Kuzul

Thursday’s slate of MLB action features two games in the afternoon and six at night.  Both early and late DraftKings contests contain small fields of available players to choose from.

Sleepers are more difficult to find than usual, especially when it comes to pitchers.  For example, plunking down $11,100 for Felix Hernandez is a much better value than hoping for the best with Jorge De La Rosa at $8,700.

However, there are still a few bargains to be found.  Here are five low-cost options likely to outperform their price tags on September 10.

Afternoon

2B/3B Jedd Gyorko, San Diego Padres ($2,800) vs. Colorado Rockies

In early contests with only four teams’ rosters available, Jedd Gyorko is a must-start.  The Padres infielder has four home runs and nine RBI in his last seven games.  He’s also hit safely in 11 of his past 12 contests. 

As Friar Figures pointed out, Gyorko has put up some big numbers against Colorado this year:

Even more importantly, Gyorko also owns a spectacular track record against De La Rosa—13 hits in 19 at-bats, with six of them going for extra bases.  Gyorko boasts a .684 batting average, a .760 on-base percentage and a 1.105 slugging percentage when facing the Colorado lefty.    

Evening

SP Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals ($9,900) at Cincinnati Reds

The above video contains highlights of Jaime Garcia’s most recent start, in which he struck out nine Pittsburgh Pirates over seven scoreless innings.

Garcia only has 100 innings pitched in 2015, so his stats don’t qualify among the league leaders.  But if they did, his 1.89 ERA and 0.95 WHIP would rank second-best and fourth-best in baseball, respectively.

The lefty hasn’t allowed more than four earned runs in a game all season, and he’s yielded more than two earned runs on only four occasions.  Since June 1, Garcia has held his opponents to one run or fewer in nine of 13 outings.  The last home run he gave up was back on July 28, eight starts ago.

With an average of 20.1 fantasy points per game and a salary of $9,900, Garcia gives you over two points per $1,000, a better ratio than each of the more expensive arms available.

SP Alfredo Simon, Detroit Tigers ($5,700) at Cleveland Indians

Alfredo Simon is the third-cheapest pitcher on the board, but there’s good reason to believe he can put forth a quality performance.

Simon was outstanding in two of his last four trips to the mound.  He threw a one-hit shutout on August 20 and tossed seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball on September 5.  However, in the two outings in between, he was torched for a combined 14 earned runs in only 9.1 innings.

MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian noted that Simon’s opponent Thursday is a cause for optimism:

The veteran right-hander is also 4-0 in four starts versus the Indians this year.

OF Rajai Davis, Detroit Tigers ($3,000) at Cleveland Indians

Rajai Davis is a part-time player, something that helps keep his cost down.  But if he’s in the Tigers lineup, Davis is a great buy.

The 34-year-old has just seven homers all season but three in his last two games.  In that time, he’s 4-for-9 with five RBI.  Davis also tripled, scored a run and logged an RBI two days earlier, giving him a three-game total of 61 fantasy points.

In addition, Davis has great numbers in his career when facing Indians starter Danny Salazar.  He’s reached base eight times in 17 plate appearances against Salazar with two stolen bases and three runs scored.

SS Andrelton Simmons, Atlanta Braves ($2,800) vs. New York Mets

Andrelton Simmons is 5-for-12 with a double and two RBI in his last three games.  What makes him a bargain, though, are his torrid stats when opposing Bartolo Colon, most notably a .529 career batting average:

So far in 2015, Simmons is 5-for-7 against Colon with two doubles, a triple and four RBI.

Playing at home has also been good for Simmons’ fantasy value this season—he’s averaging 6.4 points per game at Turner Field and only 4.9 per game on the road.  

All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.

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It’s OK to leave some money on the board in MLB DraftKings contests on Wednesday.

The best players aren’t the most expensive ones on the schedule. In fact, there’s one game in particular that looks like a good bet to produce a fair number of offensive standouts from budget-friendly position players.

Stack the O’s and Yanks

The pitching matchup in this game features a pair of former All-Stars who have seen better days. The Baltimore Orioles’ Ubaldo Jimenez will face the New York Yankees’ C.C. Sabathia. Both men have been inconsistent all season and have ERAs up over four.

Historically, both opposing lineups have swung the bats well against the hurlers. 

The current O’s lineup is hitting .284 against Sabathia, and the Yankees on the 2015 roster have hit .280 against Jimenez. Specifically, DK players should target the Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury ($4,200) and Dustin Ackley, ($2,000) and the Orioles’ Nolan Reimold ($2,000) and J.J. Hardy ($2,400).

