This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A reminder that 11 of today's 15 games get an afternoon start due to the Labor Day holiday, so set your lineups early!
Pitchers
Yordano Ventura, $8,500 – Remember when Ventura was going to be sent down to Triple-A in the middle of July and then was recalled less than 24 hours later? He has been phenomenal since his demotion and has been one of the game's best starters over his last five contests. He's scored at least 12 fantasy points in each one of them and is coming off back-to-back 21 point performances. He gets the Twins, a mediocre matchup at home in the pitcher-friendly confines of Kauffman Stadium. Ventura's ERA at home is over a run better than on the road and he'll look to win his fourth straight game.
Catcher
Salvador Perez, $2,300 – This is a great spot to save some of your budget and spend up on your outfield or your starting pitcher. Somewhat quietly, Perez hit his 19th home run of the season Sunday and gets a soft-tossing lefty in Tommy Milone today. Perez's OPS is 60 points higher at home this season and he's scored positive points in the Fanduel system in eight of his last nine games.
First Base
Pedro Alvarez, $2,400 – Alvarez still possesses a big power bat and gets to move to a more favorable hitter's park in Cincinnati today. He's coming off a hot month of August when he hit six home runs and posted a .852 OPS. He's only $200 more than the minimum and has a decent matchup against Anthony DeSclafani who has a 5.37 ERA at home. 11 of the 15 home runs DeSclafani has given up this season have been to left-handed hitters and it just so happens Alvarez was one of those players, going 4-for-9 in a small sample.
Second Base
Kolten Wong, $2,500 – Wong was mired in a slump during August, hitting only .202 with an OPS of .507. However, he heated up at the end of the month and has carried it over to September. Since getting two games in a row off, Wong has gone 16-for-43 (.372) over his last 11 contests. Dan Haren has also struggled against lefties this season, giving up a whopping .869 OPS against them. It doesn't hurt that Wong has gone 4-for-6 against Haren with two doubles. Teammate Jason Heyward ($3,400) is another good option to use if you want to fade Haren.
Third Base
Todd Frazier, $2,300 – It's tough to consider using Frazier considering he has a .634 OPS since the All-Star break. However, the stars seem to be aligning for him on Labor Day to have a good fantasy day. First, his price is only $100 more than the minimum and the lowest it's been all season. He gets a matchup against a lefty in Jeff Locke, a pitcher he's gone 9-for-23 (.391) with two home runs against. He's a great option to use in both cash games and tournaments.
Shortstop
Corey Seager, $3,100 – The rookie has hit the ground running at the plate and has even impressed in the field with his glove during his short stint with the Dodgers. He's started three of his first four big-league games and went 5-for-15 in the series in Petco Park. He'll move into a better, albeit neutral, hitter's park today and gets a good matchup against Nick Tropeano. Tropeano had a 4.81 ERA in the minors this season and a 5.51 ERA in 16 innings with the big club. Don't be surprised if Seager hits his first big league home run.
Outfield
Christian Yelich, $3,100 – Yelich has caught fire as of late and owns a 1.204 OPS over the last week. Miami bats – Justin Bour, Derek Dietrich, Dee Gordon and Yelich – can be great tournament plays as they'll always be under-owned. Yelich gets the benefit of facing Zach Davies who was bombed in his first major league start and doesn't look ready yet for the big show. He should be hitting in the two hole, a good spot with the pitcher paying attention to Dee Gordon if he's on base.
Chris Young, $2,900 – Since rosters expanded September 1, Young has seen less playing time against right-handed pitching. The good news is that today he's facing Wei-Yin Chen, a southpaw, in Yankee Stadium. Young typically has hit high in the order against lefties and owns a .983 OPS against them this season. His price has dipped below the $3,000 mark for the first time in weeks and he should be able to pay off that mark.
Brandon Guyer, $2,500 – Like Young, Guyer has been a lefty killer all season and has typically hit leadoff for the Rays against them. He has a .836 OPS against left-handed pitching this season and gets the soft-tossing Randy Wolf in Detroit. Guyer can also run, going 10-for-13 this season in stolen base attempts. Teammates Evan Longoria ($3,000) and Logan Forsythe ($3,500) are also in play against lefties, meaning a mini-stack of Rays should pay dividends.
