After back-to-back days with some pretty big split slates, we jump right into a huge 14-game main slate. The Rockies/Cubs play early, but I am avoiding that game for the sake of simplicity, and for the sake of talking everyone out of playing the All-Day slate.
Thank goodness we are going to be Coors Field-free for a little while. It’s always a bit of a wild card with Coors in play, and I truly feel it takes away some of the skill involved when it comes to DFS MLB.
With tonight being a night where it would probably behoove you to pay up for either Kershaw or Sale, I’m going to be listing a lot more value plays than I normally would. All players are listed from highest to lowest according to FanDuel pricing. Nonetheless, let’s jump right into tonight’s best bats!
| CATCHER | ||||||||||||||||
| Probable | 2015 Regular Season | 2016 Regular Season | Salaries | |||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jonathan Lucroy | MIL | R | STL | Jeff Locke | L | 98-for-371 | .264 | 7 | .717 | 9-for-29 | .310 | 0 | .734 | 3100 | 3300 | 4700 |
| Yadier Molina | STL | R | CIN | Tim Melville | R | 132-for-488 | .270 | 4 | .660 | 12-for-37 | .324 | 0 | .764 | 2700 | 3500 | 4200 |
| J.T. Realmuto | MIA | R | ATL | Williams Perez | R | 114-for-441 | .259 | 10 | .696 | 7-for-25 | .280 | 0 | .628 | 2500 | 3300 | 4100 |
| Wilson Ramos | WAS | R | PHI | Jeremy Hellickson | R | 109-for-475 | .229 | 15 | .616 | 11-for-27 | .407 | 1 | .963 | 2400 | 3300 | 4000 |
Jonathan Lucroy has a rich history against Jeff Locke of the Pirates. Lucroy is 10-for-24 (.417 AVG) with a homer and five walks against the southpaw.
Yadier Molina will face Tim Melville, who had a career 4.75 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in the minors. He’s just not very good, and Molina and most of the Cardinals can absolutely exploit the Reds young pitcher. Molina has actually been pretty hot, going 7-for-12 (.583 AVG) with two doubles over his last three games.
J.T. Realmuto is cheap and has some good upside against Williams Perez of the Braves. Perez was absolutely lit up last season against the Marlins, but Realmuto didn’t play. While I like Stanton, Yelich, and Gordon tonight, I’m not as keen about paying up for them when I’m more than likely paying up in my cash games.
Wilson Ramos is hitting EXTREMELY well. He is 7-for-10 (.700 AVG) in his last three games, including a homer yesterday against the Braves. $2400 on FanDuel is just way too cheap for someone this hot.
| FIRST BASE | ||||||||||||||||
| Probable | 2015 Regular Season | 2016 Regular Season | Salaries | |||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | FD | DK | Aces |
| Prince Fielder | TEX | L | BAL | Vance Worley | R | 187-for-613 | .305 | 23 | .841 | 7-for-40 | .175 | 1 | .500 | 3300 | 4900 | 4750 |
| Albert Pujols | LAA | R | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 147-for-602 | .244 | 40 | .787 | 6-for-34 | .176 | 0 | .449 | 3000 | 4200 | 4700 |
| Hanley Ramirez | BOS | R | TOR | R.A. Dickey | R | 100-for-401 | .249 | 19 | .717 | 11-for-33 | .333 | 1 | .876 | 3000 | 4400 | 4950 |
| Justin Smoak | TOR | S | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 67-for-296 | .226 | 18 | .768 | 1-for-8 | .125 | 0 | .542 | 2300 | 3300 | 4000 |
Prince Fielder hasn’t had an extra-base hit in over a week. I think he breaks that trend tonight against Vance Worley. Fielder is 4-for-9 (.444 AVG) with a home run and a double against Worley in his career.
Albert Pujols is still hungry for a breakout game. Tonight might just be the night, because he’s going to face Tommy Milone of the Twins. Pujols is 9-for-22 (.409 AVG) with SEVEN doubles, two walks, and zero strikeouts against Milone in his career.
Hanley Ramirez was 4-for-12 (.333 AVG) with a homer, triple, four RBIs and five runs scored last season against R.A. Dickey.
Justin Smoak should more than likely get the start tonight at first base against Rick Porcello. Smoak is 7-for-16 (.438 AVG) against Porcello in his career, but he also has three big home runs. He could be a staple for your cash game lineups if you’re looking to pay up for either Kershaw or Sale.
| SECOND BASE | ||||||||||||||||
| Probable | 2015 Regular Season | 2016 Regular Season | Salaries | |||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jose Altuve | HOU | R | DET | Mike Pelfrey | R | 200-for-638 | .313 | 15 | .812 | 13-for-41 | .317 | 3 | 1.025 | 4400 | 4900 | 5650 |
| Jason Kipnis | CLE | L | NYM | Bartolo Colon | R | 171-for-565 | .303 | 9 | .823 | 6-for-24 | .250 | 1 | .783 | 3100 | 4900 | 4800 |
| Dustin Pedroia | BOS | R | TOR | R.A. Dickey | R | 111-for-381 | .291 | 12 | .797 | 11-for-36 | .306 | 0 | .703 | 2900 | 4200 | 4650 |
| Rougned Odor | TEX | L | BAL | Vance Worley | R | 111-for-426 | .261 | 16 | .781 | 8-for-40 | .200 | 1 | .631 | 2900 | 4100 | 4400 |
Jose Altuve is 5-for-9 (.556 AVG) with two homers and three doubles in his last two games. For his hard work, he’s rewarded with a meeting against Mike Pelfrey of the Tigers. The Astros have the highest expected run total tonight, and it’s not hard to see why.
