Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Julio Teheran, ATL at MIA ($40): It's a tough slate for pitchers as due to differing circumstances, there isn't a safe pick among the lot. With that in mind, it's not a good day to pay up for pitching. Rather, it's best to try and find some guys lower down the line that can provide value. Teheran has rarely been a safe pick, but he's actually been pretty consistent lately, with games of 21-plus points in five of his past six outings. The Marlins have some major firepower, but they have been just a middle of the pack team against righties this season.

Lance Lynn, STL vs CHC ($34): Desperate times call for desperate measures, and taking a guy who gave up eight runs in his last start could be considered desperate. I mentioned there aren't any safe picks because of certain circumstances and although Lynn is not a safe pick either, he'll likely find himself in a great spot. That spot is a result of the Cubs clinching the division last night, which usually results in said team sending out their Triple-A lineup the following day. Lynn is coming off a terrible start, but he's had a decent year and he still has plenty of upside -- especially against a lineup consisting of September call-ups.

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CATCHER

Kurt Suzuki, ATL at MIA ($14): When a righty faces the Braves, it's all about Freddie Freeman, but when a lefty is on the hill it's Suzuki's time to shine. Dillon Peters take the hill for the Marlins with a 6.31 ERA and he's coming off a pair of horrible outings where he's allowed 13 runs in 7.2 innings. Suzuki enters with a .495 wOBA against lefties this season, which leads the Braves and is fourth best in the majors.

FIRST BASE

Eric Thames, MIL vs CIN ($18): Sal Romano was terrible at the start of the season, but he pitched his way back to respectability. He regressed in his most recent start, though, and he could go out with a whimper. The opposite of Romano, Thames started the year on fire and slowly turned a great campaign into merely a good one over the summer. With that said, he's been solid against righties all season as shown by his .387 wOBA against righties.

SECOND BASE

Whit Merrifield, KC vs DET ($24): Daniel Norris has been in and out of the rotation all season because he's struggled as a starter for most of the year. He enters with a 5.59 ERA and he's coming in off a terrible start where he allowed five runs in less than five innings. Merrifield has been one of the more consistent bats in the Royals lineup all season and he's been at his best against lefties. Merrifield enters with a .353 wOBA against lefties this season, which leads the Royals.

THIRD BASE

Adrian Beltre, TEX vs OAK ($18): Sean Manaea has been all over the map this season, but as his 4.56 ERA would indicate, he's been bad more often than he's been good. Beltre has been just the opposite as he hasn't had a great season, but it's been pretty good. One area where he's been elite is his performance against lefties this season. Beltre enters with a .463 wOBA against lefties this season, which is top 10 in the majors.

SHORTSTOP

Zack Cozart, CIN at MIL ($18): This is a very strange slate in that there aren't any reliable pitchers in good spots, yet there aren't many reliably bad pitchers going either. Brent Suter is not reliably bad, heck, he's not even bad, as he's posted a 3.29 ERA this season, which is pretty darn good, but he's left-handed. Being a lefty comes in handy quite often as a pitcher, but it doesn't help Suter against Cozart, who has been very effective against lefties this season. Cozart enters with a .455 wOBA against lefties this season, which is best on the Reds and top 15 in the majors.

OUTFIELD

Mike Trout, LAA at CHW ($27): As long as the Angels have something to play for, their starters will be in the lineup and if their starters are still in their lineup, then it's time to stack because Dylan Covey is on the hill again. Covey met the bare minimum requirements for a quality start last time out, but it did nothing to significantly lower his 7.83 ERA. Trout has come on this week and he enters with a .452 wOBA, which leads the Angels and is second in the majors.

Justin Upton, LAA at CHW ($24): As just mentioned, if the Angels are still alive for the wild card, all of their starters are in play against Covey, but Trout and Upton are heads above the rest. Upton has not slowed a bit since his trade to the Angels and although he's been better against lefties than righties this season, he still enters with a respectable .353 wOBA against righties this season.

George Springer, HOU at BOS ($16): Springer's salary, like his production, has fluctuated all season, but even though his production has gone back up lately, his salary remains relatively low. The fact that he's facing a lefty makes Springer's salary an outright steal. Springer enters with a .415 wOBA against lefties this season and he'll face lefty Eduardo Rodriguez who carries a 3.91 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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