As the season winds down, we’re going to have to be as detail-oriented as possible to remain ahead of the curve when it comes to new faces, opportunities, and players that may get a smaller workload.
One prime example is in Anaheim where my Angels are in the middle of a putrid 11-game losing streak. While Mike Trout will probably continue to get playing time, you may notice guys like Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun give way to some of the club’s terrible farm system with the Angels completely out of contention.
As for tonight’s slate, we have 15 games in play, as well as the 2nd game of the opening series between the Nationals and Rockies at Coors Field.
There was some crazy stuff happening in regards to the weather last week, and it doesn’t look too great tonight as there’s showers forecasted in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and New York. Of those three games, it looks like the Marlins/Reds game is the most in danger of a postponement, but I’d say about 9 of every 10 forecasts have been off lately, so we’ll see what happens.
Another thing I want to point out is the Noah Syndergaard factor. He is terrible at holding runners, so if the D-Backs are able to get on base, expect some fireworks on the basepaths. I am not featuring any hitters against Syndergaard, but I think playing guys like Segura, Brito, and Goldschmidt can be very beneficial in GPPs.
| CATCHER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Wilson Ramos | WSH | R | COL | Chad Bettis | 359 | 119 | 19 | 53 | 66 | 29 | 0 | .331 | .925 | .214 | .340 | .391 | 22.0% | 35.5% | 89.2% | $4,000 | $5,300 | $5,150 |
| Victor Martinez | DET | S | KC | Danny Duffy | 415 | 125 | 21 | 47 | 69 | 35 | 0 | .301 | .850 | .193 | .315 | .359 | 24.5% | 39.0% | 91.3% | $3,400 | $3,100 | $4,800 |
| Salvador Perez | KC | R | DET | Justin Verlander | 390 | 101 | 16 | 42 | 51 | 15 | 0 | .259 | .743 | .192 | .304 | .315 | 20.6% | 33.5% | 89.7% | $3,200 | $2,600 | $4,500 |
| Yadier Molina | STL | R | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | 382 | 110 | 4 | 40 | 35 | 33 | 3 | .288 | .743 | .105 | .318 | .325 | 20.8% | 30.9% | 90.5% | $2,600 | $3,000 | $4,450 |
Wilson Ramos is going to cost you a pretty penny tonight, but he’s one of the best hitting catchers in baseball, and has a date at Coors Field with Chad Bettis, who is giving up a line of .326/.374/.512 to right-handed batters at home this season.
Victor Martinez doesn’t mind facing Danny Duffy, who has been KC’s best pitcher since the All-Star Break. He has gone 3-for-7 (.429 AVG) with a couple homers against the southpaw this season.
Salvador Perez absolutely loves facing Justin Verlander. The Royals catcher is 23-for-49 (.469 AVG) with two homers, eight doubles, and 14 RBIs against Kate Upton’s fiance throughout his career.
Yadier Molina has five multi-hit games over his last eight starts. He also had a multi-hit game in his last start against Dallas Keuchel, with both of his hits going for extra bases.
| FIRST BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| David Ortiz | BOS | L | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | 388 | 121 | 27 | 55 | 92 | 62 | 2 | .312 | 1.026 | .309 | .309 | .420 | 22.7% | 45.0% | 90.8% | $4,200 | $5,400 | $5,450 |
| Freddie Freeman | ATL | L | MIN | Ervin Santana | 439 | 126 | 23 | 66 | 54 | 59 | 4 | .287 | .918 | .251 | .355 | .382 | 28.5% | 42.2% | 78.1% | $3,500 | $4,900 | $5,000 |
| Mitch Moreland | TEX | L | OAK | Andrew Triggs | 336 | 85 | 20 | 40 | 49 | 26 | 1 | .253 | .798 | .229 | .283 | .337 | 21.2% | 38.0% | 83.4% | $3,300 | $4,600 | $4,300 |
| Jose Abreu | CHW | R | CLE | Corey Kluber | 454 | 128 | 14 | 41 | 65 | 29 | 0 | .282 | .774 | .156 | .324 | .329 | 19.1% | 32.5% | 88.3% | $3,100 | $4,000 | $4,950 |
David Ortiz seems to have overcome the worst slump of his season, and gets a nice matchup against Yovani Gallardo, who he has gone 5-for-10 (.500 AVG) against throughout his career.
Freddie Freeman has hits in each of his last five games while going 9-for-14 (.643 AVG) at the plate with four homers, two doubles, six walks, six runs, and eight RBIs.
