Matt Carpenter (STL) - Matt Carpenter is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Friday after missing nearly a month with an oblique strain. The timing couldn't be better for the Cardinals, who also just placed infielder Aledmys Diaz on the shelf and have fallen into a bit of a slide over the last 10 games. Without Diaz, Peralta figures to see some time at shortstop, meaning Carpenter will likely split time between 3rd base and 2nd base. Carpenter looks like an attractive DFS option on DraftKings tomorrow, where he's priced at just $4,600. The Braves will be starting Jose De La Cruz in the place of Julio Teheran (who was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday). De La Cruz will be making his 4th career start and so far into his career, has been very hittable. Against left-handed batters, the righty has already given up 5 extra base hits for 7 earned runs over just 11.1 innings pitched. It's a small sample, but his minor league track record paints the picture of a player without overwhelming stuff that relies on generating ground balls rather than strikeouts.
Bustey Posey (SF) - One day after catching 12-innings in a loss to the Phillies, Buster Posey got the day off on Thursday. It's been a rather quiet season for the Giants catcher, who is currently hitting .291/.364/.463 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI. Interestingly, he does have 6 steals, which is double his previous career high set in 2011. The stats are solid numbers for a catcher, but it's a reminder that it's easy to overpay for the "name-brand" on draft day when plenty of "off-brands" went for pennies on the dollar (Wellington Castillo, Stephen Vogt, and Yasmani Grandal among others). Despite the roomy home ballpark, Posey's home/road splits are pretty even. Given the nature of the catching position, Posey's rarely going to ever play 100% healthy, another contributing factor to his stagnant offensive development over the last few seasons. In DFS tomorrow, he looks like an intriguing option against rookie Reynaldo Lopez, a right-hander with nice strikeout upside, but one who also struggles with walks. He's just $3,400 on FanDuel.
Brandon Finnegan (CIN) - Don't look now, but Brandon Finnegan now has 12 straight scoreless innings after holding the Cardinals to just one baserunner on 6 innings on Thursday. Finnegan credited his strong outing versus the Padres last week to a higher usage of his change-up. While pitch usage wasn't immediately available following the game yesterday, Finnegan clearly has something working for him lately. Flyball-prone, left-handed pitchers with control issues rarely find success in Great American Ballpark and Finnegan has been no different, allowing 13 of his 22 homeruns in Cincinnati. Interestingly, however, his control issues have mostly been on the road, with the southpaw sporting a 16% walk rate away from home compared with a 6% rate at home. This disparity helps negate the higher HR/FB rate he has at GAB. He could be a sneaky streaming option down the stretch if he has unlocked the potential of his change-up.
Eugenio Suarez (CIN) - Eugenio Suarez quietly has 17 home runs, but has largely been irrelevant in fantasy leagues due to his abysmal batting average. Since the All-Star break, however, he has start hitting a little better and now has a batting average of .276 in the 2nd half, raising his season average from .229 to .236 in the process. He's still averaging about a strikeout per game and he's hitting low in the batting order of a fairly weak Reds lineup, so his overall upside remains limited. In the meantime, enjoy the hot streak in NL-only leagues and ride him until he slumps. He kept the offense rolling on Thursday by going 2-for-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI.
Matt Moore (SF) - It was "moore" of the same for the Giants new left-handed starting pitcher, Matt Moore. Having been acquired by San Francisco on Monday, Moore made his Giants debut in a start on the road against the Phillies. Moore managed to strike out 7, but he also allowed 6 walks. On the day, Moore went 6 IP, 3H, 3ER, 6BB and 7K, but both of the runs that the Giants scored were put on base via a free pass. The park shift from Tampa Bay to San Francisco is minimal, but he should get the added benefit of pitching in the NL for the first time (new opponents and a pitcher in the batting order). He should hold value in the final third of the season, but you'll still want to manage the matchups.