Jason Kipnis is a bargain considering the skill set that he brings to the plate. Definitely a small sample size, but his five walks in 29 plate appearances has him on pace for the most walks in his career. He has a pretty good matchup against Bartolo Colon, and he’s looking good, going 6-for-20 (.300 AVG) with a homer, five walks, and two stolen bases in his last six games.
Dustin Pedroia was 7-for-19 (.368 AVG) with two extra-base hits against R.A. Dickey in 2015. He loves to hit at Fenway, and there’s a good chance there’s going to be some fireworks tonight.
Rougned Odor is heating up. He is 5-for-17 (.294 AVG) with four doubles in his last four games, and gets a decent matchup against Vance Worley tonight in Arlington.
| THIRD BASE | ||||||||||||||||
| Probable | 2015 Regular Season | 2016 Regular Season | Salaries | |||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | FD | DK | Aces |
| Manny Machado | BAL | R | TEX | Martin Perez | R | 181-for-633 | .286 | 35 | .861 | 16-for-38 | .421 | 3 | 1.200 | 4700 | 4400 | 5500 |
| Matt Carpenter | STL | L | CIN | Tim Melville | R | 156-for-574 | .272 | 28 | .871 | 9-for-34 | .265 | 1 | .905 | 3900 | 4600 | 5400 |
| Danny Valencia | OAK | R | KC | Edinson Volquez | R | 100-for-345 | .290 | 18 | .864 | 10-for-32 | .313 | 0 | .733 | 2500 | 3500 | 4300 |
| Luis Valbuena | HOU | L | DET | Mike Pelfrey | R | 190-for-434 | .224 | 25 | .748 | 6-for-29 | .207 | 0 | .557 | 2400 | 3800 | 4150 |
Manny Machado’s ownership should remain relatively low, especially on bigger slates with a multitude of options available. He is 3-for-9 (.333 AVG) with a homer against Martin Perez.
Matt Carpenter has had a heck of a week. He is 7-for-18 (.388) with a homer, three doubles, and eight RBIs in his last five games.
Danny Valencia has been more of a lefty masher throughout his career, but he has been starting against everyone with the A’s. He is making extremely good contact, and is 7-for-15 (.466 AVG) over his last four games.
Luis Valbuena is hitless in his last two games, but if you’re paying up for Kershaw or Sale, you better give him a hard look on FanDuel where he’s only $2400. He hasn’t homered this season, but he has big power upside.
| SHORTSTOP | ||||||||||||||||
| Probable | 2015 Regular Season | 2016 Regular Season | Salaries | |||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | FD | DK | Aces |
| Francisco Lindor | CLE | S | NYM | Bartolo Colon | R | 122-for-390 | .313 | 12 | .835 | 9-for-28 | .321 | 1 | .795 | 3400 | 3500 | 4900 |
| Marcus Semien | OAK | R | KC | Edinson Volquez | R | 143-for-556 | .257 | 15 | .715 | 8-for-29 | .276 | 4 | 1.053 | 3300 | 3400 | 4300 |
| J.J. Hardy | BAL | R | TEX | Martin Perez | R | 90-for-411 | .219 | 8 | .564 | 7-for-28 | .250 | 2 | .862 | 2900 | 2600 | 4400 |
| Andrelton Simmons | LAA | R | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 142-for-535 | .265 | 4 | .660 | 8-for-34 | .235 | 0 | .529 | 2200 | 3000 | 3900 |
Francisco Lindor is getting back into a groove. He has driven in runs in three straight games, and has stolen bases in back-to-back games. He has never faced Bartolo Colon, but the PITCHf/x values suggests that the matchup could suit him well. He’s a very good fastball hitter, and while Colon’s fastball is effective, he doesn’t have much else in his arsenal (throws over 80 percent fastballs).
Marcus Semien is someone you might want to play if you’re really into riding the hot hand. If Semien’s name was Trevor Story, I think we Twitter would be exploding over his last four games, where Semien has gone 5-for-12 (.416 AVG) with four homers, five RBIs, and two walks. I don’t mind his matchup against Edinson Volquez, either.
J.J. Hardy remains highlighted on my list of shortstops. He is significantly better against left-handed pitchers, and he’ll face another one in Martin Perez. Hardy is 3-for-6 (.500 AVG) with a double and three RBIs against Perez throughout his career.
