This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Regular season baseball is back! A three-game slate might not feel like much of a DFS Opening Day, but we are still here to find plays for our readers that have a chance to put up big points. The three games are spread throughout the day Sunday, but late swap has returned in 2017, meaning that fantasy owners shouldn't have to feel squeamish about players who may or may not be in the starting lineup.
PITCHER
Chris Archer, TB vs. NYY ($9,200): Archer was put on a tight leash during the World Baseball Classic, but he will be unrestrained against the Yankees, a team that registered the second-lowest road wOBA last season. The Bombers made a few changes this offseason, but nothing that should drastically alter their offense from last year. Archer got off to a shaky start in 2016, but reestablished himself as a top starter in the American League by logging a 3.25 ERA and a 28 percent strikeout rate over 91.1 innings after the All-Star break.
Zack Greinke, ARI vs. SF ($7,700): It's never a bad idea to try to differentiate lineup on a short slate, and Greinke likely will be a scarcity play after logging a 4.37 ERA in 2016. Greinke should have what it takes to throw a nice game against the Giants, as they were a bottom-10 team against the slider and changeup last year, two pitches Greinke threw more than 20 percent of the time. It is also worth noting that the Giants held the third lowest ISO (.137) on the road. There were some issues with Greinke's velocity this spring, but the 33-year-old hit 91 miles per hour on the radar gun in his final spring start.
CATCHER
Gary Sanchez, NYY at TB ($4,500): Sanchez cleaned up against same-handed pitchers in his rookie season, hitting .338/.404/.689 in 148 at-bats. While Archer improved his numbers across the board in the second half of 2016, he still allowed 12 homers in 91.1 frames.
FIRST BASE
Paul Goldschmidt, ARI vs. SF ($4,600): Madison Bumgarner is one of the best pitchers in the game, but he had a bit of an issue keeping the ball in the park on the road last season, allowing 19 bombs in 109 innings. Goldschmidt absolutely destroyed his opposite hand in 2016, batting .352/.494/.576 in 125 at-bats.
SECOND BASE
Ben Zobrist, CHC at STL ($4,000): Zobrist should have a safe floor in the matchup against Carlos Martinez, as he got on base at a .394 clip in 116 at-bats against groundball pitchers last year. Zobrist has walked more than he has struck out in each of the last two seasons, and could use his plate discipline and coverage skills to get on base against Martinez.
THIRD BASE
Kris Bryant, CHC at STL ($4,800): Bryant hasn't had much success in 19 career at-bats against Martinez, but among that small sample is a 46 percent flyball rate against the extreme groundball pitcher, which suggests better fortune is ahead. The 25-year-old did his best work against lefties last season, but still notched a .239 ISO in 447 at-bats against right-handers.
SHORTSTOP
Brad Miller, TB vs. NYY ($3,600): Miller reinvented himself as a power hitter last year, launching 30 home runs and increasing his ISO (.239) by nearly 100 points. Tanaka has been good at stifling homers in general, but allowed a hard-contact rate of more than 32 percent to both righties and lefties in 2016, which could mean good results for Miller when he makes contact.
OUTFIELD
Dexter Fowler, STL vs. CHC ($4,100): Fowler was solid from both sides of the plate in 2016 but posted a .380 wOBA and a .187 ISO against left-handed pitching. Jon Lester's ERA was less than 3.00 in two of the last four seasons, but has allowed 100 stolen bases over that span, the most of any starting pitcher in the league. This makes Fowler a dual threat, as he stole 13 bases last year.
Hunter Pence, SF at ARI ($4,300): Pence has missed large portions of the last two seasons with injuries, but it might serve us well to look at power options from both dugouts, as Chase Field is the only hitters' park on the slate. The power seemed to dip for Pence during his 106-game season in 2016, but he still had a hard-contact rate of 30 percent. Pence notched a runs-above-average score of 4.7 against the changeup, which should help him make solid contact against Greinke.
A.J. Pollock, ARI vs. SF ($3,800): Pollock was another member of the injury brigade in 2016, playing just 12 games before suffering a season-ending groin injury. Pollock has a .208 ISO against left-handed pitching in 418 career at-bats, and averages more than 3.0 runs above average against the slider, a pitch Bumgarner threw 33 percent of the time in 2016.
