I get a kick out of how some positions are so similar from one slate to the next, while others are completely different. There aren’t any cheap catchers I like in either slate, and in fact, all the catchers I recommended for the late slate cost roughly the same. Second base is the same for both slates: I don’t like anybody. In both slates, you can either take a cheaper, boring guy who will probably get you a hit or two and maybe score a run, or a stud who is pretty safe but may not be a great value. First base may be the deepest position for both slates, and unfortunately, there are more outfielders I like for the early slate than the late one. I usually fill outfield last, but that won’t be the case for the late slate. The good news is there is a decent mix of cheap and expensive plays across the board, so you can go with cheap pitching and load up on hitters or do the exact opposite, and you should be just fine either way.
| CATCHER | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Yadier Molina | STL | R | A | CHI | Jason Hammel | R | 500 | .296 | .351 | .408 | .759 | .334 | .112 | 7.20% | 11.20% | 50.00% | 27.00% | 23.00% | 6.00% | .326 | $2,800 | $3,100 | $4,500 |
| Willson Contreras | CHI | R | H | STL | Alex Reyes | R | 233 | .266 | .344 | .459 | .803 | .348 | .193 | 9.20% | 23.30% | 56.20% | 24.90% | 18.90% | 23.80% | .319 | $3,000 | $3,600 | $4,600 |
| Gary Sanchez | NYY | R | A | TOR | Marcus Stroman | R | 172 | .337 | .413 | .738 | 1.151 | .477 | .401 | 10.70% | 23.00% | 48.40% | 33.90% | 17.70% | 45.20% | .358 | $4,300 | $5,000 | $5,200 |
| Welington Castillo | ARI | R | A | BAL | Wade Miley | L | 394 | .269 | .326 | .434 | .760 | .328 | .165 | 7.40% | 25.60% | 44.60% | 28.60% | 26.80% | 17.50% | .337 | $3,000 | $4,200 | $4,300 |
| Yasmani Grandal | LA | B | H | COL | Chad Bettis | R | 376 | .231 | .336 | .489 | .825 | .357 | .258 | 13.30% | 25.90% | 45.60% | 37.50% | 16.90% | 27.60% | .253 | $3,000 | $3,300 | $4,500 |
| Wilson Ramos | WSH | R | A | PIT | Ivan Nova | R | 474 | .304 | .351 | .496 | .847 | .364 | .192 | 6.80% | 15.00% | 55.90% | 23.30% | 20.80% | 23.90% | .322 | $3,300 | $3,400 | $4,550 |
Willson Contreras is 5-for-12 with a home run during his four-game hitting streak.
Yadier Molina is 8-for-22 against Jason Hammel and 12-for-31 during his nine-game hitting streak.
Gary Sanchez is 10-for-22 with five home runs over the last week.
Welington Castillo is 4-for-10 with a home run against Wade Miley.
Yasmani Grandal is 6-for-11 with two home runs over his last three games.
Wilson Ramos is 7-for-20 with a home run during his five-game hitting streak.
