This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Pitcher
Ervin Santana, MIN at ATL ($34): First things first: I'm fading the Royals' Danny Duffy ($44), who I expect to be a popular pick given his insane run of late. But he's allowed seven runs in his last 11.1 innings against the Tigers and given the expected high ownership, looking for alternatives seems wise. Santana has won his last two starts and has given up more than two runs just once in his last nine starts. The Braves are also a popular team to pick against and managed to beat Santana just three starts ago in a game which Santana went all nine innings and fanned five. The Braves sport a .295 wOBP and woeful .126 ISO against righties while Santana has faced current Braves 191 times, surrendering just a .696 OPS.
Braden Shipley, ARI vs. NYM ($30): After allowing six runs in 5.1 innings during his major league debut Shipley has settled in nicely, giving up only two runs in his last three starts spanning 19 innings, with his most recent start being a seven-inning, seven-strikeout scoreless performance against the Mets. The Mets' offense is simply anemic, ranking 26th against righties with a .302 wOBP while adding just a .164 ISO, giving Shipley a great chance to continue his current run.
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Catcher
Tucker Barnhart, CIN vs. MIA ($12): Barnhart looks like a nice high-floor, low-ceiling play at backstop. He entered Monday riding a 10-game hit streak and faces a combustible starter in Jose Urena, who has allowed 17 runs over his last 18 major league innings. Barnhart has struck out just five times in 31 August at-bats while reaching base 15 times in nine games.
First Base
David Ortiz, BOS at BAL ($17): Ortiz is coming off of a two-hit outing Monday which included a long ball and, despite his recent struggles prior to that performance, he boasts a .439 wOBP and .357 ISO against righties heading into a matchup with Yovani Gallardo, who has allowed 23 runs over his last 44 innings, including six homers.
Second Base
Josh Harrison, PIT at SF ($12): The keystone offers limited options when searching for value Tuesday, with a whopping 19 second basemen checking in at $17 or more. Managers are left with the choice of paying a premium for a non-premium position or rostering feast-or-famine selections. After hitting .213 in July, Harrison has rebounded to hit .350 with eight runs scored in 10 August outings. There's some appeal in the Pirates offense against Jeff Samardzija, who has allowed 24 runs over his last 33 innings, and Harrison could pay off just by reaching base.
Third Base
Yunel Escobar, LAA at SEA ($10): The pitching matchup of Jhoulys Chacin vs. Ariel Miranda looks perfect for exploitation. Enter Escobar, who hits in the top slot for the Halos and owns a .393 wOBP against lefties.
Shortstop
Jose Reyes, NYM at ARI ($11): Reyes looks every bit the part of a DFS winner, as his baseline stats (.237 BA) don't fully match his overall performance. Reyes has 17 hits in the 18 games he's played, half of which have gone for extra bases. It's rare to advocate for a hitter against a recommended pitcher, but with Reyes likely remaining atop the order it gives him additional opportunities to produce.
Outfield
Nomar Mazara, TEX vs. OAK ($13): Athletics' starter Andrew Triggs has only made two starts all season, with the latest seeing him only last four innings while allowing three runs. Mazara is arguably the Rangers' best hitter against righties, launching 12 of his 13 homers against them while sporting a .353 wOBP. He's a bit of a tournament gamble, as he has just three extra-base hits in his last 10 games, but the play is two parts against Triggs, one part Mazara against the righty.
Bryce Harper, WAS at COL ($18): Harper was 3-for-6 at the time I submitted this piece, including a partial Monday night in his second game back from a minor neck injury. With 18 players priced ahead of Harper the upside is immense in the thin air of Colorado, so much so that his price decrease justifies the risk of any potential negative stats.
David Dahl, COL vs. WAS ($17): Dahl continue to hit and looks like a solid contrarian play. Despite being a lefty, he has a .406 wOBP against southpaws in limited chances since his promotion. Dahl has 28 hits since being called up on July 25, failing to reach base in only five games. His price keep creeping up but it seems to work against Gio Gonzalez, who allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings the last time he toed the rubber.
