This article is part of our FantasyAces MLB series.
Be sure to check out tonight's PGA $10,000 Best Ball Qualifers at Fantasy Aces. Entry tickets to this week's PGA Championship Best Ball contest are up for grabs.
Fantasy Aces also features a unique SalaryPro format where you're rewarded with additional fantasy points for staying below the salary cap, and if you choose to go over the cap you're penalized points.
There is a Freeroll and many other GPP contests to enter Tuesday, too. All 30 teams are in action, and the contests lock at 7:07 PM ET.
Make sure to double-check Fantasy Aces' unique scoring settings.
Pitchers:
Top-tier arms
Zack Greinke ($7,950, 14.5 percent of cap): Don't be too critical about him serving up six earned run to the Phillies in his last outing, as Philadelphia hasn't been a doormat of late. A healthy Washington lineup is more concerning, and paired with Greinke's potential for a low-strikeout return, the righty isn't the slam-dunk option he was a month ago.
Madison Bumgarner ($8,000, 14.5 percent of cap): There have been a few hiccups along the road for the ace, but they've all happened in away games. Bumgarner owns a 2.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 through 11 home starts this season. The only issue is the Astros have an excellent offense against southpaws, so Bumgarner loses a little luster for that reason.
Matt Harvey ($8,000, 14.5 percent of cap): Carrying a 1.94 ERA while limiting opponents to a .554 OPS through 60 1/3 innings over his past nine starts, Harvey is locked in on the mound. However, his strikeouts (only 49) are down during the stretch, and the Colorado lineup continues to score. They've plated 57 runs over their past 13 games despite having only three home games in that time.
With Fantasy Aces' two-starter setup, you'll want exposure to at least one of the high-end arms and rostering both Bumgarner and Harvey isn't out of the question, if you can budget accordingly with your bats.
There's a case
Carlos Carrasco ($7,550, 13.7 percent of cap): When a talented arm scuffles and then emerges from the funk with consecutive dominant starts, it helps to know why. In Carrasco's case he tweaked his delivery, which has provided more dive to his pitches. The Yankees have managed only four runs over their past five games, and don't rule out that they're looking ahead to their weekend series against the Blue Jays.
Luis Severino ($5,450, 9.9 percent of cap): While he is facing Carrasco, Severino looked the part of a top prospect in his first outing. He provides huge cap relief with a dash of upside, and the New York bats aren't going to stay dormant for long. Severino scattered offense to the tune of a 1.91 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across 61 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level, and the Cleveland lineup only has a few hitters to be wary of.
Risk-reward territory
Taijuan Walker ($6,350, 11.5 percent of cap): Talk about inconsistency! Walker has been a dice roll all season. Whenever he appears locked into dominant or poor form for good, he spins a dud or gem. There is a lot of upside in his salary, as he has shown high-end returns this season, but it isn't without risk. Baltimore isn't a pushover, either.
Drew Hutchison ($6,000, 10.9 percent of cap): Hutchison's home-road splits have been the story all season, and pitching at home against a beatable Oakland offense should pique your interest. He'll receive the run support to have a great shot at the three-point win bonus, and he is an impressive 8-1 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.15 WHIP while holding opponents to a .627 OPS over 11 home starts.
Other pitchers to consider (in order of preference): Carlos Martinez ($6,750, 12.3 percent of cap), Scott Kazmir ($7,400, 13.5 percent of cap), Hector Santiago ($6,150, 11.2 percent of cap) and Joe Ross ($5,750, 10.5 percent of cap).
Catchers:
Yadier Molina ($4,650, 8.5 percent of cap): Molina's been solid yet unspectacular all season. He holds the handedness advantage Tuesday and a .284 batting average over his past 55 games. Hitting in the heart of a solid lineup helps, too.
Bobby Wilson ($3,000, 5.5 percent of cap): A complete salary-cap punt, Wilson carries a minimum price. He is 6-for-13 with three doubles and five RBI since joining the Rangers, and doesn't have an overbearing matchup, either.
Other catchers to consider (in order of preference): Kyle Schwarber ($5,000, 9.1 percent of cap), Russell Martin ($4,850, 8.8 percent of cap) and Buster Posey ($5,750, 10.5 percent of cap).
1B/3B:
Albert Pujols ($5,400, 9.8 percent of cap): The veteran holds the handedness advantage against rookie Carlos Rodon, who owns a 7.16 ERA and has surrendered a .918 OPS over his past nine starts. Pujols has been slumping with a single home run and six RBI over his past 18 games, so a slump-buster matchup is intriguing.
Jake Lamb ($4,650, 8.5 percent of cap): Over his past 60 plate appearances, Lamb has a .358/.417/.604 slash line with 10 runs, three doubles, two triples, two home runs and seven RBI. He is a nice value play Tuesday.
Todd Frazier ($5,050, 9.2 percent of cap): Frazier is just 2-for-34 in August, so his price is beginning to dwindle. Facing Colin Rae, in his major league debut, is the perfect time for Frazier to snap out of his funk and fill his stat line.
Maikel Franco ($4,900, 8.9 percent of cap): Franco has nine runs, eight doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI over his past 15 games with a .927 OPS. After a nice run, Jeremy Hellickson has served up 11 runs over his past two starts, so this is a prime matchup for Franco, who should stay hot without breaking the bank.
Other 1B/3B to consider (in order of preference): Ryan Howard ($4,250, 7.7 percent of cap), Paul Goldschmidt ($5,800, 10.5 percent of cap), Joey Votto ($5,650, 10.3 percent of cap) and Adam Lind ($5,150, 9.4 percent of cap).
2B/SS
Xander Bogaerts ($4,700, 8.5 percent of cap): Any time Bogaerts opposes a lefty, he is worth a look. He owns a .390/.429/.505 slash line against southpaws for the season, and has a .341 batting average over his past 61 games. Plus at this point, he is one of the safer middle infielders in all fantasy formats.
Robinson Cano ($5,000, 9.1 percent of cap): The veteran has turned the corner on his season and has 16 runs, six home runs, 20 RBI and a 1.037 OPS over his past 20 games. Cano also owns the handedness advantage against Chris Tillman, who is making his first start since July 19 because of an ankle injury.
Erick Aybar ($4,750, 8.6 percent of cap): As mentioned, Carlos Rodon has been shaky at best over the last month, albeit with a pair of sterling starts to his credit as well. Enter Aybar and his .314 batting average over 44 games since leaving the leadoff spot, and he stands as a nice value play Tuesday.
Other 2B/SS to consider (in order of preference): Troy Tulowitzki ($5,950, 10.8 percent of cap), Derek Dietrich ($3,800, 6.9 percent of cap) and Scooter Gennett ($4,350, 7.9 percent of cap).
Outfield:
Jose Bautista ($5,700, 10.4 percent of cap): Life is good in the heart of the Toronto lineup right now. Bautista has 11 runs, five home runs and 12 RBI over his past 12 games with a .640 slugging percentage. Plus, Bautista has a .943 OPS at the Rogers Centre this season.
Aaron Hicks ($3,700, 6.7 percent of cap): Things have finally come together for the talented outfielder. Hicks has a .333/.397/.556 slash line over his past 30 games with 19 runs, five doubles, two triples, five home runs and 17 RBI. He has been receiving more looks at the top of the lineup, too. He is extremely underpriced and presents great value, although he doesn't have an A+ matchup against Yovani Gallardo.
Rusney Castillo ($3,650, 6.6 percent of cap): With three multi-hit games in August, Castillo is finally showing some of the promise he flashed late last season. He has been moved up in the lineup, and he owns the handedness advantage against Justin Nicolino on Tuesday. His salary presents nice upside, especially with his stolen base potential.
Other outfielders to consider (in order of preference): Mike Trout ($4,700, 10.9 percent of cap), Khris Davis ($4,600, 8.4 percent of cap), Domonic Brown ($3,500, 6.4 percent of cap), Randal Grichuk ($4,850, 8.8 percent of cap) and Jay Bruce ($4,900, 8.9 percent of cap).
