This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Pitcher
Scott Kazmir, LOS at TAM ($8,000): Kaz returns to where it all started for him, and although he's struggled against his old club in the past, he'll see perhaps the most punchless version of the Rays that he's encountered in recent years. Tampa is last in the majors with only 74 team RBI and a .221 batting average, while also striking out at the sixth-highest clip in all of baseball (224). They also sport eight regular or semi-regular players hitting under .250, including four under the Mendoza line. While Kazmir's Dodgers stint has undeniably been rocky after a stellar opener in which he pitched six shutout innings, he recorded his first quality start since then in his last trip to the mound versus the Marlins. The masses will likely be off him given his uneven performances to date, and his matchup in a pitcher's park against the most ineffective offense in the majors warrants him consideration.
Catcher
J.T. Realmuto, MIA vs. ARI ($2,900): Realmuto and opposing pitcher Patrick Corbin are heading in opposite directions lately, which makes the Marlins catcher an appealing value play. Realmuto has had double-digit fantasy point outings in three straight games on the strength of three consecutive multi-hit performances, and displayed his ceiling with a 4-for-4 day against the Giants on April 24 that featured a double and solo homer, which netted 30.7 fantasy points. Meanwhile, after a strong trio of starts to kick off the season, Corbin has taken it on the chin over the last two trips to the mound, surrendering 14 hits and 12 runs (11 earned) over the last 11.2 innings. Realmuto has also crushed lefties over his first 12 plate appearances against them this season, posting a .454 wOBA and .273 ISO, and has managed respective figures of .354 and .198 in those categories over 107 career plate appearances versus southpaws.
First Base
Edwin Encarnacion, TOR vs. TEX ($3,300): Finding Encarnacion at his current price is certainly noteworthy, considering the vast ceiling we know he can offer. A lackluster last five games are primarily responsible for the drop, but the Blue Jays slugger may have just the right matchup to snap him out of his doldrums. Encarnacion has mashed both handedness of pitcher over his career, but is particularly proficient against southpaws this season, with a .351 wOBA, .211 ISO and whopping 53.3 percent hard contact rate over 21 plate appearances. While much of that success has ironically come away from the Rogers Centre, the hitter-friendly conditions of his home park can facilitate plenty of offense at any time. Martin Perez is on the other end of the spectrum, as he's been touched up by right-handed hitters to the tune of a .365 wOBA and three homers over a 94-batter sample in 2016, as well as a .337 wOBA and 21 homers over his four-plus major league seasons.
Second Base
Daniel Murphy, WAS at KC ($3,600): Murphy has fantasy point totals of 9.7, 12.7, 9.5 and 15.5 over his last four games respectively, as well as two other double-digit outings over his last 10. He'll draw a matchup that could well facilitate continued success, as the long ball-prone Chris Young has given up a .410 wOBA and three homers to left-handed bats over a 49-hitter sample this season. Murphy is crushing right-handed pitching in 2016, already posting a .422 wOBA, .212 ISO and 40.4 hard contact rate over 74 plate appearances, with a lot of that success coming in road parks. Those numbers bear out over the long term as well, as the eight-year veteran owns a .341 wOBA and 52 of his 64 career homers against righties.
Third Base
Martin Prado, MIA vs. ARI ($3,200): Prado is another Marlin with a scorching-hot bat, posting six games with double-digit fantasy points in his last seven, and five consecutive multi-hit outings. While he hasn't provided anything in the way of the long ball as of yet, he does have 87 career homers, meaning it's likely just a matter of time before that component of his offense kicks in. He's thoroughly decimated left-handed pitching to date in 2016 over a small 14-plate appearance sample, posting a .446 wOBA. While that figures is obviously a bit inflated, his 2015 numbers against southpaws bear out his proficiency over a larger sample, as he tallied a .362 wOBA and .140 ISO over 128 plate appearances. With Patrick Corbin experiencing some recent struggles, the matchup could be right for Prado to extend his torrid stretch of hitting.
Shortstop
Jonathan Villar, MIL vs. LAA ($3,000): Villar's upside has been on full display recently, as he's scored 39.4, 30.9 and 22 fantasy points in three of his last five games. He's swiped five bags over that span, and his proficiency on the base paths always offers the potential for a nice boost in his fantasy production. The Angels' Nick Tropeano, he of the 4.22 BB/9 rate in 2016 and 3.24 career figure in that category, could well be a willing facilitator to those types of opportunities. Although Villar has his best success when hitting from the right side of the plate, he's still managed a solid .321 wOBA from the left side in 2016. Meanwhile, Tropeano has been victimized by left-handed hitters, surrendering a .391 wOBA over a 55-batter sample in 2016, along with a 5.05 xFIP.
Outfield
Curtis Granderson, NYM vs. ATL ($3,400): The 13-year veteran has always feasted on right-handed pitching and is back at it again in 2016, posting a .362 wOBA, .219 ISO and 35.1 percent hard contact rate over 86 plate appearances. He's also scored from 12.4 to a whopping 50.9 fantasy points in five of his last 10 games, with the high figure in that range having come against this same Atlanta squad on April 22. Braves starter Matt Wisler has been fairly solid this season, but got touched up by the Red Sox in his last start to the tune of five earned runs over five innings. He's also yielded a .361 wOBA in 52 plate apparances against left-handed hitters this season, along with three of the four homers he's given up. Those numbers balloon up to .408 and 13, respectively, over his career 289-batter sample against lefty batsmen.
Oswaldo Arcia, MIN at HOU ($2,800): Arcia has from 6.2 to 18.7 fantasy points in four of the last five games, and two other games within the last ten with double-digit fantasy points. Astros starter Collin McHugh has seen his 2016 campaign get off to a rough start against all hitters, and has surrendered a .463 wOBA in 56 plate appearances against lefties, along with both of the homers he's given up on the season. Arcia also has plenty of power to exploit the hitter-friendly confines of Minute Maid Park, and McHugh has surrendered 15 hits and seven earned runs over nine innings in his last two home starts.
Enrique Hernandez, LOS at TAM ($2,100): You almost have to do a double-take when you see Hernandez just $100 away from bare minimum, particularly against a southpaw. Granted, both his current lackluster stretch at the plate and Matt Moore's own solid pitching this season could give reason to look elsewhere, but Hernandez's price carries essentially no risk. He's also got the track record against southpaws, having posted a .546 wOBA, .400 ISO and 52.9 percent hard contact rate against them over 25 plate appearances this season. You won't see much drop-off when taking a longer view either, as he's mashed lefties to the tune of a .458 wOBA, .273 ISO and 36.2 percent hard contact rate over his 147 career plate appearances against them. While Moore has proven to be a reverse-splits pitcher to date this season, surrendering a stingy .252 wOBA to righties while giving up a generous .351 to lefties, three of the four homers he's given up have come to right-handed bats, and all have come at Tropicana Field. He's also given up 35 of his 47 career homers to right-handed hitters.
