitching on the road. Pederson has a .924 OPS against right-handed pitching this season.
Value Plays:
Carlos Gonzalez vs Jose Urena - Sticking in Coors, Carlos Gonzalez is a nice play against the Marlins Jose Urena who has allowed 2 homeruns over his 2 starts and 8 total earned runs over that time frame in two very pitching environments (Miami & Pittsburgh). Now he moves to the worst pitching environment in baseball and that makes the left-handed CarGo a fantastic play.
Starling Marte vs Alex Wood - It's not necessarily ideal considering Wood's groundball tendencies but Starling Marte is in a great spot. Since 2013, Marte has a wOBA of .420 and an OPS of .969 against LHP. At only $3,900 on FanDuel and $4,400 on DraftKings, his price has fallen but remains an elite option.
Christian Yelich vs Kyle Kendrick - Despite the really favorable park shirt, Yelich is still decently affordable on FanDuel ($3100) and but a little too inflated on DraftKings ($4500). He faces the homer prone Kendrick and while he hasn't exactly been hitting recently, he's one of the best pure hitters in the game and he hits right-handers very well with a .341 wOBA over the last 3 seasons.
Andre Ethier vs Lance Lynn - Andre Ethier is always in play against right-handers but he's quite cheap at $2,600 on FanDuel and $3100 on DraftKings and faces a pitcher in Lance Lynn who struggles mightily on the road (.343 wOBA on road vs .276 at home).
Michael Cuddyer vs Josh Collmenter - Cuddyer is working on a 10 game hit streak and he has hits in 15 of his last 16 games. On top of his, he moves from the large Citi Field to the cozy Chase field and faces Josh Collmenter, a guy who has given up 9 home runs in 11 games this year and 76 hits in just 62.2 innings pitched. Cuddyer is just $2700 on FanDuel and $4100 on DraftKings.
Punt Play:
Angel Pagan vs Sean O'Sullivan - At minimum priced on FanDuel and dirt cheap on DraftKings ($3,600), Pagan is a nice punt play in the outfield, especially if he draws the 3rd spot in the batting order where he has been hitting. Pagan mght not possess the most power in the world but he's a good hitter against sliders (3.11 wSL/c) and O'Sullivan throws sliders 20% of the time, his second most frequently thrown pitch.
