This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Sunday seems to be the day for All-Star pitchers to be taking the mound. In addition to both starters of the midseason classic being in action, several other big-time pitchers will be available. If you're the kind of daily fantasy player who likes to pony up to pay for an elite starter, today is the day for you. It's also your usual Sunday, in that there are 15 games and almost all of them are in the afternoon. Here are some tips and recommendations for setting your daily fantasy baseball lineup.
PITCHING
Those two aforementioned All-Star starters, Hyun-Jin Ryu ($49) and Justin Verlander ($61), are actually not players I would recommend as they are both on the road against top-five offenses. Ryu is visiting the Red Sox, while Verlander is pitching against the Rangers. Those are extremely tricky matchups, and you aren't going to be saving any money by going with either. Even if you want to bet on talent, buyer beware.
On the other hand, there's Zack Greinke ($54) and Jacob deGrom ($58). They are also both on the road, but face better matchups. deGrom has maybe the best matchup possible by starting against the Marlins. Meanwhile, Greinke, who skipped the All-Star Game but is going to be back in action Sunday, is facing the Cardinals. St. Louis was expected to be good, but actually rank in the bottom-10 in runs scored.
Mike Soroka ($41) isn't as big of a name as any of those guys, but he's enjoying a fantastic season. Not only has he posted a 2.42 ERA, that number sparkles on the road at 1.29. Now he's getting to start against the Padres in Petco Park, one of the best stadiums for pitchers. Lastly, if you're just trying to save money, Homer Bailey ($40) has a 4.28 home ERA at home and is facing the Detroit Tigers, who are down there with the Marlins in terms of the league's worst offense.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
Anthony Rizzo ($17) has been a steady hitter for the bulk of his career, with a .281 batting average over his last six seasons. He's also basically a near lock for 30 homers and 100 RBI every year. Trevor Williams hasn't had a good season, but he's been particularly poor since returning from injury. In three starts, he has an 8.31 ERA.
It's not uncommon for hitters to have significant home/road splits for the Rockies, but Charlie Blackmon ($27) has taken that to a new level this year. While he only has recorded a .630 road OPS, his home number comes in at a gaudy 1.440. Lucky for us, Colorado is at home this weekend. Meanwhile, the Reds are starting Tyler Mahle, and his main issue as a pitcher is giving up home runs. Do the math.
Ramon Laureano ($21) is a great fielder, but he's also a capable hitter. The 24-year-old has posted 17 homers and 10 stolen bases in 93 games. He's also been hot recently, with an OPS over 1.000 over his last 20 contests. Last season, it looked like Reynaldo Lopez was starting to turn it around for the White Sox, but that has gone out the window in 2019 with a 6.34 ERA and allowing 2.11 homers per nine innings.
Adam Eaton ($13) has struggled from a power perspective, but he does still have six homers to go with seven stolen bases in 87 games. He's also still getting on base, as his .367 OBP will indicate. While Eaton hasn't lived up to some of his past seasons, he looks like an All-Star compared to the struggles that Jake Arrieta has been having. Arrieta, who has been dealing with an elbow issue, has struggled to a 5.06 FIP.
STACKS
Astros vs. Ariel Jurado (Rangers)
Michael Brantley (OF - $17), Josh Reddick (OF - $12), Yordan Alvarez (OF - $25)
It feels like every summer, we hear about how the ball flies out of the Rangers' park once the weather warms up in Texas. This may be a well-worn bit of insight in baseball circles, but that doesn't mean it isn't true, and worth noting here in the middle of July. Jurado comes in with a 4.23 ERA, but that includes time spent in the bullpen, and also has a 4.51 FIP. On top of that, his ERA at home is 4.73.
Brantley has played well in his first year with the Astros after spending his entire career with the Indians. He was an All-Star, and he's enjoying his best season in terms of batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage since 2014. Brantley is also hitting lefties well for the first time in a while, which is helpful when the Rangers go to the bullpen.
Reddick has had a weirdly down season at home, but he's doing just fine on the road with a .847 OPS in away games. Then there's the rookie Alvarez, who is already basically limited to being a DH as a 22-year-old, but man can he hit. He's slashing .349/.417/.756 with nine homers in a mere 22 games.
Brewers vs. Tyler Beede (Giants)
Christian Yelich (OF - $27), Mike Moustakas (3B - $20), Keston Hiura (2B - $15)
Beede has a 5.64 ERA, and that's with getting the benefits of pitching his home games in San Francisco. During his career, which is basically just this season plus a few innings in 2018, he has looked awful with a 6.50 road ERA. Though Beede pitched well in Triple-A this year, clearly he doesn't seem quite ready for the majors. However, he's still getting the road start against the Brewers, which bodes well for Milwaukee's big bats.
Yelich needs no introduction. He won the NL MVP last season, and he could repeat this year if he keeps up his current pace. Yelich has launched 31 homers and recorded a whopping .701 slugging percentage. Give him a favorable matchup, and the mind reels at the potential.
Moustakas is a southpaw, but weirdly this year he's hit lefties better than righties. That's not the norm, as he has recorded an .839 OPS versus right-handed pitchers since 2017 - as opposed to a .779 OPS against lefties. Moose also possesses a ton of power, with 25 homers over 86 games.
Hiura was considered the best prospect in baseball prior to being called up, and he's shown why that was the case since joining the Brew Crew. The 22-year-old has a .284/.350/.532 slash line, with eight homers in 29 games. Hiura has already seemingly locked down second base for Milwaukee, and he's already capable of helping DFS players.
