David Ortiz has a great matchup Monday against R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays

There is a nine-game slate tonight, and it sure is an interesting one. This is one of the weakest sets of pitchers and quite possibly the worst on the season thus far. With the options you have at pitching it makes for a tournament night. There isn’t a single pitcher that should be considered the “chalk” play, and ownership levels should be spread out. It aches me to give recommendations at pitching tonight.

As of now there is a 60%-70% chance of thunderstorms in Minnesota at Cincinnati. The weather could clear up in time to get the game in, but make sure to stay updated on the weather by following Kevin Roth on Twitter @KevinRothWx. He will have a full DFS forecast.

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Pitcher

• Nathan Karns – TB – $6,600

Karns is pitching well and comes in as a -125 favorite at home vs. the Cleveland Indians. The Indians get a negative park shift in Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. Over the past two weeks the Indians have been struggling to put runs on the board with a 20.1 K%, .298 wOBA, 92 wRC+, .117 ISO. Karns comes into this game with a 21.6 K% and a 3.94 FIP. The Indians are left-handed heavy and Karns is a reverse-splits pitcher who has more success vs. lefties with a 28.0 K% and a 2.96 FIP.

Other Notables

• Clay Buchholz – BOS – $8,600
• Jimmy Nelson – MIL – $7,200
• Lance McCullers – HOU – $6,700
• Mike Leake – CIN – $6,400

Catcher

• Stephen Vogt – OAK – $3,600

David Hale is a below-average pitcher traveling to Oakland under American League rules. He is really bad when it comes to facing left-handed hitters. Vogt has been one of the best catchers while hitting at home vs. right-handed pitchers. Vogt owns a .394 wOBA, 158 wRC+, .238 ISO in that situation this season.

Other Notables

• Russell Martin – TOR – $3,600
• Matt Wieters – BAL – $3,300
• Evan Gattis – HOU – $3,300
• Yasmani Grandal – LAD – $2,800
• Jonathan Lucroy – MIL – $2,800
• Jason Castro – HOU – $2,400
• Brayan Pena – CIN – $2,200

First Base

• David Ortiz – BOS – $2,800

As of late, taking Ortiz was due to his criminally low cost but that isn’t the case tonight. He has owned R.A. Dickey in the past going 9-for-25 with 3 HR, 8 RBI with a .448 OBP. Usually you shouldn’t put too much stock into BvP, but knuckle-ball pitchers are an exception. Expect a big night from Big Papi.

Other Notables

• Paul Goldschmidt – ARI – $5,400
• Albert Pujols – LAA – $4,700
• Edwin Encarnacion – TOR – $4,200
• Prince Fielder – TEX – $3,700
• Adam Lind – MIL – $3,700
• Joey Votto – CIN – $3.600
• Chris Davis – BAL – $3,400
• Mark Teixeira – NYY – $3,300
• Adrian Gonzalez – LAD – $3,000
• Mike Napoli – BOS – $2,900

Second Base

• Scooter Gennett – MIL – $2,900

Gennett comes into play vs. Sean O’Sullivan. Gennett is always an option when facing a right-handed pitcher and O’Sullivan is waiting to implode on the mound. The run total is set at 8 with the Brewers being a -150 favorite on the road. Vegas expects the Brew Crew to score runs and Philadelphia isn’t much of a downgrade in park factor. Gennett owns a .353 wOBA, 123 wRC+, .168 ISO in his career vs. right-handed pitching.

Other Notables

• Jason Kipnis – CLE – $4,500
• Brian Dozier – MIN – $4,100
• Ben Zobrist – OAK – $3,300
• Howie Kendrick – LAD – $2,700
• Rougned Odor – TEX – $2,600
• Johnny Giavotella – LAA – $2,300

Third Base

• Pablo Sandoval – BOS – $2,400

Sandoval is heating up at the plate and has had success vs. Dickey going 7-for-22 with 1 HR and 5 RBI. Pablo has five multi-hit games in the last 10. Dickey is prone to giving up the long ball and playing in Toronto gives the hitters a boost.

