This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
STARTING PITCHER
Lance McCullers Jr, HOU vs. SDP ($48): The Padres only scored 604 runs last season, which was last in the league by 35 runs (and 64 behind the team in 28th). One thing McCullers has never had a problem with is striking guys out. His career K/9 rate is 10.26, and he struck out 10 guys in 5.3 innings in his first start this year. You also have to like the odds of the 24-year-old picking up a win given the relative skill level of the Astros and Padres.
Luis Castillo, CIN at PIT ($43): Castillo's first start this year was rough, but as a rookie he had a 3.12 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He also pitched better on the road, as he had a 2.84 ERA in away starts. The Pirates scored 668 runs last season, 28th in MLB, and had a .244 batting average. They have since allowed a couple players like Andrew McCutchen leave since then.
CATCHER
Brian McCann, HOU vs. SDP ($13): McCann has consistently hit righties better than lefties, so as long as there isn't a southpaw on the mound you can trust the bat of the veteran who has routinely hit 20 homers a season. San Diego's starter Luis Perdomo is right-handed, and he also has a 5.24 career ERA. That bodes well for McCann.
FIRST BASE
Anthony Rizzo, CHI at MIL ($19): Rizzo has hit at least 31 homers in his last four seasons and has generally crushed righties. He also has a three-year average slash line of .281/.388/.516. The Brewers' starter Brandon Woodruff only pitched a handful of games as a rookie in 2017, but he posted a 4.81 ERA and allowed five homers in 43 innings. He was also a lot worse against lefty batters. Righties hit .171 against him, while southpaws hit a robust .345.
SECOND BASE
Neil Walker, NYY vs. BAL ($14): Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman allowed three homers in four innings in his first start of the year. That's only one game, but it's worth noting that his three-year HR/9 rate is 1.35. The guy has issues with allowing homers, and Yankee Stadium has a reputation for being conducive to long balls. Maybe Walker can poke one over the fence, which could make him quite the value.
THIRD BASE
Adrian Beltre, TEX vs. TOR ($16): Even though Beltre is 38, over the last three years he's averaged 22 homers and 86 RBI. He's also posted a slash line of .298/.355/.496 in that time. Marco Estrada had a surprisingly good ERA a few years ago, but his FIP hasn't been below 4.01 in his last five campaigns. He's also allowed 1.36 home runs per nine innings in his career.
SHORTSTOP
Corey Seager, LAD at SFG ($15): Seager is off to a slow start, but who cares? He has a career slash line of .302/.374/.499, and a matchup with Derek Holland could help get him turned around. Holland had a 6.20 ERA last season, but his FIP (6.49) was even worse. Plus, the veteran pitcher has a three-year average HR/9 rate of 1.70.
OUTFIELD
George Springer, HOU vs. SDP ($21): Springer is coming off a tremendous season where he hit 34 homers in 140 games and had a .283/.367/.522 slash line. As previously noted, Luis Perdomo has a career ERA of 5.24, and in his first start this year he allowed five runs in four innings to Milwaukee. Springer is another player off to a somewhat slow start, but the 28-year-old is in his prime and was fine in Spring Training, so there is no reason to worry.
Ender Inciarte, ATL at COL ($19): Inciarte doesn't hit a ton of homers, but he's averaged 26 doubles per season over the last three years and has a career batting average of .295. He's also a base stealer, having swiped at least 16 bags every year of his career. Colorado's German Marquez has a 4.28 FIP and allowed 25 homers in 29 starts last season. Even with a lack of power, there's potential for Inciarte to hit a homer at Coors Field off Marquez.
Ian Desmond, COL vs. ATL ($18): Desmond is actually a player off to a hot start, which is encouraging because he struggled a bit in his first year in Colorado in 2017. However, he was also limited to 95 games thanks to injury, so it's hard to fully assess Desmond's potential based on that. What we do know is that Coors Field has always been conducive to hitting and Atlanta's starter Brandon McCarthy has a career ERA of 4.15.