Ellsbury and Ackley have done major damage to Jimenez in their careers. Combined, they are 13-for-22 against the 31-year-old Dominican. Ellsbury has hit .636 and slugged .909, while Ackley has an average of .545 and a slugging percentage of .818.

While Hardy and Reimold haven’t feasted on Sabathia quite as much as Ellsbury and Ackley have on Jimenez, there’s no question the duo has gotten the better of the Yanks’ big, 35-year-old veteran.

Hardy has hit .323 against Sabathia with a home run and five doubles in 31 at-bats. Reimold hasn’t had a great season in 2015, but that just means he hasn’t faced Sabathia enough. Reimold has hit .367 with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and five RBI in 30 at-bats against Sabathia in his career.

With so many players seemingly in line for big days at the dish, DK players would be wise to draft a lineup stacked with Orioles and Yankees on Wednesday. Check out the list of optimal picks:

Elsewhere

You have to love the Cincinnati Reds’ Brandon Phillips ($4,100) on Wednesday. Phillips has 12 hits in his last 25 at-bats, and he has hit Pittsburgh Pirates starter J.A. Happ very well.

In 14 career at-bats, Phillips is hitting .500 against Happ with three home runs, two doubles, seven RBI and three walks. As mentioned by Cincinnati Reds Zone, Phillips still has wheels to rack up fantasy points on the basepaths as well:

Unless Happ has somehow cracked the code against Phillips, the latter is poised to put up more solid numbers against the Pirates left-hander.

On the mound, there’s another low-cost, high-reward player to consider. The Boston Red Sox’s Joe Kelly ($6,300) has a tough assignment against the explosive Toronto Blue Jays, but Kelly has been awfully good of late.

He has won seven straight decisions and lowered his ERA in each of his last six starts. Per Boston Sports, the win streak matches a club record:

Don’t be scared off by Toronto in this one. Kelly is locked in and should provide six-plus innings of solid work with no more than two runs allowed.

The other pitching slot is one of the most expensive players available on the day. The Houston Astros’ Collin McHugh ($10,800) will take on the Oakland Athletics. He has pitched well against the A’s this season and in his career.

Current A’s hitters are batting just .188 against McHugh, and his ERA is 2.29 against Oakland in two starts so far this season. We didn’t go big in many spots of the lineup, but McHugh should prove to be worth the investment on Wednesday.

DraftKings salaries are listed in parentheses, and per DraftKings.com

Stats per ESPN.com

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Due to Labor Day weekend, MLB‘s Saturday schedule contains more afternoon matchups than usual. DraftKings divides the action into separate slates, allowing gamers to pick their poison.

More of an early riser? Take a look at some of the best values over the six afternoon games. Rather sleep in or watch college football during the afternoon? Fine, scroll past the early bargains for evening discounts.

Want to play both? Cool. Either way, both slates feature high-priced aces (Jake Arrieta and David Price early, Felix Hernandez and Danny Salazar later) worth a look. Anyone building around those expensive studs will need to pinch pennies elsewhere, and these guys will greatly help the cause.

Afternoon

SP Nathan Eovaldi ($7,300), New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays

On one hand, Nathan Eovaldi is the world’s luckiest pitcher, sporting a meaningless 14-2 record despite his 4.12 ERA. Then again, the New York Yankees righty also carries a superb 3.43 fielding independent pitching (FIP), more aptly represented by a 3.32 ERA over his past 13 starts.

Several daily players probably turned his way against the Atlanta Braves, and he betrayed that trust by surrendering five runs. But before abandoning the hard-thrower, he is finally generating some whiffs, striking out 22 batters through his last three outings.

He’ll get another crack at conquering an easy opponent, as the Tampa Bay Rays place No. 25 in weighted on-base average (wOBA) against righties. Oddly enough, Eovaldi has shined inside Yankee Stadium, posting a 3.08 ERA and .283 wOBA at home. He’s the best mid-tier starter to pair with Arrieta or Price.

Stack: Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox (LHP Wade Miley)

Heading into their joust with Wade Miley, the Philadelphia Phillies have a dirt-cheap trio of sluggers who have torched lefties in small sample sizes:

Cameron Rupp has at least garnered some attention for clubbing seven homers since the All-Star break, but he’s still affordable given the recent power barrage. A .942 OPS hasn’t, however, drawn much notice to Andres Blanco. 

