Yahoo DFS Baseball: Sunday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Tanner Roark, WAS vs. LAD ($49): Roark finished off the regular season on a strong note, posting a 2.60 ERA while allowing a .187 batting average and .262 wOBA over his last six starts. He also had nine wins and a 2.72 ERA at Nationals Park this season. Although the Dodgers were above-average against righties this season, they did strike out at a 21.1 percent rate against that handedness and generated a mediocre .309 wOBA overall on the road.

Colby Lewis, TEX at TOR ($35): Lewis was actually a much better pitcher on the road this season, generating a 2.75 ERA and allowing a .256 wOBA and .198 batting average over 55.2 innings. He was very solid against the Blue Jays in two starts this season as well, posting a 3.21 ERA and allowing only a .180 batting average over 14 frames. With the Rangers in desperation mode after going down 2-0 at home, Lewis presents as an intriguing value play for tournaments.


[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

CATCHER

Yasmani Grandal, LAD at WASH ($14): Although Tanner Roark is an excellent option for all the reasons stated previously, Grandal's bat carries some nice upside, particularly against righties. The Dodgers' slugger blasted 23 of his 27 homers on the season off right-handed pitching and tallied a .351 wOBA, .268 ISO, 25 percent HR/FB rate and 39.7 percent hard contact rate against that handedness as well.

FIRST BASE

Ryan Zimmerman, WAS vs. LAD ($7) Zimmerman had a two-hit effort in Game 1 and makes for an interesting minimum-priced contrarian play due to his outstanding track record against Dodgers starter Rich Hill. The Nationals slugger has gone 6-for-9 with a double, two homers, three RBI and a walk over 10 plate appearances against the Dodgers southpaw, while also posting a 39.7 percent hard contact rate against left-handed pitching this season. While Hill has been stellar in Los Angeles, he did allow a 34.4 percent hard contact rate over his last five starts, his highest figure in that category since the first month of the season.
 
SECOND BASE

Jason Kipnis, CLE at BOS ($21): Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz gave up a .300 batting average, .372 wOBA, 5.71 xFIP and 36.3 percent hard contact rate to left-handed hitters at Fenway Park this season, while Kipnis battered righties to the tune of a .353 wOBA, .200 ISO, 16 homers and 38.9 percent hard contact rate. He also had two singles, a double, a homer, four RBI and a pair of walks in his first 10 career at-bats against Buchholz, while also going 4-for-7 with a homer and three RBI over the first two games of the series.

THIRD BASE

Jose Ramirez, CLE at BOS ($18): Given Clay Buchholz's struggles against left-handed hitters at Fenway Park, it's worth looking at the switch-hitting Ramirez, who tallied a .351 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season. He also had a .327 batting average and .361 wOBA over his last 28 games, and has gone 4-for-7 with a double and two runs over the first two games of the series.

SHORTSTOP

Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs. CLE ($15): Bogaerts thrived at Fenway Park this season, posting a .323 batting average, .384 wOBA, and 11 homers. He also tagged righties at home to the tune of a .355 wOBA, while Indians starter Josh Tomlin yielded 22 homers on the season to righty bats, along with a .356 wOBA, 2.03 HR/9 and 31.6 percent hard contact rate. While Tomlin did finish the season well, Bogaerts and the Red Sox come with plenty of urgency due to the 2-0 hole they find themselves in.

OUTFIELD

Jose Bautista, TOR vs. TEX ($22): While Rangers starter Colby Lewis makes for a solid play for the reasons stated earlier, Bautista's potent bat versus right-handers gives him plenty of upside for GPPs, as evidenced most recently in Game 1 of the series when he scored 24.0 fantasy points. Joey Bats also posted a .361 wOBA, .220 ISO and 17 homers against righties this season, along with a 42 percent hard contact rate when facing them at home. Meanwhile, Lewis gave up 1.64 HR/9, a 5.11 xFIP and 36.7 percent hard contact rate to right-handed hitters this year.

Carlos Beltran, TEX at TOR ($16): Beltran has a .500 batting average with a homer and four RBI against Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez in his career, and Sanchez, while enjoying an outstanding season overall, was a more hittable pitcher at Rogers Centre. The young right-hander generated a 3.74 ERA and allowed a 32.9 percent hard contact rate at home over 79.1 innings this season, while also yielding a .339 wOBA, 4.96 xFIP and 34.9 percent hard contact rate to left-handed hitters there. Beltran tagged righty arms for a .340 wOBA and 33.6 percent hard contact rate this season, as well as 20 of his 29 homers.

Mookie Betts, BOS vs. CLE ($20): Indians starter Josh Tomlin's vulnerabilities against right-handed hitters were detailed earlier, making him a tantalizing target for Betts. The superstar outfielder crushed righties all season, particularly at Fenway, where he punished that handedness for a .349 batting average, .400 wOBA, .222 ISO, 11 homers and 34 percent hard contact rate. Betts also tallied a .397 wOBA, .252 ISO and 35.6 percent hard contact rate overall at home this season, furthering his already strong case.

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. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
MLB Bets and Expert Picks for Wednesday, April 24
MLB Bets and Expert Picks for Wednesday, April 24
MLB Points Leagues: Using wOBA to Identify Hitters
MLB Points Leagues: Using wOBA to Identify Hitters
New York Mets-San Francisco Giants, MLB Picks: Single-Game Focus, April 24
New York Mets-San Francisco Giants, MLB Picks: Single-Game Focus, April 24
DraftKings MLB: Wednesday Breakdown
DraftKings MLB: Wednesday Breakdown
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, April 24
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, April 24
Lineup Lowdown: National League
Lineup Lowdown: National League