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At this point in the season, setting your Head2Head Salary Cap Baseball lineup is all about balance. By now, we have a pretty good idea of who the good players (and pitching staffs) are, as well as the ones who are significantly outperforming their salaries. The balance, therefore, is between chasing the values each and every week while also rostering the players with the best matchups.
When I set my Head2Head lineup each week, I start by listing a handful of teams who have strong upcoming schedules for right-handed and left-handed hitters. Then I scan those teams for underpriced players I can plug into my lineup. Unfortunately, those two lists don’t overlap a whole lot in Week 9, which can lead to some difficult decisions.
All other things being equal, I would lean towards value over schedule. Ronald Acuna ’s price is too low for his talent, and facing a couple of tough pitchers doesn’t change that. That being said, off days are a huge deal. It would take some unusual circumstances for me to use a player who is scheduled to play fewer than seven games, though there is a situation this week in which that is the case.
H2H Baseball Salary Cap players to target:
Atlanta Braves Pitching Staff—Only the Tigers, White Sox and Marlins cost less than the Braves, but Atlanta pitchers rank seventh in MLB in WAR in May. I’m currently winning my Week 8 matchup in part because the Braves staff has only scored five fewer fantasy points than the Astros this week despite costing $7.6 less. Atlanta may not have an ace, but there isn’t a single weak spot in their rotation, either.
Boston Red Sox Pitching Staff—Only the Astros, Nationals and Yankees have a lower xFIP in May than the Red Sox. This is an elite staff, and it costs less than the other elite staffs.
New York Mets Pitching Staff—Unlike the staffs listed above, this is just a Week 9 play. With that in mind, the Mets are scheduled to play eight games Week 9, and Jacob deGrom gets two of those starts. They have a chance to produce like the Astros at a hefty discount.
Welington Castillo , C, CWS—Castillo got off to a slow start, thanks in part to injuries and poor weather, but he is batting .279 with three home runs in May. He is a solid value, especially when he plays at home or against lefties.
Ozzie Albies , 2B, ATL—You could make a strong case Albies is the best value on Head2Head right now. He may not have the week-to-week upside of Javier Báez (also a fantastic value), but he has been far more consistent this season.
Manny Machado , SS, BAL—He has outperformed his price all season, and there is no reason to suspect that would change this week. The best pitcher Baltimore is scheduled to face this week is Gio González , which should tell you all you need to know.
Mike Moustakas , 3B, KC—You pretty much get what you pay for at third base. There aren’t a whole lot of values to be had, with the possible exceptions of Eugenio Suárez and Mike Moustakas . Moustakas already has 10 home runs on the season after hitting 38 in 2017.
Charlie Blackmon , OF, COL—I don’t usually like to use players for Head2Head who only have six games, especially ones who are 4-for-22 over the last week. That being said, Colorado’s upcoming schedule is so good for left-handed batters, including five games at home, that I can’t ignore Blackmon. In fact, he is the only left-handed bat you can trust at all right now for the Rockies.
Mitch Haniger , OF, SEA—Haniger has just one home run in May, but he has 11 for the season. Perhaps more importantly, he is batting .298 on the year.
Michael Brantley , OF, CLE—I have long had a soft spot for Brantley, especially in this kind of format where you only need him to stay healthy for one more week. It doesn’t hurt that Brantley is working on a 10-game hitting streak.