Darin Ruf is the purest platoon play, which is why he’s a near minimum-price option at $2,200. Possessing a 4.57 ERA and .784 OPS against righties, Miley is a vulnerable target these hot Phillies can rough up on the road.

OF Chris Young ($2,700), New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are turning back to Matt Moore, who issued a 8.78 ERA in six starts before getting demoted. Chris Young, registering a .600 slugging percentage against lefties, will gladly welcome back the southpaw at Yankee Stadium.

Despite falling back to earth in August, the outfielder is too cheap to not target with a matchup firmly in his favor. 

Evening

SP Derek Holland ($7,200), Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels used to be good, right? Even after scoring 20 runs in a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics, a once-dangerous offense has been one of baseball’s worst over the last 30 days. 

They’ve also struggled against lefties all year, ranking No. 27 in wOBA. What great timing for Derek Holland, who is coming off a complete-game shutout against the Baltimore Orioles. ESPN Stats & Info noted the rarity of his gem:

In three starts since returning from the disabled list, the Texas Rangers southpaw has collected 20 strikeouts to one walk. Coming off the best start of his career, Holland is worth a roll of the dice on the road at $7,200.

Stack: Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels (RHP Jered Weaver)

Since June 1, Jered Weaver has relinquished 39 runs and nine homers through 58 innings. Lefties are slugging .502 against the deteriorating Angels veteran, but Texas sluggers remain cheap:

After missing five games with an injured finger, Rougned Odor returned to the lineup Monday. That’s more than enough time to remember the second baseman is hitting .323 with 10 homers since getting called back up June 15. 

Mitch Moreland offers a .875 OPS against righties, and Shin-Soo Choo doesn’t trail far behind at .874. These guys would all warrant price tags north of $4,500 at home, so take the considerable discounts away from Arlington.

If he starts, rookie bopper Joey Gallo is also a low-risk tournament gamble at $2,800. He has racked up an astronomical 48 strikeouts in 105 plate appearances, but when he makes contact, it’s solid (51.1 hard-hit percentage). 

1B Justin Morneau ($3,600) and/or 1B/OF Ben Paulsen ($3,400) Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants

For cheap Coors Field exposure, check the Colorado Rockies’ lineup to see which left-handed first baseman starts against Jake Peavy. Whether it’s Ben Paulsen or the returning Justin Morneau, there’s great value to attain.

Replacing Morneau, who’s been out since May with a concussion, Paulsen has posted an .851 OPS at home and .837 OPS against righties. When both factors align, it’s his time to shine.

Those days, however, could be over with the former MVP playing Friday night. Before getting sidelined, the 34-year-old was hitting .390/.419/.610 at Coors a year after utilizing the hitter’s park to a .327/.363/.515 slash line. Colorado may not play him in back-to-back games so soon, so keep an eye out for the lineup card. 

If the Rockies stick Paulsen in left field for the second straight night, go ahead and play both.

Note: All advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs. Prices obtained from DraftKings.com.

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Even if you have been playing daily fantasy baseball all season long, there are still new players who can surprise you with big-time efforts. This is especially true in September with young studs getting their first glimpses of the majors.

Here is a look at the top options for September 4 with players who might have been a bit off the radar to this point.

Luis Severino, SP, New York Yankees ($9,400)

Although he has only made five career starts for the New York Yankees, Luis Severino has been a model of consistency. He has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a single game, and he has reached at least 20 fantasy points on DraftKings in four of his five appearances.

Even with a recent surge, the Tampa Bay Rays are still near the bottom of the league in runs scored this season. This represents a great matchup for Severino to try to improve his already outstanding 2.17 ERA.

J.A. Happ, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates ($6,600)

He’s not a new name, but he is probably someone you have rarely considered to be a quality fantasy option this season. J.A. Happ is 7-7 with a 4.10 ERA this season, but most of the struggles came in 21 games with the Seattle Mariners. In five starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the lefty has excelled to the tune of a 1.98 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.

Over his last three starts, the pitcher has allowed only a single run and 11 total hits.

While the St. Louis Cardinals are ordinarily an intimidating matchup, they only have a .237 batting average as a team against left-handed pitchers (compared to .264 against righties). With players like Jason Heyward, Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong effectively neutralized, Happ can put together another quality outing.

