Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Chris Sale, BOS at CLE ($65): Sale's price is off the charts, but when you look at his per-point cost, he's well above the pitchers that surround him on the salary scale. With that in mind, it would be wise to find some room for Sale. Sale was rocked by the Indians the last time they met, but elite pitchers make adjustments that work, so the odds are this game will go much differently than the last time these two matched up. The Indians are obviously a strong hitting team, but Sale has nine or more strikeouts in nine of his past 10 starts, so even if the Indians score a few runs, Sale should get his points.

Carlos Martinez, STL vs SD ($50): Martinez has not been ultra-sharp lately, but getting the light-hitting Padres away from their home can make the worst pitchers look like an All-Star. That was the case last night as Luke Weaver, a guy who has had very limited success, absolutely steamrolled the Padres. Though he hasn't been all that sharp lately, Martinez has managed to post seven or more strikeouts in four of his past starts. The Padres enter with the second lowest wOBA and the second highest K rate against righties this season.

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CATCHER

Alex Avila, CHC at CIN ($14): Alex Avila started the season on fire, but through the months of June and July, he really struggled. Since the trade to the Cubs, however, Avila seems to be recharged and he enters this game on a six-game hitting streak. Avila gets a nice matchup against Sal Romano, who has really struggled this season, which puts the Cubs in play for a stack. Avila enters with a .394 wOBA against righties this season, which is tops on the Cubs.

FIRST BASE

Anthony Rizzo, CHC at CIN ($24): The previously mentioned Romano shocked the world (at least the DFS world) in his most recent start when he went seven innings and allowed just one run, but that was against the Braves and the step-up in class against the Cubs is sure to send Romano back into his old ways. Romano enters with a 5.32 ERA and prior to his most recent start, Romano had a stretch of three games where he allowed 15 runs in 17 innings. Rizzo enters with a .375 wOBA against righties this season and he should be leading the way in what should be a rout.

SECOND BASE

Brian Dozier, MN at CHW ($27) – Dozier is the highest priced second baseman on the board, but with a matchup against Derek Holland, he's worth the price. Holland enters with a 6.28 ERA and he's allowed 17 runs in his last five innings on the mound. The Twins have been beating up on right-handed pitching lately, but now guys like Dozier that thrive against lefties get a chance to have some fun. Dozier enters with a .424 wOBA against lefties this season, which is tops on the Twins.

THIRD BASE

Chase Headley, NYY at DET ($15): Headley is certainly not the first, second or even third name you think of when looking at the Yankees lineup, but he looks like a good option against Michael Fulmer. Fulmer has been really erratic lately, but considering the lineup in front of him, I'm expecting the bad Fulmer to appear in this game. Headley enters with a .348 wOBA against righties this season.

SHORTSTOP

Andrelton Simmons, LAA vs TEX ($20): The theme of the next few picks is going to be, "the guy who is not the top choice, but the most cost-effective choice". The top choice on the Angels is always going to be Mike Trout, but he's obviously tough to fit onto a team with a couple of high-end pitchers, so with Martin Perez on the mound for Texas, we'll look for a righty who is good against lefties. Simmons fits the bill as he enters with a .350 wOBA against righties this season. Perez enters with a 5.26 ERA this season.

OUTFIELD

Nomar Mazara, TEX at LAA ($17): Troy Scribner takes the mound for the Angels with a 4.50 ERA and considering that his Triple-A ERA wasn't much better, you can expect things to be a little rough for him for the foreseeable future. The Rangers are certainly a stacking option and I'd certainly recommend a guy like Adrian Beltre, but in an effort to save a little money, I'm recommending Mazara as a good mid-range option. Mazara enters with a .350 wOBA against righties this season and is just one of many options that look appealing on the Rangers.

David Peralta, AZ at NYM ($14): Just like the situation with Mazara and the Rangers, there are better options on the Diamondbacks than Peralta, but you'll have to spend up for those options and if you have Sale in your lineup, you can only pay up in one or two spots. With that in mind, a guy like Peralta provides a lot of value at his current price. Peralta enters with a .360 wOBA against righties this season and faces a righty in Rafael Montero. Montero has pitched well in his previous two starts, but he has a 5.47 ERA on the season and guys with ERAs that high don't often string three good games together.

Nick Williams, PHI vs MIA ($15): According to the numbers, the best options against righties on the Phillies are Daniel Nava and Aaron Altherr. Unfortunately, both are on the DL right now, so the next best option is Nick Williams. Williams has been a nice boost to the Phillies since his call-up a couple months back and he's done most of his damage against righties this season. Williams enters with a .355 wOBA against righties this season, which leads all active Phillies. Vance Worley takes the mound for the Marlins and he enters with a 4.82 ERA.

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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