Mitch Moreland is batting .325/.378/.699 with nine home runs in just 83 at-bats since the All-Star Break.
Jose Abreu has a 7-game hitting streak where he has gone 14-for-33 (.424 AVG) with a homer, three doubles, and six RBIs. While his matchup against Corey Kluber may scare people off, it should be noted that he has a .484 wOBA throughout the course of his career against the Indians ace.
| SECOND BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jose Altuve | HOU | R | STL | Jaime Garcia | 461 | 167 | 19 | 86 | 73 | 50 | 26 | .362 | 1.000 | .210 | .372 | .419 | 26.3% | 34.5% | 91.3% | $3,800 | $4,900 | $5,600 |
| Logan Forsythe | TB | R | SD | Edwin Jackson | 357 | 100 | 15 | 58 | 38 | 29 | 6 | .280 | .817 | .196 | .326 | .350 | 24.3% | 37.0% | 84.4% | $3,700 | $4,500 | $4,700 |
| Devon Travis | TOR | R | NYY | Michael Pineda | 256 | 76 | 10 | 39 | 34 | 14 | 3 | .297 | .813 | .184 | .342 | .347 | 19.8% | 28.1% | 92.4% | $3,500 | $4,600 | $4,850 |
| Chase Utley | LAD | L | PHI | Vince Velasquez | 256 | 76 | 10 | 39 | 34 | 14 | 3 | .297 | .813 | .184 | .342 | .347 | 19.8% | 28.1% | 92.4% | $2,800 | $3,500 | $4,950 |
Jose Altuve is a lefty masher, and especially so at Minute Maid Park. He gets to face a lefty who he has had good success against in Jaime Garcia, having gone 7-for-16 (.438 AVG) at the plate against the Red Birds southpaw.
Logan Forsythe has had a huge last seven games where he has gone 10-for-27 (.370 AVG) with four homers and eight RBIs.
Devon Travis matches up extremely well against Michael Pineda. He is a modest 3-for-6 (.500 AVG) against the hard-throwing righty in their previous meetings, but it should also be noted that he’s batting .313/.324/.522 with three homers and nine RBIs over his last 15 games.
Chase Utley narrative alert! The longtime Philly makes his return to the City of Brotherly Love tonight, and is at a very good price point throughout the industry. Yes, the matchup could be better, but I don’t mind going this route even in cash games because of his reasonable price.
| THIRD BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Manny Machado | BAL | R | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | 455 | 139 | 26 | 81 | 69 | 41 | 0 | .305 | .915 | .246 | .323 | .381 | 20.5% | 36.7% | 87.0% | $4,000 | $5,000 | $5,300 |
| Kyle Seager | SEA | L | LAA | Jhoulys Chacin | 440 | 125 | 22 | 67 | 77 | 47 | 1 | .284 | .874 | .230 | .301 | .368 | 22.2% | 37.1% | 88.5% | $3,600 | $5,100 | $5,200 |
| Jose Ramirez | CLE | S | CHW | Jose Quintana | 395 | 123 | 8 | 64 | 51 | 33 | 19 | .311 | .820 | .142 | .336 | .354 | 25.1% | 25.6% | 89.8% | $3,100 | $4,900 | $4,550 |
| Alex Bregman | HOU | R | STL | Jaime Garcia | 395 | 123 | 8 | 64 | 51 | 33 | 19 | .311 | .820 | .142 | .336 | .354 | 25.1% | 25.6% | 89.8% | $2,700 | $3,500 | $3,650 |
Manny Machado, when playing at home, and against a lefty, has been money this season, batting .375/.444/.563 with a .425 wOBA, and half of his hits going for extra bases. Even though Machado is in this spot, you also need to give consideration to the Coors Field duo of Nolan Arenado and Anthony Rendon.
Kyle Seager has gone 13-for-35 (.371 AVG) with two homers, two doubles, and 10 RBIs over his last nine games.
Jose Ramirez remains a steal on FanDuel even though he batted .429/.467/.786 with two homers, seven RBIs, and seven stolen bases last week. He has been sensational in 2016. I guess the Indians can consider the injury/suspension to Michael Brantley and Marlon Byrd to be blessings in disguise.
