Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) swings during the fifth inning of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Turner Field, Saturday, June 15, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
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We have quite the slate to start the week with three doubleheaders, one make-up game, and two completely different slates on FanDuel and DraftKings. If playing DraftKings, keep in mind the three doubleheaders are just seven-inning games. Let's dig in and take a look at some core plays at each position, covering the entire day.
Opponent - PIT (Cody Ponce) Park - PIT
FD - 38.91 DK - 21.14
Despite a small, very odd slate today, we have some nice options at starting pitcher. Bauer and the Reds are playing in one of the doubleheaders today but I am not as concerned with pitchers and especially Bauer who has a realistic shot at a complete game as he has gone seven or more innings in three of his eight starts(6+ IP in 7 of 8). Either way, Bauer has been incredible to start the year with a 1.74 ERA and while there is going to be regression, he is still operating with a 3.30 xFIP. On top of that, he has a sky-high ceiling striking out 36% of batters he has faced and gave up just a .222 wOBA against. The odds are not out on this game yet but I am going to go out on a limb and say the reds will be big favorites facing the Pirates who rank at or near the bottom of the league in every offensive category. Fire up Bauer in all formats.
Opponent - OAK (Jesus Luzardo) Park - OAK
FD - 31.69 DK - 16.87
If you are playing DraftKings, you are going to need a value option at SP2 allowing you to play Bauer or Kershaw. Gonzales is at the top of my list for a couple of reasons starting with the form as he has posted a 2.25 ERA over his last four starts while striking out 29 and walking just one batter. The other reason is the matchup as he faces an A's team who may be league-average against lefties in terms of wRC+(100) but have struck out an insane 27% of the time. At these prices, I will have exposure in all formats.
Also Consider: On FanDuel, we have to Clayton Kershaw and I say this only due to the matchup against the Padres.
Opponent - BAL (Jorge Lopez) Park - BAL
FD - 14.64 DK - 11
The Braves are on both sites today and are easily my top team to target for bats as the game has a 10.5 total with the Braves(5.9) making up the majority of that. They face Jorge Lopez who started the year out of the bullpen and has really struggled since joining the rotation giving up 11 runs(eight earned) in three starts and overall, has really struggled against left-hand bats(.347 wOBA, .511 SLG).
That brings me to Freeman who has always been an extremely consistent bat for fantasy but has somehow been even better in 2020. He comes into today with hits in eight straight and 26 of his last 27 games, good for an insane .442 wOBA and 176 wRC+. With Lopez's struggles vs. lefties, Freeman is easily my top bat on this slate in all formats.
Opponent - STL (Kwang Hyun Kim) Park - STL
FD - 9.75 DK - 7.35
This is a pick for DraftKings only as a doubleheader game but it is just too hard to ignore this comeback story. He has dealt with multiple injuries over the past couple of years but entered Sunday with a .288/.365/.621 slash line over 26 games and has destroyed lefties to the tune of a .427 wOBA and 166 wRC+. While the Brewers have struggled as a team, Gyorko is hitting cleanup behind Yelich and is a great PTS/$ play in all formats.
Opponent - MIA (Pablo Lopez) Park - MIA
FD - 8.14 DK - 6.36
The DraftKings-only slate has a few more options to consider(Hiura, La Stella, Wong) but on FanDuel, the decision is pretty clear. Segura comes with a sub $3K price tag and while he has bounced around the lineup, Ozzie Albies is $800 more and has been batting 9th since his return. It is a bit of a down season for Segura but the good news is that he has been a bit better as of late with hits in five of his last six games. The options are limited putting Segura in the conversation in all formats and if he were to get a shot near the top of the lineup, the value would most definitely go up today.
Opponent - MIN (Jose Berrios) Park - MIN
FD - 7.29 DK - 5.75
This is not the first time I have written up Madrigal and despite not getting the bump up the order, is making it hard to ignore. Since returning to the lineup August 29, he has hits in nine of 11 games with six multi-hit efforts and enters tonight hitting .362 with a .383 on-base percentage. Until he starts getting more opportunity the upside is going to be capped but as long as the price stays low, I will be using him as a floor play in cash games to save some salary.
Opponent - MIA (Pablo Lopez) Park - MIA
FD - 8.85 DK - 6.75
Gregorius came over to the Phillies in the offseason(the first one) and is quietly having one of his better seasons, in terms of consistency. He comes into tonight hitting .277 with a .341 OBP and 112 wRC+ and is in a decent spot hitting 5th behind some potent hitters in front of him. Despite losing Hoskins for the short-term, the Phillies are still in a good spot tonight vs. the Pablo Lopez who has given up 15 hits and 14 earned runs over his last three starts. The value is there to play Gregorius in all formats today.
Opponent - ATL (Touki Toussaint) Park - ATL
FD - 10.42 DK - 7.88
If the Phillie or Didi aren't your thing today, the Orioles provide us with some excellent PTS/$ options. Jose Iglesias ended last week on a down note(2 for last 19) but we can't overlook the body of work over since the season started as he enters with a .348 average, .356 wOBA, and 124 wRC+. He hits near the top of the lineup, is affordable on both sites on another weird small slate. Fire up Iglesias in all formats.
Opponent - MIA (Pablo Lopez) Park - MIA
FD - 8.57 DK - 6.56
Like I mentioned with Didi above, the Phillies are without Hoskins for at least a few more games and that opens up some opportunity for others. That includes and is centered around their top prospect, Alec Bohm, who probably could not have imagined his debut going any better. He comes in with his in six straight and has tallied a very impressive .330/.381/.500 slash line through 30 games(118 plate appearances). He is sub $3K on both sits and my top value play on the slate.
Opponent - PHI (Vince Velazquez) Park - PHI
FD - 9.16 DK - 6.98
Playing one or two of the big names today won't be a problem with so much value scattered over the day and most of them are in plus matchups. That is the case for the Marlins who face Vince Velazquez who has posted an ugly 1.60 WHIP and 5.85 ERA through six games(four starts). Brian Anderson is right at the top of my list of bats to target for Miami and while the average(.277) doesn't pop off the page, he has been getting on base at a .379 clip and has an impressive 128 wRC+(creating 28% more runs than the league average hitter). All things considered today, he is one of my top players at the position.
Opponent - BAL (Jorge Lopez) Park - BAL
FD - 13.04 DK - 9.86
Opponent - BAL (Jorge Lopez) Park - BAL
FD - 8.85 DK - 6.78
One of the themes of this article has been "pick pitchers named Lopez" and it isn't something I had planned from the start. Either way, it takes us back to Atlanta and honestly, you could play all three here with all the value tonight. I will save the enormous price tag of Acuna for GPP and concentrate on Ozuna ad Markakis for cash. Ozuna has been one of the hottest players on the planet, already has a Player of the Week award, and has tallied a ridiculous .371/.450/.714 slash line since August 15. For Markakis, I am hesitant to spend 4800 on him for cash games on DraftKings but on FanDeul under 3K, sign me up against a pitcher who struggles mostly vs. left-handed bats.
Opponent - STL (Kwang Hyun Kim) Park - STL
FD - 8.91 DK - 6.81
I will finish things off with another DraftKings only play due to the double-headers today. If there was only one, I would likely fade due to a lack of projected at-bats but when three of the seven games are in the same situation, we can't just X three games. That brings me to another Brewers bat who stands out mostly due to their performance against lefties. Garcia enters tonight hitting .371 with a .464 wOBA in the split and adding to the value is the fact he has been hitting leadoff for nearly a week. If he is back in that spot again today, he is most definitely in play in all formats.
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