Franklin Gutierrez, OF, Seattle Mariners ($4,500)

At the age of 32, Franklin Gutierrez is in the midst of one of the best stretches of his career. Injuries have limited the outfielder to just 44 games this season, but since the All-Star break, he has 10 home runs with a .323 batting average. His OPS of 1.092 in this stretch ranks fourth in the majors among players with at least 100 plate appearances.

Although he is starting to get pricey on DraftKings, his recent production more than justifies the cost.

Ryan Goins, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays ($2,900)

It seems that any player the Toronto Blue Jays put in their lineup ends up hitting. Ryan Goins is the latest example, as the 27-year-old utility player has been on a tear in recent weeks.

He is currently in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak, which includes a walk-off home run earlier in the week. Considering how many opportunities for runs and RBI this lineup provides, Goins is a great cheap option for Friday’s contests.

Jason Bourgeois, OF, Cincinnati Reds ($2,500)

The Cincinnati Reds have been awful this season, but there is fantasy value in hitting leadoff in front of Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier. That’s where Jason Bourgeois finds himself as of late as the team’s newest full-time center fielder.

Since getting regular work in mid-August, Bourgeois has raised his average from .175 to .260 entering Friday. This includes three multihit games in his last five starts.

Against Milwaukee Brewers starter Matt Garza, who has allowed 19 combined earned runs in his last three outings, the journeyman outfielder has a chance to be productive.

Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for daily fantasy advice and nonstop sports.

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Breaking up is hard to do, especially when good times from the past challenge the ugly present. Fantasy baseball managers shared laughs and victories with these players, so what’s to say they can’t go back to the way things were before?

Sorry, but it’s not working anymore. At least not right now. It’s not us; it’s them. They have abandoned us when we needed them the most, and now it’s time to spend September apart. These guys are no longer helping gamers secure a championship, so it’s time to show them the door. 

Before beginning, a couple of caveats. These players are droppable in standard 10- or 12-team mixed leagues. Someone playing in an 18-team pool won’t find a better alternative on the waiver wire.

Also, dynasty players must exude more patience. A rough patch is enough to part ways for a month, not forever. Injuries, growing pains and role changes won’t necessarily carry over to 2016 and beyond, so sit tight and hide these guys on the bench.

It’s going to hurt dumping someone so heavily owned. These six highlighted players either dominated earlier this season or established a positive track record before unraveling this season. Now is not the time to remain loyal in a relationship that has long turned sour.

Just remember, there are plenty of other fish (and other players outside the Miami Marlins) in the waiver-wire sea.

Begin Slideshow

Wednesday’s plethora of MLB games allows DraftKings participants to make the most out of low-value offensive options. Pitching aces such as Max Scherzer, Matt Harvey and Clayton Kershaw are a few of the upper-tier pitchers set to take the mound on Wednesday.

With a focus set on bargain positional players in order to make room for high-quality pitching options, here are the best DraftKings fantasy baseball picks for Wednesday.

Begin Slideshow

The key to success in daily fantasy baseball is fielding a lineup with the right mix of high-priced talent and low-budget players who may outperform their expectations.  Tuesday night’s MLB schedule has all 30 teams in action, allowing for a wide variety of options to choose from in DraftKings contests.

Below are the top three names at each position, as well as five bargain picks to help fill out your roster.

Value Picks

SP Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers ($9,700) at Kansas City Royals

Justin Verlander is cheaper than five other starting pitchers, but lately he’s looked a lot like the player who won both a Cy Young and an MVP in 2011.  The above video features highlights of Verlander’s most recent start, in which he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before finishing with a one-hit shutout.

Verlander has allowed one earned run or fewer in six of his past seven games.  Spanning his last four appearances, he’s surrendered just one earned run in 29 innings, while striking out 31 batters and lowering his season ERA from 5.05 to 3.45.

The Tigers righty is also averaging 28.3 fantasy points per game over his past six outings.

SS Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees ($3,300) at Boston Red Sox

Didi Gregorius has hit safely in five straight games, while driving in at least one run in each contest.  He’s a ridiculous 13-for-21 during the stretch, with two homers, four runs and 11 RBI.  Not only that, but after starting the evening 4-for-4 in a loss in Boston Monday, Gregorius narrowly missed a go-ahead grand slam while flying out on the game’s final at-bat. 

WNYT’s Mike Gwizdala pointed out how close it was:

There are 15 shortstops with higher salaries than Gregorius’ on Tuesday, but he’ll take the field hotter than any of them.

C Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals ($3,200) vs. Detroit Tigers

Salvador Perez owns a four-game hitting streak, with a run scored in three of his last four contests.  However, that modicum of recent success pales in comparison to what he’s done in his career against Verlander.  Perez has 18 hits in 38 at-bats when facing the Detroit veteran.

In their only previous matchup this season, Perez went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI on August 4.

With a price tag of just $3,200, Perez comes cheaper than 16 other catchers.

2B Scooter Gennett, Milwaukee Brewers ($3,000) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

The 25-year-old second baseman has seven hits and six runs in his last five games.  On Saturday, Scooter Gennett went 4-for-5 with three RBI.  As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted, the four hits equaled Gennett‘s career best:

It’s likely a wise move to stay away from most Brewers hitters versus Pittsburgh’s Gerrit Cole, but Gennett has actually fared quite well against him, notching seven hits in 14 career at-bats.

The left-handed-hitting Gennett was out of the lineup Sunday when the Brewers took on a lefty starter, but he should be back Tuesday for the right-handed Cole.

SS/OF Eduardo Escobar, Minnesota Twins ($2,900) vs. Chicago White Sox

Eduardo Escobar is a career .267 hitter when facing Chris Sale—while that’s not a reason to play him, it doesn’t mean Escobar needs to be avoided, either.

The Twins utility man has scored a run in nine straight contests, slugging .853 in that time with nine extra-base hits.

Among a relatively weak field of shortstops, Escobar represents a much better value than several of the pricier choices available.  He can also fill your last outfield spot if you’re running low on cash.

All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.

DraftKings is hosting one-day MLB contests! Claim your free entry by clicking on the link and making a first-time deposit!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As calendars shift to September, time is of the essence for fantasy baseball owners.

Managers can’t afford to sit back and remain patient. If something is not working, react and make a change. That can involve adding a hot hand or locating a short-term upgrade based on upcoming matchups. 

Although rosters will expand on Sept. 1, these top 10 adds don’t feature any potential September call-ups. Those guys already received write-ups over the past two weeks. Note that Jose Berrios, fresh off two double-digit strikeout gems in Triple-A, would have made this list as a speculative stash if not already discussed in a past edition.

Several previously discussed gems—Travis d’Arnaud, Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, Joe Ross—remain available in over half of Yahoo Sports leagues, but let’s avoid duplicates. Although that doesn’t leave many significant fresh faces, these players can do their part to aid a late run.

Begin Slideshow

All but one game on a packed Sunday Major League Baseball schedule is a matinee. That means a ton of options for DraftKings players. There’s only so much salary to go around, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed in this situation. 

We can’t go big on every selection. You’re going to need to find some sleepers and bargain options. Here are five for Sunday’s schedule, including a low-cost pitcher to watch on the mound.

Josh Tomlin, SP ($5,600)

In three starts this season, Josh Tomlin is trending upward. He’s gone at least six innings in each start. He and the Cleveland Indians host the struggling Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The Angels haven’t scored more than three runs in a game in their last four contests.

Tomlin doesn’t walk a ton of hitters. To be specific, he’s issued just two free passes in 19.1 innings. Last but not least, Tomlin strikes out 8.38 batters per nine innings. That’s a big reason he’s averaging 21.7 fantasy points per game this season.

Obviously, that’s not a total you can be completely content with from the pitcher spot, but Tomlin’s low salary gives you some flexibility. Perhaps you want to draft the Chicago Cubs’ Jake Arrieta for $12,400, he and Tomlin’s salaries combined are just $18,000. That’s an average of $9,000 per pitcher spot.

That’s reasonable, as it would allow you to fill a solid lineup of position players as well. 

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B ($2,900)

When he’s gotten an opportunity to play of late, Lonnie Chisenhall has been on a tear at the plate. In his last 10 games, he is hitting .565, slugging .752 and his OPS is 1.333. Indians in Depth on Twitter offer even more perspective on Chisenhall’s performance in August:

The Indians will face scuffling Angels starter Jered Weaver on Sunday. He’s allowed four or more runs nine times this season. Most recently, Weaver surrendered six earned in his last start against the Detroit Tigers on August 25.

To boot, Chisenhall is hitting .412 in 17 at-bats against him. It seems crazy for the Indians or any DK player not to have him in the lineup on Sunday.

Marcel Ozuna, OF ($3,000)

In his last four games, Marcel Ozuna has been hot.

He’s hitting .375 in that span with three multi-hit games and three extra-base hits. Ozuna’s hot hitting isn’t the only reason to draft him on Sunday. The 24-year-old Miami Marlins outfielder will be facing the Washington Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg, and Ozuna has gotten the better of this matchup in their career meetings.

In 17 at-bats, Ozuna is hitting a paltry .412 with a home run, double, triple and five RBI against Strasburg. With recent success at the plate and positive history against the opposing pitcher, Ozuna could be a steal for $3,000.

Danny Espinosa, 2B/3B ($3,200)

The Marlins may need all they can get from Ozuna. Miami is sending Brad Hand to the mound to face the Nationals, and that could be problematic. 

Current Nationals hitters are batting a combined .326 against Hand. Not least of the bunch is Danny Espinosa. In 11 at-bats against the Marlins left-hander, Espinosa is hitting .455.

Espinosa had a single and scored a run on Saturday. The hit was his first in three games, so he may be breaking out of a slump. Facing Hand could help continue to improve.

Victor Martinez, 1B ($3,400)

The 36-year-old Victor Martinez hasn’t had a very good season for the Detroit Tigers this year. Martinez echoed those sentiments in a quote captured by Matthew B. Mowery of the Oakland Press in Pontiac, Michigan:

Despite his 2015 struggles, Martinez has always hit Toronto Blue Jays starter Mark Buerhle. Guess who the Blue Jays are sending to the mound on Sunday?

In 78 at-bats, Martinez is carrying a healthy .359 batting average against the veteran lefty. He’s slugging .538 against Buerhle and he’s taken him deep four times.

Martinez doesn’t have a recent hot streak to reference, but his overwhelming success, in such a large sample size of at-bats against Buerhle, is reason enough to draft the Tigers veteran.

All stats per DraftKings.com, unless otherwise linked. The head-to-head references per ESPN.com.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter

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Does anyone else feel like this was the fantasy football draft weekend of the summer? I’m in three leagues, and all three of my drafts were this weekend.

What’s the deal? Football is still 11 days away. I don’t want to have to shift my focus from baseball to football yet. Hopefully you don’t either. Let’s jump right into today’s baseball primer. 

Nathan Eovaldi ($7,400) at Braves

Check out Eovaldi’s 10-game log on DraftKings. The Yankees righty is nothing if not consistent. He’s scored in double digits in each of his past 10 starts. And despite back-to-back outings in which Eovaldi has posted 26 or more fantasy points, he’s not that expensive. 

Oh yeah, today Eovaldi gets the combusting Braves away from the bandbox in the Bronx. Since the All-Star break, Atlanta’s been the worst offensive club in the league. They’re dead last in wRC+, runs and team offensive WAR according to Fangraphs. 

Eovaldi will also benefit from not pitching against a designated hitter. If he can avoid injury in his third, fourth and fifth at-bats of the season, he should have a big fantasy night. 

Stephen Strasburg ($10,000) vs. Marlins

Make no mistake, Strasburg is in the middle of his worst season in the bigs by far. But in the past month-and-a-half, he’s returned to form. On DraftKings, Strasburg has scored 20 or more fantasy points in four straight games and averaged 26 fantasy points over his last seven starts. It’s been more than three months since Strasburg allowed more than two runs in a game. 

Like Eovaldi, Strasburg has a terrific matchup. What is it with humid southern NL East cities? According to Fangraphs, the Marlins are the second-most incompetent team (behind the aforementioned Braves) at the dish since the All-Star break. They’ve hit only 21 home runs since the Midsummer Classic. Twenty-one! That’s roughly one jack every two games. Look for Strasburg to go seven or more innings in the nation’s capital today.

Other good options: Charlie Morton ($7,200) vs. Rockies, Josh Tomlin ($5,600) vs. Angels, John Lamb ($5,300) at Brewers 

Stack the ‘Stros

Sadly, the Blue Jays just passed the Astros in total team home runs. Houston led the league for the first four months of the season, but the sluggers up north finally caught them. In fact, Houston’s offense has been struggling lately. They’ve dropped to ninth in the league in wRC+, according to Fangraphs. 

However, they should tee off today against Ervin Santana in Minneapolis. Per DraftKings, Santana has been horrible recently. He’s posted a negative fantasy total in four of his past six outings. He’s allowed more than five runs per start and walked 15 batters in that same six-game stretch. 

If you stack the top of the Astros lineup and they strike with one big inning, you’re in good shape to cash in for any tournament. The way Santana is chucking, Houston is liable to put up multiple crooked-numbered innings at Target Field. 

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