Starting Pitcher
Noah Syndergaard ($9,600) – The Mets pitching has been very good against the Nationals so far in this series. Matt Harvey was dominant and so was Jacob DeGrom after the early innings Saturday. The Nationals do not have a lot of bats that scare you and Citi Field is one of the top-two friendliest parks for pitchers in all of baseball. Syndergaard has averaged seven innings and seven strikeouts over his last six starts and only picked up three wins. When he does get the win, his scores are averaging over 20 fantasy points per contest and he is favored for the win Sunday.
Catcher
Kyle Schwarber ($2,900) – How can you not play Schwarber at this price in this matchup? Kyle Lohse has been horrible, posting an ERA over six to each side of the plate. Left-handed hitters have a .271 batting average with 11 homers in 51 innings against him this season. Schwarber has a sick .460 wOBA and a .260 ISO. You will be hard pressed to find another catcher this cheap with numbers anywhere near that good.
First Base
Ryan Howard ($3,300) – This is a very sneaky play on a guy who has been on fire and always goes very low owned. He has hit safely in seven straight games and is averaging over six fantasy points during that run. Howard is a main reason the Phillies have won 11 of their last 13 games, and they put up another double-digit score Saturday.
Second Base
Logan Forsythe ($3,000) – Forsythe never draws high ownership, but he should with his numbers. Forsythe kills left-handed pitching and gets a match up here with Wade Miley, who has allowed a .276 batting average to right-handed hitters with 10 home runs in about 90 innings. Forsythe has a .401 wOBA with an ISO of .313, which makes him one of the best power options on the day at second base. He bats clean up and has a great chance to drive in a few runs, too.
Shortstop
Carlos Correa ($3,900) – This may seem steep for a shortstop, but Correa has quickly established himself as one of the best in the game. He blasted a pair of homers Saturday which is rare for a shortstop. He gets his preferred split and has mashed left-handed pitching all season. He has a .425 wOBA and a .323 ISO against southpaws, so he is in line for another good game.
Third Base
Evan Longoria ($2,900) – The Rays are well represented here because they hit left-handed pitching pretty well and are a sneaky good option for a tournament stack. Longoria killed left-handed pitching last year and has been raising his numbers so far in the second half. Longoria has a .383 wOBA against left-handers in 2015, so it is not like he has struggled. Miguel Sano is also an interesting price-saving option here, but Longo's price is too good to ignore.
Outfield
Adam Jones ($3,400) – Despite some struggles earlier in the season, Jones has raised his numbers back up to the elite level we expected them to be at against left-handed pitching. He has owned southpaws his entire career, and now faces the young Daniel Norris, who has allowed a few homers already in his short time in the majors. Jones has a .410 wOBA with a .247 ISO and gets to hit at home in hitter-friendly Camden Yards.
Ryan Braun ($4,300) – Braun makes the most sense to pay up for of all the expensive options. He is at home in Miller Park, which is a good place to hit, and he faces a weak lefty in Clayton Richard, who has struggled with right-handed power bats in limited action this season. Braun has a wOBA just a tad under .400 with an ISO of .254. He has always had good power against lefties, so this is a dream spot. He is expensive, but worth paying up for here.
Melky Cabrera ($3,900) – Cabrera has finally seen his price rise. He was a $2,200 option in early July but is on fire now. He has 64.75 fantasy points in his last 10 games, an average of almost 6.5 per start. He faces Ivan Nova, who has struggled since coming off the DL. The best part is, Melky has produced in many categories. Besides the hits, he has at least one RBI in nine of his last 10 games. $3,900 might seem high, but his production lately warrants it.
