This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
By this point in the season, stats have started to stabilize, even the surprising ones. We have a good sense of who these players are, and what these teams are. That makes it a little easier to build your daily fantasy lineups, but it never hurts to get advice. As it is a Sunday, the bulk of the 15 MLB games are in the afternoon, starting at 1:10 p.m. EDT. Here are some lineup recommendations.
STARTING PITCHERS
Jon Lester, CHC vs. SDP ($43): Lester is 12-4 with a 3.22 ERA, and at home that ERA drops to 2.97. Meanwhile, the Padres have arguably the worst offense in the majors. They are second-to-last in runs scored, though they've played three more games than the last-place Royals, but their .661 team OPS is the worst in the league by a considerable offense. There is little reason to worry that San Diego has the bats to rough up Lester, especially at home.
Trevor Cahill, OAK vs. DET ($34): Cahill has been an elite pitcher at home the last three seasons, but this year he's been particularly good. The 30-year-old has a 1.13 ERA at his home park. Given how helpful Oakland's vast foul territory tends to be to pitchers, that's not surprising. The Tigers have a .298 OBP as a team, and on the road they rank last in runs scored.
[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest or league today]
CATCHER
Russell Martin, TOR at SEA ($15): Martin got off to a strikingly slow start to the season, but he's been markedly better recently. in Toronto's last 30 games he's slashed .274/.384/.500, and he's only gotten hotter recently. As for Seattle starter Mike Leake, he has a 4.38 FIP this year, and a 4.15 FIP in his career.
FIRST BASE
Joey Votto, CIN at WAS ($17): Votto is having a "down" year, which is to say he has a .288 batting average and .427 slugging percentage, but that's because he's had some issues against lefties. That won't be a problem against right-hander Tanner Roark. The Nationals pitcher also has a 4.24 FIP, and in three of his last four seasons he's had a 4.18 FIP or higher.
SECOND BASE
Jed Lowrie, OAK vs. DET ($15): Lowrie has a .820 OPS, his highest since the 2010 season, and also a career-high 17 home runs. Over the previous three seasons, Francisco Liriano averaged a 4.46 FIP, and his move to the Tigers hasn't paid off. He has a 5.21 FIP this year, and has allowed 1.26 homers per nine innings.
THIRD BASE
Anthony Rendon, WAS vs. CIN ($20): Rendon has slashed .289/.349/.521 this season, and he's notched 16 home runs despite missing time with injury. In his three full seasons he's hit at least 20 homers, and seemed primed to do that again this year. In his second season, Luis Castillo's FIP has risen to 4.47, in part because he's allowed 1.48 homers per nine innings.
SHORT STOP
Asdrubal Cabrera, PHI vs. MIA ($15): Cabrera hit his 19th home run of the season Saturday, his first with the Phillies. Although he's gotten off to something of a slow start with Philly, overall he's slashed .271/.322/.478. Dan Straily has a 5.60 FIP this season, and he's allowed 1.75 homers per nine innings. That's not totally unheard of, as in his career he's given up 1.47 homers per nine.
OUTFIELD
Shin-Soo Choo, TEX vs. BAL ($20): Although Choo has struggled since the All-Star break, he's had a fine season overall, as he's averaged 7.7 fantasy points per game. He also has a .928 OPS against righties, and a .852 OPS at home. Hot summer days in Texas tend to help the ball fly out of the park as well. Rookie pitcher Yefry Ramirez has only pitched in seven games, six starts, but in that time he has a 4.94 FIP.
Nelson Cruz, SEA vs. TOR ($18): Cruz has a ton of power, as his career .521 slugging percentage attests. This year, he's been better than that, as he has a .550 slugging percentage to go with 28 homers. Considering that he's hit at least 39 home runs in each of his last four seasons, that's not surprising. Speaking of homers, Sam Gaviglio has allowed 1.78 dingers per nine innings in his career, and he has a 5.25 career FIP as well.
Max Kepler, MIN vs. KAN ($16): In his last 30 games, Kepler has a .258/.360/.474 slash line. Thanks to a home run Saturday, he now has 14 on the season, after hitting 19 in 147 games last year. As for Royals starter Danny Duffy, he's having a rough campaign, as through 23 starts he has a 4.83 FIP.
