Taijuan Walker (SP, ARI) - Walker got his fifth win of the season in the Diamondbacks 2-1 win over the Tigers Wednesday. Walker went five innings, allowed just one earned run on six hits, while striking out six and walking just one. The outing lowered his ERA to 3.32 on the year, in what has become a bit of a bounce back year for the hurler. Many things point to Walker's success. He is averaging 0.69 HR/9, along with a 3.50 FIP, yet his BB% is up slightly to 8.1%, while his 20.6% K% is right around his career mark. As his 8% HR/FB helps identify, Walker is giving up fewer home runs, which will help any pitcher limit damage. Walker is becoming a nice option in all formats, and deserves to be in the middle of your rotation.
Eric Thames (OF, MIL) - After a scorching start, Marcus Thames has become the Marcus Thames we are used to. Despite the cooling off period, Thames did some yardwork against the Cardinals on Wednesday, hitting his 17th home run and upping his RBI total to 33. The 30-year-old still owns a slash line of .256/.396/.576, and while regression was to be expected, there are still some numbers that suggest Thames could enjoy a solid overall year. His .399 wOBA and 144 wRC+ indicate Thames has been a timely hitter and produced hits that lead to runs being put on the board. His walk rate remains at 17.6%, which offsets his 25% K rate. Thames is a player who can still contribute to your lineup, but no one expected his hot start to keep up, but he is still extremely useful in all formats.
Brandon Phillips (2B, ATL) - The Atlanta Braves were able to get to Nationals starter Tanner Roark in the Braves' 13-2 beatdown on Wednesday. Phillips played a key role in the victory by filling out the stat sheet. Phillips went 4 for 6, with three RBI and three runs scored on the day. For the year, Phillips has been a nice, low cost middle infielder. With a .296/.339/.418 line, four home runs, seven stolen bases, 18 RBI and 27 runs scored, he has rewarded owners thus far. His .330 BABIP is the highest of his career, so he is doing a nice job of getting on base when the ball is in play. For the season, Phillips' numbers are on par with what we have come to expect for his career. There are no real signs of a regression here, so continue to deploy him in all formats.
Jeff Hoffman (SP, COL) - In case you do not feel like paying up for the likes of Chris Sale, and Jose Berrios, the modestly priced Hoffman comes in at just $6600 on FanDuel, and has a nice matchup at home against the light hitting Giants. The fact that Hoffman is starting at Coors could scare owners off, as he has had just one start there, and it was so-so. Hoffman allowed four runs in 6.2 innings, however, the youngster did strike out ten batters. I like him against a team that is 29th in the league against righties. I also like Hoffman's overall body of work. Teams are hitting just .173 against him thus far. His 83.3% strand rate shows he is able to minimize damage, and his 30.4% K-BB% is impressive for a rookie, and is bound to come down a bit, but I do not think Thursday against the Giants is where it begins.
Melky Cabrera (OF, CWS) - On Thursday's DFS slate, the White Sox have the fortune of going up against Chris Tillman, who will be on the hill for the Orioles. Tillman has been bad against everyone, but lefties are hitting .350 against him, so all Sox lefties could be in play here. I went with Cabrera since he owns an 11 for 29 BVP versus Tillman for his career. Pair that with his .283 average against righties, along with the .307 BABIP against righties, which is significantly higher than his .269 BABIP versus lefties and makes for a solid mid-tier option at $3500 on FanDuel. The ownership % could be low as well, due to the White Sox being one of the worst teams in the league against righties.
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