This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
PITCHER
Joe Ross, WAS vs. CIN ($8,800): Ross sees a Reds team Saturday that has struggled against righties all year long, striking out 22.8 percent of the time against them while tallying a paltry .301 wOBA. They're a much less prolific squad away from Great American Ballpark as well, as they've managed just a .296 wOBA outside of their hitter-friendly home environment. To top it off, they've been slumping considerably, managing just a .291 wOBA and 22.6 percent strikeout rate over the last seven days. Ross has had some ups and downs this season, but he still brings 20-plus fantasy-point potential in any given start.
Danny Duffy, KC at PHI ($8,900): Duffy has pitched exceedingly well this season and draws a Phillies squad that's last in the league against southpaws with a .266 wOBA. They've also struck out 23.7 percent of the time against lefties, while generating a paltry .101 ISO. Duffy has over 30 fantasy points in two of his last four starts, and he has actually been better on the road, where he's generated a 2.03 ERA and held opposing batters to a .213 batting average over 31 innings.
CATCHER
Russell Martin, TOR vs. CLE ($2,500): Martin serves as a cost-effective source of potential value at catcher, allowing you to spend up elsewhere on the large slate. He's struggled for a large part of the season but still brings upside, having managed double-digit fantasy points in two of his last six starts. The Indians will likely be forced to go with a spot starter Saturday after Friday's 19-inning marathon, possibly providing Martin with a favorable matchup. This one carries some risk, but saves some all-important cash.
FIRST BASE
Albert Pujols, LAA at BOS ($4,800) Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz continues to struggle in the majority of his starts, and Pujols brings a career .400/.438/.733 line against him over 15 career at-bats with two doubles, a homer and four RBI. Buchholz has given up 10 of his 15 homers on the season to right-handed hitters, with nine of those coming at Fenway Park, where he's also yielded a .330 wOBA to that handedness. Pujols has been swinging a hot bat as well, with a seven-game hitting streak that includes four multi-hit efforts. With the Green Monster looming as a backdrop, Pujols brings plenty of upside.
SECOND BASE
Dustin Pedroia, BOS vs. LAA ($4,500): There's a matchup to exploit on the other side of the Red Sox-Angels tilt as well, namely southpaw Hector Santiago, who has given up a .345 wOBA and 15 of his 17 homers on the season to right-handed hitters. Pedroia has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, with three double-digit fantasy-point outings over that span. He also has a .368 wOBA against lefties at Fenway Park and has tallied four hits, including three doubles, in 11 career at-bats versus Santiago.
THIRD BASE
Evan Longoria, DET at TAM ($3,500): We'll try to capitalize on Justin Verlander's reverse-splits tendencies with Longoria, who's been one of the few consistent bright spots for the Rays' offense. Longoria does have one homer as part of seven hits against Verlander in 28 career at-bats, and the Tigers starter is fresh off giving up four round-trippers to the Indians in his last start. Longoria also has 16 of his 18 homers on the season against righties, along with a .364 wOBA that rises to .378 when facing them at home. Meanwhile, Verlander has yielded a .335 wOBA to right-handed bats on the road and is coming off a month when he surrendered a 4.73 ERA and .358 wOBA over 32.1 innings.
SHORTSTOP
Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs. LAA ($5,000): Bogaerts provides another right-handed bat with which to pick on Angels starter Hector Santiago. He's having a spectacular season as well, including has a .399 wOBA against lefties that rises to .439 when facing them at Fenway.
OUTFIELD
Michael Saunders, TOR vs. CLE ($2,800): Saunders has seen a significant price drop, and his 0-for-7, five-strikeout day in Friday's 2-1, 19-inning loss to the Indians certainly doesn't bring much confidence. However, we already saw the massive ceiling that the veteran outfielder brings earlier this season, and he should have the masses off him in tournaments considering his recent struggles. That makes it an opportune time to tab him, considering he's also likely to face a spot starter now that scheduled Indians starter Trevor Bauer essentially took his scheduled turn in Friday's game by pitching five innings of relief.
Ian Desmond, TEX at MIN ($5,000): Twins starter Tyler Duffey has shown some reverse-splits tendencies this season, giving up a .374 wOBA and eight of his 12 homers to right-handed hitters. He's particularly struggled against them at home, where he's posted a .418 wOBA and given up seven of those round-trippers. Desmond has a .364 wOBA and 10 of his 15 homers on the year against righty arms, along with a 33.1 percent hard contact rate. His hard contact is actually on the rise as well, as his 36 percent figure in June was his best of the first three months of the season. He slashed .358/.423/.596 in June and he got the new month started off right Friday with a three-hit effort, including a solo homer.
Shin-Soo Choo, TEX at MIN ($4,100): Choo gives us another bat to attack Duffey with, only from the opposite side of the plate. Duffey has given up a .383 wOBA to left-handed hitters at home and a 7.18 ERA and .361 wOBA over 26.1 June innings. Meanwhile, Choo boasts a .349 wOBA against right-handed pitching on the road, and he closed out June hitting safely in seven of his last eight games of the month.
