Sunday slates are always fascinating and we have a seven-gamer here. That’s the perfect amount for fantasy but we do have some question marks at the pitcher position. That’s why we’re going to pay up there and look for value with our hitters. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with Yu Darvish.
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Value Plays
Pitcher
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Yu Darvish (CHC) | vs. CWS | $11,000 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Carlos Carrasco (CLE) | vs. DET | $10,500 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Corbin Burnes (MIL) | @ PIT | $7,400 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
- Darvish is the best option on the board, absolutely cruising since last year’s All-Star break.
- Carrasco hasn’t been quite the same since his return from leukemia but a matchup with the Tigers could get him right.
- Anyone facing the Pirates is in play with their league-worst offense and we like Burnes with his 3.00 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
Catcher/First Base
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) | @ TB | $3,900 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Ji-Man Choi (TB) | vs. TOR | $3,500 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Christian Vazquez (BOS) | @ BAL | $4,800 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
- Vlad has been a disappointment in his short time at the Majors but he’s too good to be sitting below $4,000. Not to mention, he also gets to face a lefty.
- Choi has a career OPS north of .850 against right-handers and is way too cheap because of that.
- Vasquez has been one of the best catchers in the league this season and is a great piece to a Boston stack.
Second Base
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Mike Moustakas (CIN) | @ STL | $5,000 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Cavan Biggio (TOR) | @ TB | $4,800 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Kolten Wong (STL) | vs. CIN | $3,200 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | High |
- Moustakas is a cheat code at a weak second base position and is always in play against a righty.
- Biggio is one of the league leaders with over 10 DK points per game and is definitely a great option against a lefty.
- Wong is hitting leadoff for the Cards and that alone makes him a solid option at just $3,200.
Third Base
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Jose Ramirez (CLE) | vs. DET | $5,600 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Marwin Gonzalez (MIN) | @ KC | $4,100 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Hunter Dozier (KC) | vs. MIN | $3,600 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
- Ramirez has been the best third baseman in fantasy this season and gets to face a rookie pitcher who allowed seven hits across two innings in his one start.
- Gonzalez hit clean-up for the Twins on Saturday and would remain a great value if that’s the case again here.
- Dozier is too good of a player to be this cheap.
Shortstop
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Xander Bogaerts (BOS) | @ BAL | $5,200 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Javier Baez (CHC) | vs. CWS | $4,500 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Tommy Edman (STL) | vs. CIN | $4,200 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
- Bogaerts has an OPS just shy of 1.000 against left-handers since the beginning of last season and would be a key piece to a Boston stack.
- Baez has been slumping but it’s strange to see him at just $4,500.
- Edman could have success against Tyler Mahle, who’s got a career WHIP approaching 1.50.
Outfield
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| J.D. Martinez (BOS) | @ BAL | $5,800 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Nelson Cruz (MIN) | vs. KC | $5,700 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Franmil Reyes (CLE) | vs. DET | $4,700 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Jordan Luplow (CLE) | vs. DET | $3,200 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Yoshi Tsutsugo (TB) | vs. TOR | $2,600 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | High |
- These top two outfielders are two of the best options on the board. We’ll go over that in the next write-up.
- As for the Indians, Reyes and Luplow both kill lefties. Luplow had an OPS just shy of 1.200 against southpaws last season and Reyes is arguably the hottest hitter in baseball right now.
- As for Tsutsugo, he’s way too cheap at $2,600.
5 Studs Worth Their Salary
- Yu Darvish, CHC ($11,000): Darvish is the highest-priced pitcher on the slate and rightfully so. He’s got a 12.5 K/9 rate since the All-Star break last season and a WHIP below 1.00 in that same span.
- Carlos Carrasco, CLE ($10,500): Carrasco has a career K rate flirting with 30 percent. That’s big news against a Detroit team who ranks dead-last in K rate and near the bottom of most offensive statistics.
- J.D. Martinez, BOS ($5,800): Martinez has an OBP north of .400 against left-handers since 2017 and has an OPS north of 1.100 against them as well. That’s bad news for LeBlanc, who’s got an ERA north of 5.00 since last year.
- Nelson Cruz, MIN ($5,700): Cruz has been one of the best hitters in baseball over the last two years and should have success against a weak lefty like Bubic.
- Christian Yelich, MIL ($5,600): Yelich is starting to get out of his slump, collecting a 1.133 OPS over his last 13 games played.
5 Notable Players to Fade
- Tyler Mahle, CIN ($8,000): This price is super expensive for a guy who’s going to have a limited pitch count while facing a solid Cardinals lineup.
- Tim Anderson, CWS ($5,400): Anderson has earned every bit of this crazy price tag but a matchup with Yu Darvish has an 0-for-4 with two Ks written all over it.
- Wilson Contreras, CHC ($4,900): Contreras is just too expensive. I’d rather pay down at catcher and fade him against a solid arm like Dylan Cease.
- Mitch Moreland, BOS ($4,900): I love the Red Sox but this price is nuts. Moreland has never been a $5,000 player throughout his career and he has to face a lefty here.
- Yoan Moncada, CWS ($4,800): Moncada has one of the highest K rates since joining the White Sox and that’s really bad news against a strikeout king like Yu Darvish.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel
