Catcher
Wilson Ramos, NYM vs. WSH
DK ($3,300) FD ($2,500)
I honestly don’t really like this matchup, but this DraftKings price absolutely blows my mind. We’re talking about one of the best hitting catchers in the Majors and it’s a wonder why he’s priced below guys like Rene Rivera, Austin Romine and Caleb Joseph. Ramos is obviously the cream of the crop and that’s just a small sample of the nobodies who are ahead of him. Getting to face a lefty should limit some of the risk, with Ramos posting an .842 OPS against southpaws since the beginning of 2017. Keep an eye on Ramos over the coming weeks, because he should be closer to $4,000.
First Base
Kendrys Morales, NYY at BAL
DK ($3,400) FD ($2,200)
Let’s keep the value plays riding, as Morales has found himself in the heart of the Yankees order. In fact, Morales has batted fifth in three of his first four games with New York, picking up a hit in all three fixtures while providing a homer, two runs scored and three RBI. That’s pretty much the Morales we’ve become accustomed to throughout his career and it’s hard to argue with his .860 OPS against righties last season. Getting to hit in Yankee Stadium should only improve that lefty power, considering that bandbox is the friendliest park for left-handed bats in the league. We’re talking about a guy with a career .189 ISO and .334 wOBA and it’s hard to understand why he’s flirting with a minimum price on both sites in the heart of a potent lineup. The icing on the cake is the matchup though, with Andrew Cashner posting a 4.54 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over the last four years, and the Yankees projected for more than five runs.
Second Base
Rougned Odor, TEX vs. SEA
DK ($4,300) FD ($2,900)
Let’s keep our value plays rolling, as I really love Odor on FanDuel. I probably won’t ride him out there on DK at $4,300, but paying below $3,000 on FD is hard to overlook. What really makes Odor intriguing is his recent form. The lefty second baseman is one of the streakiest players in the league and collecting five homers, nine runs scored and 13 RBI over his last 11 games shows that he’s starting to get hot. What should scare off fantasy owners is his lack of discipline at the plate, but that shouldn’t be an issue against a contact pitcher like Mike Leake. Odor always performs better against righties too, posting a .754 career OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor while picking up almost all of his steals against them.
Third Base
Josh Donaldson, ATL at SF
DK ($4,300) FD ($3,500)
After a few value plays, let’s get to some higher-end options. While hitting in Oracle Park is a scary proposition, facing Andrew Suarez is not. In fact, the Giants southpaw posted a 4.49 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in the Majors last season, and he tallied a 6.33 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in Triple-A so far this season. This marks his first start of the year at this level and it’s a wonder why he was called up while struggling so badly. Suarez is especially bad against righties, with right-handed bats posting a .504 SLG and .363 wOBA against him in his career. That’s a beautiful sign for Donaldson, with the slugging third baseman posting a career .959 OPS against southpaws. He’s hot right now too, providing 12 doubles and seven homers over his last 35 games.
Shortstop
Carlos Correa, HOU vs. CWS
DK ($5,200) FD ($4,000)
Shortstop is an absolute nightmare on this slate, so we’re going to go big here with Correa. The slugging shortstop has been doing some serious damage in the heart of the Astros order, with Correa posting a 1.000 OPS over his last 25 games. That’s really no surprise when you consider the fact that Houston is the highest-scoring team over the last month. While we don’t know who he’s going to face, any time a potent offense like this faces a minor league TBD, it’s worth taking a shot on.
Outfield
Joey Gallo, TEX vs. SEA
DK ($5,700) FD ($4,200)
Much like Odor, we love to use Gallo against contact pitchers. The only weakness that Gallo has is that he strikes out a ton. With that K upside dropped a significant amount against Leake, he becomes one of the best options on the slate. Any time Gallo gets the ball in play, he’s a guy we want stock in. In fact, Gallo is one of the league leaders with a .441 xwOBA and a .362 ISO. He’s been even more absurd against right-handers, posting a 1.089 OPS against righties so far this season.
Ronald Acuna Jr, ATL at SF
DK ($4,600) FD ($4,100)
Acuna got off to a slow start this season but recent results indicate that he’s back to his rookie form. Over his last 14 games, Acuna is hitting .304 with 10 runs scored, nine RBI, three homers and three steals. That directly correlates with him returning to leadoff duties and we definitely want to use him against a weak lefty like Suarez. Since his call-up, Acuna owns a .391 OBP and a 1.001 OPS against southpaws while posting a .658 SLG against lefties so far this year.
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. MIN
DK ($4,000) FD ($3,800)
This DraftKings price is really hard to understand, as Ohtani has been one of the best hitters in the league since joining the Angels. Dating back to last season, Ohtani actually ranks Top 5 in the league in OPS. One would argue that he’s an even better hitter this year, with the Japanese slugger providing a .391 xwOBA so far this season. The lefty slugger is really finding his form at the plate too, collecting nine hits over his last 28 at-bats. We always want to use him against righties too, with Ohtani posting a 1.011 OPS against right-handers since his signing.
Monkey Knife Fight Pick of the Day
Gallo/Odor/Choo combining for more than 4.5 runs+RBI
With a limited slate, we’re going to go with just one pick here. I really like the Rangers today and we’re going to back these Texas righties against Mike Leake. While Leake is a solid pitcher, he seems likely to struggle against a lefty-heavy lineup in a hitter’s haven like Globe Life Park. The main reason is because Leake has a minuscule 16 percent career K rate and that spells disaster in a park like this. Vegas appears to agree with me, as they have the Rangers projected for six runs, the highest total on the slate.
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