Alex Bregman snapped an 8-game hitting streak with an 0-for-4 outing on Sunday, but should still be considered as long as he’s getting prime opportunities in the Astros lineup. I like his matchup against Jaime Garcia, and I like his price point across the industry.
| SHORTSTOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Brad Miller | TB | L | SD | Edwin Jackson | 391 | 101 | 22 | 55 | 52 | 31 | 6 | .258 | .821 | .248 | .287 | .347 | 17.6% | 33.7% | 83.1% | $3,800 | $4,900 | $4,650 |
| Corey Seager | LAD | L | PHI | Vince Velasquez | 456 | 141 | 21 | 74 | 56 | 37 | 1 | .309 | .893 | .221 | .348 | .377 | 22.7% | 39.3% | 88.3% | $3,800 | $4,800 | $5,150 |
| Addison Russell | CHC | R | MIL | Chase Anderson | 388 | 95 | 14 | 47 | 71 | 45 | 4 | .245 | .746 | .168 | .300 | .321 | 23.1% | 30.3% | 79.4% | $2,900 | $4,500 | $4,500 |
| J.J. Hardy | BAL | R | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | 253 | 70 | 5 | 27 | 29 | 15 | 0 | .277 | .721 | .130 | .305 | .309 | 19.3% | 37.2% | 93.9% | $2,500 | $3,300 | $4,400 |
Brad Miller should have low ownership tonight, mainly because of his expensive price tag on both DraftKings and FanDuel (at least, I hope). He matches up very well against Edwin Jackson, and is 3-for-4 with a couple doubles against him in limited meetings.
Corey Seager is coming off of a ginormous week, going 12-for-26 (.461 AVG) with two homers, a double, and four RBIs over his last two series (against the Pirates and Phillies).
Addison Russell has reached base safely in nine of his last 22 plate appearances while homering and doubling twice. I prefer his value on FanDuel tonight.
J.J. Hardy has hits in nine of his last 10 games, and is a very reasonable $2500 on FanDuel tonight.
| OUTFIELD | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Charlie Blackmon | COL | L | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | 431 | 139 | 21 | 80 | 60 | 34 | 15 | .323 | .922 | .218 | .346 | .390 | 27.2% | 35.1% | 92.0% | $4,200 | $5,600 | $5,450 |
| Ryan Braun | MIL | R | CHC | Jason Hammel | 366 | 120 | 22 | 61 | 65 | 36 | 13 | .328 | .962 | .243 | .350 | .402 | 19.9% | 34.4% | 90.2% | $4,200 | $5,300 | $5,300 |
| Jayson Werth | WSH | R | COL | Chad Bettis | 380 | 97 | 16 | 62 | 53 | 54 | 4 | .255 | .790 | .189 | .301 | .341 | 17.2% | 39.0% | 87.2% | $4,100 | $4,700 | $5,150 |
| Mike Trout | LAA | R | SEA | Ariel Miranda | 411 | 128 | 23 | 91 | 76 | 80 | 20 | .311 | .983 | .246 | .360 | .414 | 21.6% | 40.6% | 86.1% | $4,100 | $4,400 | $5,550 |
| Jackie Bradley Jr. | BOS | L | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | 408 | 116 | 19 | 69 | 66 | 45 | 7 | .284 | .882 | .233 | .329 | .374 | 17.6% | 36.3% | 85.1% | $3,600 | $4,900 | $4,750 |
| Adam Jones | BAL | R | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | 457 | 126 | 23 | 70 | 69 | 29 | 1 | .276 | .781 | .186 | .290 | .333 | 16.6% | 31.9% | 84.5% | $3,500 | $4,300 | $4,750 |
| Miguel Sano | MIN | R | ATL | Joel De La Cruz | 316 | 79 | 20 | 44 | 50 | 44 | 1 | .250 | .832 | .241 | .343 | .355 | 22.4% | 43.2% | 78.8% | $3,400 | $5,100 | $4,700 |
| Ryan Raburn | COL | R | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | 184 | 41 | 8 | 23 | 27 | 24 | 0 | .223 | .728 | .190 | .289 | .315 | 15.6% | 35.3% | 79.1% | $3,200 | $3,300 | $4,400 |
| Coco Crisp | OAK | S | TEX | Lucas Harrell | 356 | 85 | 10 | 44 | 46 | 36 | 7 | .239 | .717 | .171 | .255 | .308 | 23.0% | 24.8% | 89.5% | $3,200 | $4,400 | $4,350 |
| Rajai Davis | CLE | R | CHW | Jose Quintana | 343 | 91 | 11 | 60 | 40 | 29 | 32 | .265 | .751 | .157 | .316 | .325 | 18.3% | 29.1% | 86.5% | $3,100 | $4,500 | $4,400 |
| Stephen Piscotty | STL | R | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | 427 | 118 | 17 | 65 | 65 | 38 | 4 | .276 | .815 | .192 | .315 | .351 | 18.7% | 33.7% | 85.7% | $3,100 | $4,400 | $4,850 |
| Paulo Orlando | KC | R | DET | Justin Verlander | 318 | 105 | 4 | 33 | 27 | 9 | 10 | .330 | .799 | .113 | .406 | .344 | 20.9% | 27.0% | 88.1% | $3,100 | $3,600 | $4,100 |
| Travis Jankowski | SD | L | TB | Blake Snell | 200 | 50 | 1 | 40 | 8 | 35 | 25 | .250 | .692 | .075 | .360 | .316 | 26.0% | 22.3% | 89.0% | $3,000 | $3,900 | $3,850 |
| Aaron Judge | NYY | R | TOR | Marco Estrada | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 1.783 | .700 | .500 | .701 | 0.0% | 62.5% | 93.3% | $2,900 | $2,700 | $4,300 |
| Eddie Rosario | MIN | L | ATL | Joel De La Cruz | 242 | 65 | 8 | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | .269 | .728 | .169 | .328 | .306 | 16.7% | 31.5% | 75.6% | $2,800 | $4,000 | $3,800 |
| Brandon Guyer | CLE | R | CHW | Jose Quintana | 230 | 59 | 8 | 30 | 24 | 15 | 2 | .257 | .789 | .170 | .287 | .347 | 20.7% | 28.3% | 88.0% | $2,600 | $4,100 | $4,450 |
Charlie Blackmon is the hottest hitter in baseball, and it isn’t even close. This guy has six homers over this last four, and eight homers over his last seven. I don’t care that he’s facing a lefty tonight. It hasn’t mattered since the All-Star Break for Charlie, and it shouldn’t matter tonight.
Ryan Braun has a ridiculous eight home runs over his last 11 games and is coming off of a double dong day on Sunday against the Reds. He can’t possibly get a better matchup tonight considering he is batting .360/.484/.760 with three homers, lifetime, against Jason Hammel.
Jayson Werth has a 43-game on-base streak going and gets rewarded with another game at Coors Field and a matchup against Chad Bettis, who he reached base safely against in both of his plate appearances the last time they met.
Mike Trout is still playing his heart out despite his team’s struggles. He has two homers and three stolen bases over his last five games.
Jackie Bradley Jr. has gone deep in back-to-back games and gets a wonderful matchup against Yovani Gallardo, who relies heavily on his slider. According to PITCHf/x, JBJ happens to be the best hitter against the slider on the Red Sox roster.
Adam Jones has gone 17-for-44 (.386 AVG) with two homers and six RBIs over his last 10 games. He gets a good matchup against Eduardo Rodriguez, who he has homered against in the past.
Miguel Sano is a game-time decision tonight, but if he gets the start, he’s my pick for a dong. Joel De La Cruz has a 5.37 xFIP and throws sinkers more than half of the time. According to PITCHf/x, of hitters with over 300 plate appearances, Sano is the 6th best hitter against the sinker in all of baseball.
Ryan Raburn must be in consideration if he gets the nod tonight against the lefty, Gio Gonzalez. Raburn has homered three times in 13 career at-bats against Gio.
Coco Crisp has a .586 wOBA over 11 career plate appearances against Lucas Harrell of the Rangers.
Rajai Davis is just one of a handful of Indians hitters who remain severely underpriced considering their production. He has a pretty solid history against Jose Quintana, batting .298/.340/.468 with six stolen bases over 50 career plate appearances.
Stephen Piscotty has two homers over his last three games and has demolished left-handed pitching throughout the season.
Paulo Orlando’s experiment at the leadoff spot has been going quite well. Orlando is 10-for-29 (.345 AVG) with a homer, triple, two doubles, two walks, four RBIs, and a stolen base from the leadoff spot this season. He has proven that he is definitely a better option there than Alcides Escobar.
Travis Jankowski has cooled off a touch, but based on what we saw Melvin Upton do against Blake Snell on the bases last week, it suggests that Jankowski may run wild on the bases if he can get on base.
Aaron Judge must be in play considering he is 5-for-10 (.500 AVG) with two homers and a double over the three games he has played this season.
Eddie Rosario is batting .316/.350/.526 with three homers and eight RBIs over his last 15 games.
Brandon Guyer will continue to get starts against left-handed pitching. He’ll face Jose Quintana tonight, who he went 3-for-3 against earlier this season when he faced the White Sox in a Rays uniform.
Be sure to keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page to confirm that your players are starting.
If you guys have any questions, you can always reach me on Twitter @kle18. Good luck!