| FIRST BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Brandon Moss | STL | L | A | CHI | Jason Hammel | R | 384 | .232 | .306 | .500 | .806 | .343 | .268 | 8.30% | 30.80% | 30.30% | 47.00% | 22.70% | 22.90% | .271 | $3,400 | $3,800 | $4,700 |
| Matt Adams | STL | L | A | CHI | Jason Hammel | R | 286 | .252 | .312 | .469 | .781 | .334 | .217 | 8.00% | 24.80% | 32.70% | 45.20% | 22.10% | 16.00% | .292 | $2,700 | $3,600 | $4,650 |
| Anthony Rizzo | CHI | L | H | STL | Alex Reyes | R | 556 | .295 | .390 | .552 | .942 | .399 | .257 | 11.30% | 15.60% | 40.40% | 39.00% | 20.50% | 18.10% | .311 | $4,500 | $5,200 | $5,250 |
| Matt Adams | BOS | L | A | TB | Matt Andriese | R | 508 | .319 | .406 | .634 | 1.040 | .432 | .315 | 13.00% | 13.20% | 34.60% | 42.60% | 22.80% | 20.00% | .313 | $3,900 | $5,500 | $5,200 |
| Trey Mancini | BAL | R | H | ARI | Robbie Ray | L | 7 | .429 | .500 | 1.429 | 1.929 | .765 | #### | 0.00% | 0.00% | 28.60% | 42.90% | 28.60% | 66.70% | .200 | $2,600 | $2,500 | $3,300 |
| Tommy Joseph | PHI | R | A | NYM | Sean Gilmartin | L | 304 | .260 | .308 | .516 | .824 | .350 | .256 | 6.00% | 21.90% | 38.80% | 42.20% | 19.00% | 21.40% | .269 | $2,300 | $4,100 | $4,500 |
| Joey Votto | CIN | L | A | MIL | Taylor Jungmann | R | 520 | .319 | .431 | .527 | .958 | .408 | .208 | 16.20% | 18.40% | 45.00% | 28.10% | 26.90% | 22.10% | .365 | $4,100 | $5,300 | $5,100 |
| Ryan Zimmerman | WSH | R | A | PIT | Ivan Nova | R | 408 | .218 | .271 | .377 | .648 | .282 | .159 | 6.30% | 22.70% | 49.70% | 30.40% | 19.90% | 15.80% | .248 | $2,700 | $2,800 | $4,400 |
I am probably playing a St. Louis first baseman, especially if I want to save some money. Brandon Moss is 7-for-16 with a home run against Jason Hammel while Matt Adams is 5-for-14 against Hammel. Adams is the hotter hitter, going 4-for-7 with a home run during his four-game hitting streak.
Anthony Rizzo is 12-for-30 with two home runs during his seven-game hitting streak.
David Ortiz is 7-for-19 with three home runs during his five-game hitting streak.
Trey Mancini is 3-for-7 with two home runs since making his MLB debut Thursday and right-handed batters have a .340 wOBA against Robbie Ray.
Joey Votto is 3-for-8 against Taylor Jungmann and 9-for-19 with a home run during his five-game hitting streak.
Tommy Joseph is 8-for-18 with two home runs over the last week and he has a .915 OPS against lefties.
Ryan Zimmerman is 4-for-13 with a home run over his last three games.
| SECOND BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Whit Merrifield | KC | R | A | DET | Daniel Norris | L | 284 | .282 | .317 | .384 | .701 | .307 | .102 | 5.00% | 22.70% | 47.70% | 30.60% | 21.80% | 3.00% | .363 | $2,900 | $3,600 | $3,900 |
| Devon Travis | TOR | R | H | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 383 | .308 | .338 | .460 | .798 | .346 | .152 | 4.50% | 19.60% | 47.50% | 31.40% | 21.10% | 10.60% | .366 | $3,700 | $3,800 | $4,650 |
| Robinson Cano | SEA | L | A | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 618 | .296 | .347 | .511 | .858 | .367 | .215 | 6.40% | 13.80% | 47.30% | 33.10% | 19.50% | 19.10% | .302 | $3,800 | $4,900 | $5,250 |
| Cesar Hernandez | PHI | B | A | NYM | Sean Gilmartin | L | 519 | .293 | .367 | .397 | .764 | .336 | .104 | 10.40% | 18.60% | 58.20% | 18.60% | 23.20% | 7.90% | .360 | $3,100 | $3,600 | $4,600 |
Devon Travis is 9-for-25 over the last week and right-handed batters have a .324 wOBA against CC Sabathia.
Whit Merrifield is 10-for-31 with two stolen bases over the last week.
Robinson Cano has a .900 OPS against right-handed pitchers and he is coming off a 4-for-5 outing Friday.
No one has ever been excited to play Cesar Hernandez for fantasy, but he has a 10-game hitting streak, and he should be able to extend it against Sean Gilmartin and the Mets bullpen.
| THIRD BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Javier Baez | CHI | R | H | STL | Alex Reyes | R | 399 | .273 | .313 | .424 | .737 | .318 | .151 | 3.50% | 24.00% | 48.30% | 34.90% | 16.80% | 12.70% | .336 | $3,000 | $3,300 | $4,250 |
| Adrian Beltre | TEX | R | A | OAK | Raul Alcantara | R | 563 | .298 | .357 | .517 | .874 | .374 | .219 | 7.60% | 10.30% | 42.30% | 37.00% | 20.70% | 17.00% | .291 | $3,000 | $4,100 | $5,250 |
| Danny Valencia | OAK | R | H | TEX | Yu Darvish | R | 449 | .290 | .350 | .454 | .804 | .350 | .164 | 8.10% | 21.90% | 46.60% | 29.60% | 23.90% | 17.20% | .347 | $2,900 | $3,300 | $4,300 |
| Adonis Garcia | ATL | R | A | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 508 | .274 | .314 | .413 | .727 | .316 | .139 | 4.50% | 16.30% | 53.30% | 22.00% | 24.70% | 15.40% | .308 | $2,900 | $3,600 | $4,250 |
| Todd Frazier | CWS | R | A | CLE | Cody Anderson | R | 554 | .224 | .304 | .462 | .766 | .330 | .238 | 10.00% | 23.90% | 37.00% | 47.20% | 15.80% | 19.60% | .231 | $3,200 | $4,700 | $4,900 |
| Maikel Franco | PHI | R | A | NYM | Sean Gilmartin | L | 549 | .251 | .304 | .428 | .732 | .314 | .177 | 6.40% | 16.80% | 44.30% | 33.60% | 22.00% | 15.90% | .266 | $2,800 | $3,300 | $4,400 |
Javier Baez is 6-for-14 over his last four starts.
Danny Valencia is 5-for-10 against Yu Darvish and 7-for-22 with a home run over the last week.
Adrian Beltre is 7-for-18 with a home run during his five-game hitting streak.
Adonis Garcia is 13-for-32 with a home run over the last week.
Todd Frazier is 11-for-26 with two home runs during his seven-game hitting streak.
Maikel Franco is 7-for-17 with two home runs during his four-game hitting streak.
| SHORTSTOP | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Elvis Andrus | TEX | R | A | OAK | Raul Alcantara | R | 485 | .297 | .358 | .425 | .783 | .341 | .128 | 8.40% | 11.90% | 49.90% | 26.10% | 24.00% | 5.50% | .328 | $2,800 | $3,900 | $4,450 |
| Didi Gregorius | NYY | L | A | TOR | Marcus Stroman | R | 533 | .278 | .307 | .447 | .754 | .324 | .169 | 3.30% | 14.10% | 43.40% | 35.90% | 20.70% | 11.00% | .295 | $2,900 | $3,300 | $4,450 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | TOR | R | H | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 458 | .253 | .318 | .445 | .763 | .331 | .192 | 7.90% | 19.10% | 41.60% | 38.50% | 19.90% | 17.30% | .270 | $3,200 | $3,400 | $4,850 |
| Jean Segura | ARI | R | A | BAL | Wade Miley | L | 607 | .316 | .363 | .484 | .847 | .367 | .168 | 5.30% | 14.40% | 55.30% | 25.30% | 19.40% | 13.20% | .352 | $3,600 | $5,400 | $4,950 |
| Stephen Drew | WSH | L | A | PIT | Ivan Nova | R | 124 | .274 | .336 | .540 | .876 | .370 | .266 | 8.60% | 21.40% | 35.40% | 42.70% | 21.90% | 17.10% | .300 | $2,200 | $2,900 | $3,850 |
| Jose Peraza | CIN | R | A | MIL | Taylor Jungmann | R | 208 | .327 | .349 | .423 | .772 | .336 | .096 | 2.30% | 13.30% | 44.80% | 25.30% | 29.90% | 6.80% | .365 | $3,200 | $3,600 | $3,500 |
Elvis Andrus is 5-for-13 with a home run over his last four games.
Troy Tulowitzki is 4-for-8 against CC Sabathia.
Didi Gregorius is 8-for-22 over the last week.
Jose Peraza is 7-for-16 with a home run during his four-game hitting streak.
Stephen Drew is 4-for-11 over his last three games and he is especially cheap on FanDuel.
Jean Segura is 8-for-25 with a home run over the last week and right-handed batters have a .369 wOBA against Wade Miley this season.
| OUTFIELD | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Mookie Betts | BOS | R | A | TB | Matt Andriese | R | 645 | .321 | .365 | .543 | .908 | .388 | .222 | 6.70% | 11.40% | 42.20% | 37.10% | 20.70% | 14.80% | .325 | $4,100 | $5,400 | $5,300 |
| Randal Grichuk | STL | R | A | CHI | Jason Hammel | R | 411 | .243 | .293 | .491 | .784 | .336 | .248 | 5.90% | 28.80% | 41.20% | 41.50% | 17.30% | 19.50% | .294 | $3,500 | $4,400 | $4,650 |
| Ian Desmond | TEX | R | A | OAK | Raul Alcantara | R | 603 | .287 | .338 | .454 | .792 | .343 | .167 | 6.60% | 23.60% | 54.40% | 24.50% | 21.10% | 20.40% | .351 | $3,900 | $3,600 | $5,300 |
| Melvin Upton | TOR | R | H | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 483 | .256 | .304 | .439 | .743 | .303 | .183 | 6.60% | 28.80% | 50.00% | 30.60% | 19.40% | 19.80% | .303 | $3,400 | $3,800 | $4,450 |
| Corey Dickerson | TB | L | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 475 | .244 | .289 | .476 | .765 | .323 | .232 | 6.10% | 24.80% | 39.60% | 43.90% | 16.50% | 15.10% | .284 | $3,100 | $3,300 | $4,350 |
| J.D. Martinez | DET | R | H | KC | Yordano Ventura | R | 430 | .309 | .377 | .542 | .919 | .393 | .233 | 9.50% | 23.80% | 42.40% | 33.90% | 23.70% | 19.60% | .376 | $3,400 | $3,800 | $5,100 |
| Nomar Mazara | TEX | L | A | OAK | Raul Alcantara | R | 498 | .275 | .327 | .434 | .761 | .330 | .159 | 6.80% | 19.20% | 51.30% | 27.80% | 20.90% | 18.50% | .308 | $3,500 | $4,100 | $4,750 |
| Carlos Gomez | TEX | R | A | OAK | Raul Alcantara | R | 391 | .260 | .349 | .490 | .839 | .288 | .230 | 7.60% | 30.30% | 50.40% | 29.70% | 19.90% | 14.50% | .305 | $3,500 | $3,400 | $4,550 |
| Yasmany Tomas | ARI | R | A | BAL | Wade Miley | L | 505 | .271 | .313 | .505 | .818 | .349 | .234 | 5.60% | 24.00% | 48.10% | 29.20% | 22.70% | 26.90% | .310 | $2,700 | $4,500 | $4,700 |
| Brandon Guyer | CLE | R | H | CWS | Jose Quintana | L | 284 | .241 | .347 | .406 | .753 | .351 | .165 | 5.40% | 15.60% | 41.70% | 37.30% | 21.10% | 10.60% | .290 | $2,600 | $3,900 | $4,350 |
| Matt Kemp | ATL | R | A | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 600 | .262 | .285 | .489 | .774 | .339 | .227 | 5.30% | 23.00% | 41.30% | 37.10% | 21.60% | 19.60% | .302 | $3,800 | $4,700 | $4,700 |
| Melky Cabrera | CWS | B | A | CLE | Cody Anderson | R | 555 | .297 | .347 | .454 | .801 | .346 | .157 | 7.40% | 10.70% | 44.70% | 31.20% | 24.10% | 8.50% | .315 | $3,000 | $4,400 | $4,600 |
| Andrew McCutchen | PIT | R | H | WSH | Joe Ross | R | 568 | .259 | .340 | .440 | .780 | .337 | .181 | 10.30% | 21.20% | 36.90% | 38.50% | 24.60% | 14.60% | .299 | $3,400 | $4,700 | $4,850 |
| Nori Aoki | SEA | L | A | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 392 | .276 | .342 | .372 | .714 | .318 | .096 | 7.10% | 9.80% | 62.50% | 19.00% | 18.50% | 4.50% | .303 | $3,000 | $4,200 | $3,900 |
| Josh Reddick | LA | L | H | COL | Chad Bettis | R | 384 | .241 | .291 | .298 | .589 | .320 | .057 | 9.00% | 13.00% | 43.20% | 34.60% | 22.20% | 8.00% | .302 | $2,900 | $3,100 | $4,250 |
Corey Dickerson is 4-for-10 with two home runs over his last three games and 5-for-16 against Rick Porcello.
Mookie Betts is 5-for-11 with a home run against Matt Andriese and 18-for-38 during his 10-game hitting streak.
J.D. Martinez is 8-for-17 in his career against Yordano Ventura.
Randal Grichuk is 5-for-14 with a home run against Jason Hammel and 7-for-22 with a home run over the last week.
Nomar Mazara is 6-for-18 with two home runs over the last week while Carlos Gomez is 10-for-27 with a home run over that same span and Ian Desmond is 6-for-17 during his four-game hitting streak.
Melvin Upton Jr. has a .901 OPS against lefties this season and he is a career .288 hitter against CC Sabathia.
Yasmany Tomas is 9-for-23 during his six-game hitting streak and he has a .456 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Matt Kemp is 8-for-23 with two home runs over the last week and he has a .812 OPS against lefties this season.
Brandon Guyer is 5-for-15 with a home run against Jose Quintana and he has a .401 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Melky Cabrera is 5-for-10 with a home run against Cody Anderson and he is 4-for-11 with two home runs over his last three games.
Andrew McCutchen is 19-for-47 with four home runs during his 11-game hitting streak.
Norichika Aoki is 8-for-20 over his last six games.
Josh Reddick is 7-for-18 over the last week.
Player News
Andrés Giménez was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Angels with right quad tightness.
It sounds like a precautionary measure. There should be an update on his status prior to Thursday’s series finale out in Los Angeles.
Kyren Paris hit a two-run homer in Wednesday’s win for the Angels over the Blue Jays.
That’s the first homer for Paris since April 9 when he went deep twice against Tampa Bay and caused everyone to lose all sense of rational thought. The 23-year-old did also single and walk to improve his on-base percentage to .311,, while the homer bumps his slugging mark to .378. There is long-term upside in Paris with flashes that suggest he can be a fantasy option. Fantasy managers should still absolutely looking elsewhere for options up the middle.
Jorge Soler hit a three-run double in the bottom of the ninth to give the Angels a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Trent Grisham went 1-for-1 with a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning of a 4-3 win over the Padres on Wednesday.
While the Yankees won this game on a walk-off in the 10th inning, Grisham’s game-tying home run in the eighth was the biggest moment. He came on as a pinch-hitter for Jorbit Vibas against the usually stout Jason Adam and smashed a two-strike changeup into the right field seats. This clutch shot will only continue to push Grisham’s playing time in the right direction after he just started eight of the last 10 games, hit either first or second in each, and already has 10 homers in 31 games played this season.
Jeff Hoffman blew a save and picked up a loss Wednesday against the Angels.
Devin Williams struck out three batters with one walk and hit another in a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win against the Padres on Wednesday.
The Yankees entrusted Williams with the all important 10th inning and the inherited ghost runner on second base after their dramatic comeback. While he loaded the bases and had some tense moments, he left the inning unscathed and opened the door for them to win it right after. It should be noted that Luke Weaver came on for what were the most important outs of this game at the time, after Ian Hamilton walked two to begin the eighth inning and Weaver allowed both of those inherited runners to score. He was called upon as the fireman though and will likely get the next save opportunity. Still, this was a massive step in the right direction for Williams.