We have 12 games to choose from today with a bunch of random start times so if you want to play the main slate be sure to set your lineup before 1:35 PM ET, which is when the Twins and Pirates begin. With the COVID-19 cloud hovering over this season it’s prudent to get into a habit of checking your lineups prior to first pitch to make sure there were no late scratches or postponements.

There’s a plethora of games to choose from and we’ll be highlighting some studs worth their price tag and a few under the radar options that can help balance your lineup. There are a few positions worth paying up on due to scarcity such as SS and 2B but outfield and 3B are much deeper and offer more bargains. There are some iffy pitchers priced a little too high so we’ll dig a little deeper and do our best to stack the deck in our favor. Without further ado….

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Value Plays

Pitcher

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• Maeda is primed in this great matchup: he’s in a pitcher-friendly park facing a team that’s struggled to score runs, and the Pirates rank 26 out of 30 teams at 3.36 runs/per game, over a full run  below the league average of 4.44. Maeda also looked stellar in his first two starts of the year, only allowing two earned runs in wins over the White Sox and the Indians. He has an excellent 12:2 K/BB ratio and is line to grab his third win as the first place Twins are 10-2 on the year.
• I get it. Fiers isn’t very exciting, but he has some value here. Like Maeda, he’s facing an offense that has struggled to score runs. The Rangers are 28th in the league at 3.11 runs/per game and have a well-below league average .280 wOBA. Fiers 2019 splits further justify his selection even more as he shined at the Coliseum last season with a 9-1 record (16 starts) with a 2.54 ERA/ 1.017 WHIP/ 5.5 K/9.
• I never thought I’d be recommending a Colorado pitcher, at home no less, but here we are. Freeland has been awesome through two starts in 2020. He’s compiled a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while nabbing two quality starts and two wins. He will be tested against a surprisingly pesky Giants lineup but he looks up to the task. Over his career, Freeland has fared well against the Giants with a 3.12 ERA across 66.1 innings. There is always the risk of a blowup with a start at Coors Field but if you’re feeling lucky, Freeland could bring home the bacon.

Catcher/First Base

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• If you want to pay up for 1B, Votto is your guy. He’s not even the most expensive option at the position but has an excellent head-to-head matchup against Indians starter Carlos Carrasco. Votto sports a hefty .462 BA and 1.379 OPS against the 33-year old over 13 at-bats. If that isn’t enough, his career splits against RHP (.313/.432/.538) should push you over the edge. He appears to be the safest option at the position and his price tag is worth the floor he’ll give you.
• Ruf has been a nice little surprise for the Giants this year, sporting an excellent .389 OBP across 16 at-bats. What’s even better is he’s facing a lefty in Coors Field. In a small sample size Ruf has a solid .364/.417/.364 slash against lefties. If you want to save money here, Ruf is a cheap, albeit lower-upside option.
• Gurriel enters Thursday’s game riding a six-game hitting streak and is sporting a .352 wOBA on the season. He also is working on a seven-game on-base streak and has a career .301 BA against righties. Zac Gallen, while very talented, has been a mixed bag through two starts this year. He issued five free passes in his first start against the Padres but only one in most recent start against the Dodgers. No team scores more runs than the Astros, on average, and Gurriel is a cheap piece of their explosive offense.

Second Base

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• There is risk that Kipnis doesn’t end up starting but if he’s in the lineup he’s definitely worth consideration. He’s been swinging a white-hot bat this year with an otherworldly .429/.500/1.071 batting line in 14 Ab’s. He hasn’t played everyday with Nico Hoerner getting the lion’s share of starts at second but history favors Kipnis in this one so hopefully Joe Maddon plugs him in at DH or 2B. Probable KC starter Brad Keller is coming off a COVID-IL stint and will be making his first start of the year; Kipnis has some familiarity with him as they used to play in the same division. He has three hits in eight career AB’s against Keller and his splits heavily favor him against righties (.269/.347.444).
• Pinder has gotten off to a very slow start this season but so has Rangers starter, Mike Minor, who is coming off a disastrous performance when he gave up six runs in San Francisco. Pinder is sporting a .357 BA and 1.000 OPS in 14 at-bats against the left-hander. Minor also has a 5.65 lifetime ERA (six starts) against the A’s, the worst of any single opponent he’s ever faced. Add all this up and it gives Pinder a golden opportunity to get off the snide and pay off in your lineup.

Third Base

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• Longoria has collected at least one hit in five of six games since being activated off the IL and he gets to face Kyle Freeland at Coors Field. Longoria has career success against Freeland, rocking a 1.236 OPS in 14 AB’s with a triple and a home run. Longoria’s stellar career splits versus lefties (.279/.357/.506) strengthen his case. He also has six career home runs and 18 RBI in 83 at-bats at Coors Field.
• Urshela, the hottest hitter on the Yankees, meet Phillies starter Zach Eflin who is making his season debut. Eflin had a 4.85 FIP, 1.35 WHIP, and 1.5 HR/9 across 163.1 innings last season. Urshela is riding a five-game hitting streak with three home runs and 10 RBI over that span. Bet on Gio to continue his hot streak and provide good return on investment.
• Chapman is swinging the bat better lately after a slow start to the season but he’s still just 4-for-17 over that span. He’s faced Minor nine times in the past, collecting a pair of hits, including one home run, and four walks. This is a bet that Chapman, who we know is better than he’s played, will bust out of his slump and jumpstart his season.

