Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Clayton Kershaw, LAD vs. SD ($56): Kershaw may be priced more than everyone else, but his salary isn't that much greater than other top options. He's the safest pitcher in the game and gave no reason not to trust him in the spring. In addition the Padres struggled against lefties last season, posting a 25.3 percent K-rate as a team.

Stephen Strasburg, WAS vs. MIA ($51): When there are good pitchers in great matchups, you have to take them. Strasburg wasn't at his best in the spring, but he's at least healthy for the Nationals' opener. He remains one of the top strikeout pitchers in the game, making him worth the money. As a bonus, the Marlins were near the bottom of the league in wOBA (.309) and ISO (.131) vs. righties last season.

CATCHER

Stephen Vogt, OAK vs. LAA ($13): Vogt should get the start going against righty Ricky Nolasco. The best thing about him is that his K-rate remains one of the lowest among catchers at 14 percent and Nolasco was below average at making guys swing and miss a year ago.

FIRST BASE

Joey Votto, CIN vs. PHI ($21): This is about as good as it gets even with Jeremy Hellickson coming off a solid season for the Phillies. Votto has been one of the best against righties throughout his career, and his .430 wOBA against them in 2016 was only topped by David Ortiz.

SECOND BASE

Daniel Murphy, WAS vs. MIA ($19): Murphy's numbers against right-handers wasn't matched by many last season (.419 wOBA) and he'll face Edinson Volquez, who had issues a year ago with the Royals that included a .346 wOBA allowed to left-handed hitters. There's no guarantee he'll be any better in Miami.

THIRD BASE

Nolan Arenado, COL at MIL ($22): Arenado was plenty effective against righties last season with a .396 wOBA. His numbers aren't as good away from Colorado (obviously), but Miller Park is still a nice place to hit. On the mound, Junior Guerra gets the call in his second season and he was slightly worse (.282 wOBA) against right-handed hitters last year.

SHORTSTOP

Jose Reyes, NYM vs. ATL ($10): It looks like Reyes will start the season at third base in place of David Wright. Getting a cheap price on a switch-hitter at shortstop is great, especially as Reyes should be in the leadoff spot against Julio Teheran, who was mediocre at best against lefties last season (.325 wOBA).

OUTFIELD

Bryce Harper, WAS vs. MIA ($22): This is a great spot to go heavy on Harper, especially if you grab Murphy at second base. Harper has been better against right-handed pitchers throughout his career (.394 wOBA) and should touch base a couple times in an opening game in which the Nationals are large favorites.

Curtis Granderson, NYM vs. ATL ($10): Granderson provides great value as he's starting the season as the Mets' cleanup hitter. At this price, the matchup couldn't be better against Teheran. The righty struggled mightily against lefties last season and Granderson has been notably better against righties with a .349 wOBA last season.

Miguel Sano, MIN vs. KC ($12): There will always be some worry about Sano's K-rate, but he kicks off the season against a beatable lefty in Danny Duffy. The Royal improved greatly last season but while he mowed down lefties, he was fa less effective against righties (.325 wOBA). Sano has been hitting well in the spring and should slow in no lower than fifth in the Twins' batting order.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a 2019, 2018 and 2017 Finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He also runs RotoWire's Bracketology, as well as writes on other various college basketball content. He has previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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