Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Jose Berrios, MN vs TOR ($46): Berrios isn't the most consistent pitcher on this slate, but he has among the highest upside of the pitchers in play. Berrios has three quality starts in his past five games and in those starts, he's recorded 19 strikeouts. The most concerning start of the past five might have been his most recent start where he went seven innings, but managed just one strikeout. That will likely prove an aberration though as Berrios has been pretty reliable at racking up strikeouts this season, regardless of whether he's getting hit or not.

Luke Weaver, STL vs CIN ($50): It didn't take Weaver long to move up the salary scale as just a month ago, he was near the bottom of the league, but after a handful of very impressive starts he finds himself atop the slate. Weaver has been exceptionally sharp over his past four starts, recording 36 strikeouts while allowing just four runs. The matchup on paper isn't great as the Reds enter with a top 10 wOBA against righties this season, but the Reds have faded lately and don't pose as much of a threat as they did earlier in the season.

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CATCHER

Gary Sanchez, NYY vs BAL ($24): Wade Miley has actually resembled a major-league pitcher over the past month or so, but his 4.96 ERA leads me to believe his recent performances are just smoke and mirrors. We should find out tonight as the Yankees have plenty of bats that can get to lefties and Sanchez is certainly one of them. Sanchez enters with a .365 wOBA against lefties this season, which is second on the Yankees behind only Aaron Judge.

FIRST BASE

Jose Martinez, STL vs CIN ($17): Amir Garrett has been the gift that keeps on giving this year. Garrett enters with a 7.39 ERA this season and he's allowed six or more runs in four of his past seven starts. Martinez has come on strong for the Cards this season, so much so, that he's now the cleanup hitter. Martinez looks to be the top option on the Cards as he enters with a league-leading .545 wOBA against lefties this season.

SECOND BASE

Brian Dozier, MN vs TOR ($23): Brett Anderson is coming off consecutive quality starts, but that doesn't change the fact that he enters with a 5.93 ERA. That ERA indicates that he's about to get blown up in a big way after a couple of good starts. Considering he's facing one of the hotter teams in the league, that blowup is likely happening tonight. Dozier enters with a .429 wOBA against lefties this season, which is tops on the Twins.

THIRD BASE

Jake Lamb, AZ vs COL ($14): Early this season, Lamb was always the first name you looked at when the Diamondbacks faced a righty and although his production has dropped way off in recent weeks, he still carries a high upside when the matchup is right. The matchup against Chad Bettis certainly looks like a good one as Bettis has struggled since his first start. Though Lamb has struggled recently and he hasn't homered since Aug. 21, his season-long numbers against righties are still among the league's best. Lamb enters with a .384 wOBA against righties this season, which is second on the Diamondbacks.

SHORTSTOP

Paul DeJong, STL vs CIN ($18): As mentioned earlier, with Garrett on the mound, the Cardinals are one of if not the most stackable team on the board.. There are plenty of good options to choose from on the Cardinals and most are not cost prohibitive. DeJong is one of the better options on the Cards as he enters with a .393 wOBA this season against lefties.

OUTFIELD

Avisail Garcia, CHW at DET ($19): Chad Bell enters with a 5.79 ERA and that number looks to grow as the White Sox have hit lefties well this season. Garcia is one of the reasons that the White Sox have been so good against lefties as he enters with a .441 wOBA. The White Sox could be considered for a stack as there are plenty of solid right-handed bats that can get to Bell. Jose Abreu is another option at the first base position and he's probably due after a couple of disappointing games against KC.

Marcell Ozuna, MIA at PHI ($18): Jake Thompson takes the hill for the Phillies and he brings a 5.23 ERA with him. More concerning, he's allowed five runs in two of his past three starts. The Marlins are likely going to put up some big numbers against Thompson and Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton should be leading the way. Ozuna is the pick here though because he's much cheaper, even though his season-long wOBA against righties is not that far behind Stanton.

George Springer, HOU at LAA ($16): Springer has been in a slump during the Astros road trip, but that slump has brought his price down significantly and now might be the time to jump on him. Springer faces Ricky Nolasco, who has struggled for most of the season and enters with a 5.19 ERA. Springer enters with a .370 wOBA against righties this season, which is third on the Astros behind Jose Altuve and Marwin Gonzalez.

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. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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