This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Baseball brings eight games to the table Monday, seven of which will make up the main slate on Yahoo. Here are some pitchers to consider for your lineups, as well as some hitters who could exploit favorable matchups.
Pitchers
James Paxton ($43) has provided some relief to a Red Sox starting rotation that has been hit by injuries. He has made four starts since coming off the IL, allowing two or fewer runs in four of them. He will be left with a favorable opportunity to remain hot when he faces the Rockies in Boston. While the Rockies have a .790 OPS at home, they have just a .646 OPS on the road.
Zach Eflin ($48) is coming off one of his best starts of the season, recording nine strikeouts over 6.2 shutout innings against the Twins. Up next is a matchup against the Athletics in Oakland. The Athletics have just a .625 OPS at home, so Eflin could produce another favorable stat line. When he faced them in Tampa Bay earlier this season, he allowed three runs and recorded seven strikeouts across six innings.
Bryce Miller's ($39) hot start may have been aided by a favorable schedule. Three of his first five outings came against the Tigers and Athletics. His last two starts were against the Yankees and Rangers. The result was him giving up 15 runs over seven innings. This could be a nice bounce-back spot for him against the Marlins, who have scored the fifth-fewest runs in baseball.
Top Targets
When Shohei Ohtani ($18) is on a heater, he can produce some crazy stats. Over his last 12 games, he is 19-for-49 (.388) with a .444 OBP, six home runs, four doubles, a triple and two steals. Dane Dunning ($36) will be tasked with trying to slow him down, and while he has a 2.52 ERA and a 3.72 FIP, he's not an overpowering pitcher. His strikeout rate is just 15.0 percent this season and 20.7 percent for his career.
The Royals have a favorable matchup against Luke Weaver ($31), who enters with a 6.27 ERA and a 5.45 FIP. The problem is, they don't exactly have a lot of viable options, given that they have scored the second-fewest runs in baseball. One of the few hitters who has performed well for them is Bobby Witt Jr. ($17). Despite a lackluster .295 wOBA, he has 10 home runs and 20 steals.
Bargain Bats
Whenever a left-handed pitcher is on the mound, Alec Bohm ($14) has to at least be considered. For his career, he has recorded a .369 wOBA versus southpaws. Things are setting up nicely for him in a matchup against Tommy Henry ($30), who has a 4.37 ERA and an even worse 5.76 FIP. Henry has allowed 1.6 HR/9 and has just a 14.3 percent strikeout rate.
Will Benson ($9) was only batting .206 at Triple-A this year, but he used a 24.1 percent walk rate to generate a .378 wOBA. He has shown plenty of power in the minors, including last year when he hit 17 home runs over 89 games at Triple-A. He also recorded 16 steals during that span. After getting off to a slow start in the majors, he is 12-for-34 (.353) with a .421 OBP, a home run and three steals over his last 11 games. More success could be coming in a matchup against Zack Greinke ($31), who has a mediocre 4.59 ERA and a 4.37 FIP.
Stacks to Consider
Rays vs. James Kaprielian ($29), Athletics: Yandy Diaz ($19), Wander Franco ($20), Josh Lowe ($18)
There hasn't been much to like about Kaprielian, who has a 7.21 ERA and 5.77 FIP over 43.2 innings. His walk rate sits at 12.9 percent, while his strikeout rate is just 18.6 percent. He could be in big trouble against a Rays team that has scored the second-most runs in baseball. One of their leaders has been Diaz, who has a .236 ISO to go along with his .410 wOBA.
Rangers vs. Tyler Anderson ($28), Angels: Marcus Semien ($20), Adolis Garcia ($17), Josh Jung ($17)
Anderson has control issues. He has walked at least two batters in 10 of his 11 starts, which has contributed to his 1.60 WHIP. The last time he faced the Rangers, he walked five batters over five innings. He also gave up five hits, so he was lucky to allow just three runs (two earned). The Rangers have scored the most runs in baseball, so he might not be as lucky this time around. A prime option for a Rangers stack is Semien, who has a .364 wOBA to go along with 57 runs scored and 51 RBI over 64 games.
Red Sox vs. Connor Seabold ($25), Rockies: Rafael Devers ($17), Masataka Yoshida ($16), Adam Duvall ($20)
It has continued to be a struggle for Seabold, who has a 5.10 ERA that is supported by a 5.12 FIP. He doesn't leave himself with much margin for error, given his paltry 16.7 percent strikeout rate. While he won't pitch at Coors Field for this matchup, Fenway Park is also a hitter-friendly environment. Expect him to have a difficult time retiring Yoshida, who has used his 10.2 percent strikeout rate to build a .367 wOBA.
