This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Pitcher
Vince Velasquez, PHI vs. NYM ($9,000): Velazquez has the look of a top-of-the-line pitcher over the first two games of his Phillies tenure in 2016. He's fanned 25 over his first 15 innings of work, while not giving up a run. Meanwhile, the vaunted Mets lineup has struggled to the tune of a .226/.302/.381 team line so far this season, while scoring the second-least runs in the National League and the sixth-least in the majors (42). They've also rang up the 10th-most strikeouts in the majors (110), and have already been blanked twice. Velasquez pitched a complete-game, 16-strikeout gem versus the Padres in his first home start of the season last time out, and has an opportunity to provide another solid return as a nice pivot down from Stephen Strasburg and Francisco Liriano.
Catcher
Yasmani Grandal, LOS at ATL (2,700): The switch-hitting catcher's bat is starting to come alive after an injury delayed his season debut, and he now has back-to-back 15-fantasy point outings on the strength of consecutive multi-hit efforts. Grandal punished righties last season when hitting from the left side of the plate, amassing a .332 wOBA , .185 ISO and 15 homers over 365 plate appearances. The numbers are not a one-year outlier either, as the wOBA rises to .343 when calculated over his 948 career plate appearances against righties. Meanwhile, left-handed hitters were a nightmare for Julio Teheran in 2015, when he surrendered a .386 wOBA, 18 homers and 33 percent hard contact rate to them. Things have been even worse in the early going in 2016, with Teheran yielding a massive .472 wOBA, three homers and a 52.2 hard contact rate to lefty hitters over a 33-batter sample size.
First Base
Ryan Howard, PHI vs. NYM ($2,600): The veteran slugger is off to a sluggish start in 2016, keeping his price at a very manageable level. He draws a young righty in Logan Verrett with only four career starts at the major league level. Howard has punished right-handed pitching in remarkable fashion throughout his storied career, tallying a .389 wOBA and .284 ISO, along with 270 of his 361 career homers. He was still rolling along in 2015 at age 35, totaling a .341 wOBA, .243 ISO and 20 of his 23 homers on the season against them. His early struggles this season notwithstanding, taking a savvy veteran with plenty of pop still left in his bat against an inexperienced pitcher always has a high potential upside, especially at Howard's price.
Second Base
Starlin Castro, NYY vs. OAK ($3,000): Castro has gotten his Yankees tenure off to a strong start, with two homers in the early going and four games with double-digit fantasy points in his last 10. He's also reached base safely in eight games over that span, and has a chance to add to his career success against southpaws in his matchup versus Eric Surkamp. Castro has tallied a .331 wOBA against lefties throughout his career, along with nine homers and a 29.8 percent hard contact rate. Meanwhile, Surkamp has struggled in the early going this season, and right-handed hitters have touched him up for a .318 wOBA over a 32-batter sample. That number rises to .367 over a 220-batter sample when calculated over the course of his five-year career.
Third Base
Jake Lamb, ARI at SFG ($2,500): The emerging Lamb is fresh off a game-tying, ninth-inning homer versus the Giants on Monday, a game in which he also smacked a pair of doubles and generated 33 fantasy points. That represented the fourth game in the last 10 with double-digit fantasy points for the young third baseman, who now faces the talented but struggling Matt Cain. Lamb has generated a solid .324 wOBA versus righties over his brief career, a number that has ballooned up to an impressive .394 (with 36.7 percent hard contact rate) over a 41-plate appearance sample this season. He'll be taking aim at a pitcher who yielded a .404 wOBA and 34 percent hard contact rate to 130 left-handed hitters in 2015, and who's already surrendering a .436 wOBA to them in 2016.
Shortstop
Zack Cozart, CIN vs. COL ($3,000): Considering his spot at the top of the Reds lineup and his level of production, Cozart checks in considerably underpriced. He's posted double-digit fantasy points in two of his last three games, and is slashing an outstanding .455/.444/.606 line so far in 2016 while hitting safely in every game he's played in. Jorge De La Rosa's struggles against right-handed hitters are legendary, with the veteran pitcher surrendering a .347 wOBA and 125 homers to them over the course of his career. Nothing's changed in 2016, with De La Rosa giving up a .348 wOBA and two homers to them over a 53-batter sample. Cozart totaled a .384 wOBA and .239 ISO against lefties last season, and stands a solid chance of extending his early-season success.
Outfield
George Springer, HOU at TEX ($3,700): Although he checks in as our highest-priced value play, Springer's spot in the order, matchup and recent performance bring him to the forefront. He's tallied 27 and 24 fantasy points, respectively, over his last two games, on the strength of a 5-for-8, two-homer, three-RBI stat line. He was also deadly against lefties last season, posting a .405 wOBA, .237 ISO and eight homers over 160 plate appearances against them. On the other hand, Derek Holland struggled mightily against righties in 2015, surrendering a .360 wOBA , 10 homers and a 37.9 percent hard contact rate. Those figures certainly weren't outliers, as the veteran has yielded a .336 wOBA and 107 homers over the course of his career to hitters of that handedness. He also surrendered a .359 wOBA in hitter-friendly Globe Life Park last season.
Hunter Pence, SFG vs. ARI ($3,300): The veteran slugger draws the inconsistent Robbie Ray, just the type of southpaw that he's decimated throughout his career. He's managed a .362 wOBA and .212 ISO against lefties throughout his 10 seasons, along with an impressive 32.8 percent contact rate. He's off to a solid start this season overall as well, reaching base safely in all 14 games. Ray has given up a .344 wOBA and 11 homers to righties over his 120.2 innings against them in his career, along with a 37.5 percent hard contact rate. His control problems also seem to compound against righties, as he's generated a 1.51 WHIP and 4.33 BB/9 rate against hitters of that handedness during his career.
Odubel Herrera, PHI vs. NYM ($2,800): We'll pick on Logan Verrett once again with the underpriced Herrera, who flourished against righties in his rookie season in 2015. He managed a .339 wOBA, 24 doubles, two triples, seven homers and even nine stolen bases against them last season, and is already tallying a .341 wOBA with a homer, five RBI and five walks over 38 plate appearances against them in 2016. He's also got four double-digit fantasy point outings in his last 10, and has reached base safely in all but one game this season, in large part due to the considerable level of patience he exhibits at the plate. To that point, it's notable that Verrett generated a bloated 3.52 BB/9 rate against left-handed hitters over a 92-batter sample in 2015.
