This article is part of our FantasyDraft MLB series.
PITCHER
Robbie Ray, AZ vs. MIL ($23,400): Ray has 36 strikeouts in his past four games, surrendering one run during that span. He gets what should be a good matchup against the Brewers, who have a 26.3 percent strikeout rate this season, the second-highest in the league.
Max Scherzer, WAS vs. TEX ($25,200): I really tried to avoid going with two high-priced pitchers, but nobody down the list of pitchers stuck out, so I'm hoping that Ray and Scherzer can provide good value. Scherzer gets a decent matchup against the Rangers, whose strikeout rate is in the highest 10 in the majors.
INFIELD
Buster Posey, SF vs. MN ($8,000): The Giants will face journeyman starter Nik Turley, who is in the majors to eat innings during a long stretch where the Twins have only a couple days off. After being held down for the first two games of the series, I expect the Giants to bounce back, and particularly Posey, who leads the team with a .455 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Miguel Sano, MN at SF ($9,300): While the Giants will do everything they can to avoid a sweep, they are sending Matt Cain to the mound, and he's had plenty of trouble this season. Sano has been the Twins' best hitter overall this season, and his .425 wOBA against righties is in the top-20 in the majors.
Adam Lind, WAS vs. TEX ($6,800): With a righty on the mound, there's a chance that Lind gets the start against Austin Bibens-Dirlx, which is an excellent matchup, as Lind, who homered Saturday, comes in with a .419 wOBA against right-handed pitching this year.
OUTFIELD
Aaron Hicks, NYY vs. BAL ($9,300):Kevin Gausman takes the mound for the Orioles, and unless the Yankees used up all their hits Saturday, it looks to be another long day for the O's bullpen. Hicks is just one of many Yankees in play, but he's the one who generally garners the least attention. He is averaging 9.70 fantasy points per game this season, which is fewer than Aaron Judge but more than Brett Gardner. Hicks has also been very good against righties this season, as he holds a .429 wOBA against them.
Lorenzo Cain, KC at SD ($7,200): Another terrible pitching matchup in this series, as the Padres send Dinelson Lamet to the mound to face Jake Junis. We'll get to Junis in a bit, but as for Lamet, he was torched for seven runs in just three innings in his last outing. We can't be sure that Lamet is reliably bad, as he's had only one terrible outing in three starts. With that said, I'm going to go with at least one Royals batter, if not more, and Cain is the best option with three home runs in his last four games.
Michael Brantley, CLE vs. CHW ($7,600):Jose Quintana takes the mound for the White Sox, and though he pitched well in his most recent outing, he was absolutely hammered in the two starts prior. Whether or not Quintana is back to form may be irrelevant, as Brantley has 15 hits, including five for extra bases, in 30 career at-bats against him.
UTILITY
Jose Pirela, SD vs. KC ($4,800): If you are spending up on pitching, you'll need some cheap hitting options and Pirela provides a lot of upside for the price. Pirela has nine hits in just five games this month, and he's coming off his best game Saturday when he had three hits, three runs, three RBI and a home run. Pirela and the Padres get a great matchup against Jake Junis, who is coming off an outing when he surrendered seven runs in fewer than four innings.
Guillermo Heredia, SEA vs. TOR ($4,800): Another low-priced option who provides some upside, Heredia has played pretty well over the past couple weeks and has a good matchup against lefty J.A. Happ. Happ got knocked around pretty good in his last start, which has been a trend lately, as he's struggled since his return from the DL. The Mariners aren't great against lefties as a whole, but Heredia has shown to be competent against them with a .356 wOBA.