Andrelton Simmons is working on a 7-game hitting streak, and is at a minimum price on FanDuel. While he has yet to face Tommy Milone in his career, he has a lot of teammates he can talk to, considering active Angels are batting .307/.378/.523 against the southpaw.
| OUTFIELD | ||||||||||||||||
| Probable | 2015 Regular Season | 2016 Regular Season | Salaries | |||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | H/AB | AVG | HR | OPS | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jose Bautista | TOR | R | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 136-for-543 | .250 | 40 | .913 | 9-for-30 | .300 | 2 | 1.133 | 4600 | 4900 | 5600 |
| Colby Rasmus | HOU | L | DET | Mike Pelfrey | R | 103-for-432 | .238 | 25 | .789 | 9-for-30 | .300 | 3 | 1.103 | 3800 | 4100 | 4800 |
| David Peralta | ARI | L | SD | James Shields | R | 144-for-462 | .312 | 17 | .893 | 11-for-37 | .297 | 0 | .836 | 3500 | 3300 | 4750 |
| Mark Trumbo | BAL | R | TEX | Martin Perez | L | 133-for-508 | .262 | 22 | .759 | 14-for-36 | .389 | 3 | 1.088 | 3500 | 4100 | 4700 |
| Marlon Byrd | CLE | R | NYM | Bartolo Colon | R | 125-for-506 | .247 | 23 | .743 | 4-for-19 | .211 | 1 | .694 | 3100 | 4000 | 4150 |
| Kevin Pillar | TOR | R | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 163-for-586 | .278 | 12 | .314 | 9-for-41 | .220 | 0 | .573 | 2900 | 3800 | 4550 |
| Randal Grichuk | STL | R | CIN | Tim Melville | R | 89-for-323 | .276 | 17 | .877 | 6-for-25 | .240 | 1 | .827 | 2500 | 3600 | 4650 |
| Socrates Brito | ARI | L | SD | James Shields | R | 10-for-33 | .303 | 0 | .778 | 7-for-23 | .304 | 1 | .826 | 2500 | 2800 | 3450 |
| Enrique Hernandez | LAD | R | SF | Madison Bumgarner | L | 62-for-202 | .307 | 7 | .836 | 8-for-20 | .400 | 0 | .955 | 2300 | 2700 | 4000 |
| Craig Gentry | LAA | R | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 6-for-50 | .120 | 0 | .398 | 4-for-17 | .235 | 0 | .644 | 2100 | 2700 | 3300 |
Jose Bautista is going to hit one out of the park tonight against Rick Porcello (well, 75 percent sure). Bautista is 13-for-28 (.464 AVG) with three homers, nine RBIs, and five walks against Porcello throughout his career.
Colby Rasmus was 2-for-4 with a home run off of Mike Pelfrey last season. I’m not a fan of his price tonight, but I do think he has a good shot as anyone to take one out of the yard. Pelfrey’s 4.45 xFIP last season was absolutely terrible.
David Peralta makes a GREAT mini-stack option with Paul Goldschmidt. Peralta is also 4-for-8 (.500 AVG) against James Shields, but also has two homers, a double, three walks, and zero strikeouts against the home run prone right-hander.
Mark Trumbo is absolutely killing it right now. I honestly think he has a shot at 40 homers this season at Camden Yards. Obviously, Globe Life Park is another good situation for Trumbo, and he’ll be facing Martin Perez, who he has gone 4-for-9 (.444 AVG) with a home run and double against in his career.
Marlon Byrd is 6-for-14 (.429 AVG) with two homers, two walks, and just one strikeout against Bartolo Colon.
Kevin Pillar is still under $3000 on FanDuel, even though he’s constantly in a great situation at the leadoff spot for the Jays. He went 4-for-13 (.307 AVG) with three doubles against Rick Porcello in 2015.
Randal Grichuk becomes a highlighted option in St. Louis with Jeremy Hazelbaker’s price finally over $3000 on FanDuel. Hazelbaker is still in play, but Grichuk is a much better value. He is 5-for-10 (.500 AVG) with a home run, two doubles, and five RBIs over his last three games. And again, I’m not feeling it from Tim Melville.
Socrates Brito is 5-for-13 (.385 AVG) with a homer, triple, and stolen base in his last three games. He will continue to hit in the 2-hole in front of Paul Goldschmidt against right-handed pitching. With Goldschmidt and Peralta both mashing Shields last season (Goldy was also 4-for-8 w/2 homers off of Shields last season), he can easily get double digit points as long as he can get on base.
Enrique Hernandez was a name I brought up yesterday as a lefty masher. That trend even includes days when he faces Madison Bumgarner. “Kike” is 7-for-13 (.538 AVG) with a homer and three doubles against the Giants ace.
Craig Gentry rounds out our list of outfielders. Basically, there is no shortage of good punt plays in the outfield tonight, and I’m listing a few extra for those needing the extra savings to pay up for pitching. Obviously, Gentry hitting in front of Trout helps his case as a solid DFS option, but tonight, it includes Pujols’s ridiculous numbers against Tommy Milone. On top of that, Gentry is 3-for-7 (.429 AVG) with a walk against Milone.
Be sure to keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page to confirm that your players are starting.
If you guys have any questions, you can always reach me on Twitter @kle18. Good luck!