Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

It's a decent pitching slate Thursday night with a number of ways to go, and one of them probably isn't Justin Verlander (at least for me). That being the case, I looked more toward consistency with hitting, and that should make for an overall solid lineup in cash games.

PITCHER

German Marquez, COL at SD ($48): You can save a few bucks with Marquez and still get the upside and consistency as the more expensive guys. He's hit 21 fantasy points in his last six starts and has gone seven innings in each of his last three, only allowing 11 hits in those three. The Padres won't change that with a 25.9 K percentage and .290 wOBA against righties since the All-Star break.

J.A. Happ, NYY vs. DET ($44): Happ isn't far off from Marquez with at least 24 fantasy points in his last four outings and only seven runs allowed in those performances. The bigger selling point is his opponent, as the Tigers can't hit anyone and have been worst in the league against southpaws since the break with a .098 ISO and .262 wOBA.

CATCHER

Evan Gattis, HOU vs. LAA ($7): With a lefty on the mound, Gattis makes sense to start behind the plate even if he's struggling. He still has 11 homers and a .293 ISO against them, and Andrew Heaney may be struggling the most of any pitcher on the slate. Heaney has given up 18 hits and 11 runs in his last two starts with the most recent one against the Astros.

FIRST BASE

Ryon Healy, SEA at OAK ($8): Healy has a small price, but his numbers aren't much worse in the second half compared to the first half, and a .218 ISO is intriguing for cheap. Frankie Montas is back with the A's after serving in Triple-A over the last month. His ERA is actually worse in Triple-A at 4.65 and that's how he left the majors at the end of July, allowing at least three runs in four of his last five outings.

SECOND BASE

Jose Altuve, HOU vs. LAA ($18): Altuve homered the last time he saw Heaney, and while his numbers against southpaws aren't great this year, he's still worth using due to 2017's .209 ISO and .412 wOBA. All 19 home runs Heaney has allowed have come against righties, which shows in his career .342 wOBA allowed.

THIRD BASE

Miguel Andujar, NYY vs. DET ($21): Take your pick of the Yankees against Francisco Liriano, who has given up 11 runs in his last three starts and didn't make it two innings against the Twins. His 1.74 HR/9 allowed to righties also isn't a great number versus this lineup. Andujar is one of the options with a .231 ISO and .346 wOBA against southpaws.

SHORTSTOP

Carlos Correa, HOU vs. LAA ($12): Correa comes on the cheap due to a lack of power against lefties, but his consistency with a .387 BABIP is still worth using. The Astros should pound Heaney again, and Correa will benefit from Heaney's 4.54 xFIP against righty bats.

OUTFIELD

Matt Holliday, COL at SD ($16): This may be hoping for too much, but Holliday can still hit the ball, and just last year had a .209 ISO and .361 wOBA against lefty arms. That could work against Eric Lauer, who gave up 14 runs in his three starts prior to going on the DL for the last month. His .366 wOBA allowed to righties is also a problem against the Rockies.

Denard Span, SEA at OAK ($15): Span's in the lineup to get on base, which is what he does against righty arms with a .343 wOBA and respectable power (.171 ISO) for a 34-year-old. Montas struggled the most against lefties when he was last in the majors and has a .419 wOBA allowed for his career (46.0 IP).

Adam Engel, CWS vs. BOS ($13): Not many will be looking at White Sox players, but Rick Porcello has given up 16 runs in his last four starts and has been pitching closer to last season's .336 wOBA allowed to righties. Engel is another hitter who gets on base with a .417 BABIP in his last 74 at-bats against righties.

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.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
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.
New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros & More MLB Best Bets & Player Props, May 9
New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros & More MLB Best Bets & Player Props, May 9
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Thursday, May 9
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Thursday, May 9
MLB DFS: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, May 9
MLB DFS: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, May 9
Boston Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves & More MLB Bets & Expert Picks for May 8
Boston Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves & More MLB Bets & Expert Picks for May 8
MLB Bets Today: Expert MLB Props for Wednesday, May 8
MLB Bets Today: Expert MLB Props for Wednesday, May 8
MLB Points Leagues: Examining Starting Pitcher Roster Trends
MLB Points Leagues: Examining Starting Pitcher Roster Trends