Eric Hosmer (1B, KC) - Hosmer and the Royals bats get to face Ubaldo Jimenez and his 6.93 ERA on the season Monday. All Royals lefties are in play, but Hosmer is hitting .367 in his career against Jimenez, with two home runs. In addition to the BVP, he owns a .377 wOBA against right hand pitchers in 2017, and 12 of his home runs have come off of righties as well. His price is $3700 so he is not an ultra-cheap option, but sometimes saving a couple hundred dollars can make all the difference in your DFS lineup.
Leury Garcia (OF, CHW) - Garcia contributed a solo shot in the White Sox 3-1 victory over the Indians on Sunday. On the season, Garcia is slashing .297/.343/.470 with seven home runs in his return from the DL. He figures to be in line for most of the playing time in left field since Melky Cabrera was sent to Kansas City earlier in the day. Garcia does a lot of things well, but is not great at one thing. His BABIP currently sits at .336, which helps the OBP. His wRC+ is 114, which shows he is helping produce offense when he is in the lineup. He is likely owned in just extremely deep leagues right now, but is worth a look if you need a boost on offense down the stretch, as he seems to have consistent playing time for the remainder of the season.
Brian Dozier (2B, MIN) - The slugger smacked his 17th home run of 2017 in the Twins' extra inning loss to the A's on Sunday. Dozier is slashing .247/.329/.438 on the year, with the 17 homers, 52 RBI and ten stolen bases. He now has eight hits in his last ten games, and appears to be on pace for a nice second half. The veteran seems to be performing at his normal career pace, and not at the 2016 42 home run pace. His BABIP is actually higher in 2017 as it sits at .285, yet most other metrics have dipped to career norms. His .326 wOBA, is right around his career mark of .330, and his wRC+ is at 101, just five points below his career pace. Overall, he is performing right around the top ten at the position, and he could be in line for a big second half. Any time a middle infielder can get you 25 home runs, and 15 steals, it makes for a solid play.
James Paxton (SP, SEA) - Paxton scored his 11th win of the season as the Mariners beat the Mets 9-1 on Sunday. The lefty went six innings, allowing zero runs on six hits, while striking out eight and walking none. In his age 28 season, Paxton is becoming a top-level starter. He currently has a 2.68 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 125 strikeouts in 107.1 innings. Paxton has limited the long ball, giving up just 0.44 HR/9, while stranding nearly 75% of baserunners. His FIP sits at 2.43 and suggests he is getting it done on the mound. xFIP seems to like him as well, sitting at 3.28. Paxton is playing his way up the starting pitching pecking order, and will be a top arm off the board in 2018.
Nelson Cruz (OF, SEA) - Cruz chipped in on the 9-1 win over the Mets Sunday with just one hit, but made it count as it was a three-run homer. The veteran slugger is leading the AL in RBI with 79, and is slashing .273/.358/.496 with 21 home runs. At age 37, the fantasy community keeps waiting for the letdown, but Cruz shows no signs of slowing. His K% is down 3% from 2016, and sits at 20.7%, and the BB% is at 10.7% leading to the solid OBP. The 38% hard contact rate is also up from last season, and over his career mark of 35.8%. Cruz remains a top offensive option, just do not be the one left holding the bag when the drop off happens. In the meantime, enjoy the production.
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