Shortstop

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• Andrus has the most experience, by far, of anyone on the Rangers against A’s starter Mike Fiers. And apart from teammate Shin-Soo Choo, who is mentioned below, he’s had the most success against him as well. He’s got nine hits, three of which were long balls and is slugging .594 across 32 at-bats against Fiers. His .179 BABIP feels pretty unlucky and he’s only struck out five times all season. The hits will start to come.
• I like Torres in this spot for the same reason I liked Urshela above. Torres is mired in an ugly 0-for-15 slump and has been a letdown for season-long fantasy and DFS players alike. However, the slow start is clearly factored into his price tag here and his .174 BABIP shows some positive regression is coming. Facing an average starter like Eflin, in his season-debut, on a pitch count could be the remedy to get Torres back on track.
• Mondesi has played much better lately and has at least one base knock in six of his last seven games. Tyler Chatwood is in the midst of a career renaissance, striking out 19 across 12.2 innings with a sparkling 0.71 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. So yeah, it’s not a great matchup on paper but we all know the deal with Mondesi by now. There is always a golden sombrero type risk with him but at this affordable price you can throw a dart at him and cross your fingers for some production.

Outfield

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• Jimenez has slowly but surely been moving up in the batting order and is primed to start hitting cleanup for the ChiSox. He’s been on fire this year with an impressive .333/.378/.667 battling line to go along with his three home runs and eight RBI. 27 of his career 34 home runs have come against righties, giddy up.
• Roberts feels severely undervalued here. While he’s mashed both lefties and righties this year he’s collected more counting stats against RHP. Enter Milwaukee starter Josh Lindblom, who left his only start this year early with back cramps. He’s likely to be pretty rusty in this one and that makes Robert the best power/speed value on the slate.
• Canha is slugging 1.154 with three home runs in 13 at-bats against Mike Minor. He also reached base safely in his first nine games to start the year. Add that all up and Canha is a good bet to do some damage.
• Gamel started out the year as part of an OF platoon but is swinging the bat well enough lately that he’s started in four straight games. Over that span he’s gone 4-for-15 with two home runs, five RBI, and three runs scored. White Sox starter Gio Gonzalez didn’t look great in his first two starts and Gamel has a lofty .396 BABIP and .768 OPS against lefties lifetime.
• Choo has high marks in his career against A’s starter Mike Fiers as he’s 10-for-27 against the righty with a .469 on-base percentage. He’ll get at least four at-bats in the leadoff spot and is a good bet to reach base and score some runs.

5 Studs Worth Their Salary

• Mike Trout (LAA) $4,400: Trout has homered in back-t0-back games since becoming a father and absolutely mashes at T-Mobile Park. He has an insane triple slash line against M’s starter Taijuan Walker as well (.643/.667/1.429).
• Trevor Story (COL) $4,100: Story is in the midst of a mini-slump with just one hit in last 14 at-bats, but his career marks against LHP is .313/.387/.635. This makes me think he’ll get back on the horse against probable Giants starter Tyler Anderson.
• DJ LeMahieu (NYY) $3,900: Second-base options are pretty weak on the main slate and LeMahieu is the most expensive player but he offers the most upside against Phillies starter Zach Eflin, who is making his season-debut and likely to be rusty.
• Nolan Arenado (COL) $4,200: Arenado mashes lefties, especially at home, and is facing his former teammate Tyler Anderson. He’s also gone deep in three straight games. Can he make it four?
• Charlie Blackmon (COL) $4,200: I like Blackmon for the same reasons as Arenado, but he hasn’t gone deep since July 31st. If you think he’s due why not stack some Rockies?

5 Notable Players to Fade

• Luis Castillo (CIN) $10,000: Castillo has had one excellent start against DET (6.0 innings, 1.50 ERA and 11K) and one awful start, also against DET (6.0 innings, 7.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP). It’s just hard to spend so big on a pitcher with consistency issues.
• Tyler Chatwood (CHC) $9,600: Chatwood’s early season numbers are crazy good, yes. But the sample size is still so small and I find it hard to believe a guy with a career 1.50 WHIP and 4.7 BB/9 is really this good. We shall see.
• Jose Altuve (HOU) $3,700: He’s in a 3-for-34 slump, and Zac Gallen can be tough if his curveball and changeup are clicking, like they were in his last start against the Dodgers.
• Christian Yelich (MIL) $3,900: He doesn’t look right at the plate and he’s facing a lefty. I’d like him priced a bit cheaper before I pulled the trigger. There’s a lot of cheaper OF options in better matchups.
• Donovan Solano (SFG) $3,400: Solano’s hot start (.457/.474/.657) and opponent (@ COL) are baked into his price, he’s the third most expensive SS on the slate. But he is facing a lefty, who he’s struggled against in his career with just a .300 OBP.

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Jon Mathisen is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jon, check out his archive and follow him @eazymath.