Other Notables

• Nolan Arenado – COL – $5,000
• Todd Frazier – CIN – $4,900
• Manny Machado – BAL – $4,200
• Alex Rodriguez – NYY – $4,000
• Josh Donaldson – TOR – $4,000
• Justin Turner – LAD – $3,700
• Luis Valbuena – HOU – $3,600
• Brett Lawrie – OAK – $3,100
• Aramis Ramirez – MIL – $3,100
• Adrian Beltre – TEX – $2,800
• David Freese – LAA – $2,400

Shortstop

• Xander Bogaerts – BOS – $2,600

Xander has worked his way up in the batter order and should stay there with his recent success and the injury to Hanley Ramirez. Bogaerts has 13 hits over his last 10 games and continues to rack up the points. SS is a thin position, and he should be hitting third in the lineup with the expected run total being one of the highest.

Other Notables

• Carlos Correa – HOU – $4,000
• Troy Tulowitzki – COL – $4,000
• Jose Reyes – TOR – $3,600
• Jean Segura – MIL – $2,900
• Eduardo Escobar – MIN – $2,500
• Asdrubal Cabrera – TOR – $2,500
• Elvis Andrus – TEX – $2,500
• J.J. Hardy – BAL – $2,500

Outfield

• Mike Trout – LAA – $5,000
• Ryan Braun – MIL – $4,500
• Carlos Gomez – MIL – $4,100

C.C. Sabathia continues to struggle with giving up home runs and with there not being any high-priced pitching options there isn’t any reason for you to fade Trout in any type of format. Yes, being contrarian is important when taking down a large field tournament, but sometimes you have to lock in a player regardless of that or you might get left behind.

Braun has been a streaky player, and it could be due to his thumb issue that has been a rollercoaster for him and fantasy owners. He is locked in at the plate right now and loves playing in Philadelphia where he has mashed in his career. Braun owns a .344 wOBA, 116 wRC+, .218 ISO this season.

Gomez was a candidate to land on the disabled list due to a hip injury, but it seems he has overcome that. One of the concerns was that he wasn’t going to attempt stolen bases due to the injury but he answered that yesterday with a clean swipe. The next thing to come is the power, and O’Sullivan could be the guy to allow it. Gomez can rack up points quickly and in many different ways.

Other Notables

• Jose Bautista – TOR – $5,000
• Brett Gardner – NYY – $4,700
• Charlie Blackmon – COL – $4,400
• A.J. Pollock – ARI – $3,900
• George Springer – HOU – $3,800
• Mookie Betts – BOS – $3,600
• Joc Pederson – LAD – $3,600
• Billy Burns – OAK – $3,600
• Carlos Gonzalez – COL – $3,600
• Yasiel Puig – LAD – $3,500
• David Peralta – ARI – $3,500
• Adam Jones – BAL – $3,400
• Jay Bruce – CIN – $3,400
• Michael Brantley – CLE – $3,100
• Joey Butler – TB – $3,100
• Preston Tucker – HOU – $2,900
• Josh Reddick – OAK – $2,900
• Kevin Kiermaier – TB – $2,700
• Mitch Moreland – TEX – $2,700
• Gerardo Parra – MIL – $2,700
• Shin-Soo Choo – TEX – $2,400
• Kole Calhoun – LAA – $2,400
• Leonys Martin – TEX – $2,300
• Andre Ethier – LAD – $2,200

FanDuel is having their Chicago Fantasy Baseball Championship Qualifier tournament tonight for only $25. Be sure to enter at least one lineup into that as you could be headed to Chicago valued at $18,200. Always be sure to check lineups when they come out. You can find sneaky value plays when someone moves up in the lineup especially if they’re playing in a favorable ballpark or facing a below average pitcher.

With the pitching being slim it allows you to spend up on offense. There are a lot of options to choose from on the offensive side due to the fact that the pitchers aren’t elite. All of the pitchers are capable of getting lit up so choosing the right offense will be key tonight. An important thing to remember is that the goal is not to spend your entire budget, especially on a night like this. If you’re confident with your lineup and have money left over don’t feel the need to try and spend up or change things around.

My Lineup

• P: Nathan Karns – TB – $6,600
• C: Stephen Vogt – OAK – $3,600
• 1B: David Ortiz – BOS – $2,800
• 2B: Scooter Gennett – MIL – $2,900
• 3B: Pablo Sandoval – BOS – $2,400
• SS: Xander Bogaerts – BOS – $2,600
• OF: Mike Trout – LAA – $5,000
• OF: Ryan Braun – MIL – $4,500
• OF: Carlos Gomez – MIL – $4,100

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Matthew Davis is a correspondent for FantasyPros. You can find more from Matthew by viewing his archive or following him @_mattywood_.