This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are 15 games Sunday, like always, and the first game starts at 1:05 PM ET. Here are some recommendations…
STARTING PITCHER
Mike Clevinger, CLE at MIN ($41): Now that Clevinger is a full-time starter, his K/9 rate is down, but he's taken to the role well nevertheless. His 3.14 ERA is in line with his 3.11 ERA from 2017, but his FIP has dropped from 3.89 to 3.23. Additionally, his road ERA is a sterling 1.61. As for the Twins, they are in the bottom 10 in runs scored.
Matt Koch, ARI vs. MIA ($28): This isn't really about Koch, who has a 4.31 ERA. It's about this matchup. The Marlins have the worst offense in the league by a wide margin. They are the only team in the league not to have 210 runs scored, let alone 200. Their slugging percentage is a woeful .345. There are no aces in action Sunday (though Jake Arrieta and Charlie Morton are having impressive campaigns), so with a lot of middling options, why not go with the one with the clear best matchup?
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CATCHER
Yan Gomes, CLE at MIN ($9): Gomes has some issues getting on base, but he has a .417 slugging percentage in his career. He also hit 14 homers in 105 games last season, and his six in 40 games this year. Kyle Gibson has a career ERA of 4.61, but he's been decidedly worse at home. Over the last three seasons he has a home ERA over 5.20.
FIRST BASE
C.J. Cron, TAM at SEA ($18): In his first season with the Rays, Cron has a .471 slugging percentage. However, he's actually hit for more power on the road, so the fact this game isn't in Tampa is not a concern. Besides, with Felix Hernandez on the mound for the Mariners this is a favorable matchup for Cron. King Felix's fastball no longer hits 90 MPH on average, and his ERA is 5.83.
SECOND BASE
Javier Baez, CHC at NYM ($19): Baez is absolutely crushing the ball, as he has a .570 slugging percentage. In his career, his slugging percentage is .445, and his power has increased with every season. Additionally, though he's been hitting righties better this year, the 25-year-old has traditionally hit lefties better. Steven Matz is a southpaw, and though he has a 3.55 ERA, his 5.67 FIP is far less impressive.
THIRD BASE
Matt Chapman, OAK at KAN ($11): Last season, Chapman had 14 homers in 84 games, and this year he's added nine dingers in 59 contests. He's also been better on the road this year, which isn't all that surprising given that Oakland hasn't traditionally been good for hitters. Jakob Junis has a 4.61 FIP, and in his career he's allowed 1.47 home runs per nine innings.
SHORTSTOP
Jose Iglesias, DET vs. TOR ($14): Iglesias doesn't have a ton of power, but he hits plenty of doubles and has just enough speed to be a base-stealing threat. He also has a career batting average of .269, and over his three full season with the Tigers he has a .268 batting average. Toronto's Aaron Sanchez had a 5.78 FIP last year, and this year that number has only improved to 5.22.
OUTFIELD
Christian Yelich, MIL at CWS ($22): Yelich seems to be enjoying his move from Miami to Milwaukee, as he has a .304/.377/.486 slash line. His career slash line is .291/.369.436, and he's only 26, so his current numbers are certainly sustainable. Dylan Covey has a 3.63 ERA, which isn't bad, but he's only started three games this year. Last season he had a woeful 7.71 ERA in 18 games (12 starts), which is a larger sample size.
Justin Upton, LAA at TEX ($19): Upton is off to a slow start, but his .292 BABIP is below his career .326 number, so improvement is likely. Plus, he does have 11 home runs, and he's hit the 30-homer threshold in each of his last two seasons. The 34-year-old Doug Fister has an average ERA of 4.55 across the last three years. Though his ERA is 4.09 this season, his FIP is 5.24.
Aaron Hicks, NYY at BAL ($18): Hicks took his game to a new level last season with a .266/.372/.475 slash line to go with 15 homers and 10 stolen bases in a mere 88 games. His numbers aren't quite on that level this year, but he has averaged 7.3 fantasy points per game and has five homers and six stolen bases in 40 contests. He could easily flash that 2017 magic in a matchup with Alex Cobb. He has a 6.80 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, and has allowed 1.75 homers per nine innings.
