This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There will be no shortage of options to consider Tuesday on Yahoo with 12 games making up the main slate. Let's get right down to business and highlight some teams and players who might be in favorable positions to thrive.
Pitchers
The Phillies made a big move to help fortify their starting rotation, signing Zack Wheeler ($44) away from the Mets during the offseason. He's come through with two good starts out of the gate, allowing four runs (three earned) across 13 innings. If there is an area of disappointment, it's that he only registered six strikeouts during that stretch. Still, he should somewhat right the ship in that department given his career 22.7 percent strikeout rate. He'll look to continue his strong start against the Orioles, who have holes in their lineup and are missing one of their key hitters in Trey Mancini (abdomen).
If you're looking to take a chance on a minimum-salary pitcher in tournament play, Tyler Alexander ($25) should be on your radar. He dominated the Reds out of the bullpen in his last outing, striking out 10 batters across 3.2 hitless innings. That performance has earned him a start here, although don't expect him to approach 100 pitches considering he only threw 55 in that outing. Still, with that kind of strikeout upside, he could take advantage of a White Sox lineup that could be without Jose Abreu (hip), Edwin Encarnacion (shoulder) and Nick Madrigal (shoulder).
Top Targets
Arguably the hottest hitter in baseball right now is Charlie Blackmon ($27). He's on a 14-game hitting streak that has seen him hit 31-for-56 (.554) with three home runs and five doubles. He's also struck out just five times during that stretch. He won't be facing a pushover in Zac Gallen ($36), but he will have the benefit of playing at Coors Field, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him continue to thrive.
Speaking of hitters who are hot right now, Mike Trout ($26) went deep twice for the Angels on Monday. That was his second multi-homer game for the season, which has helped propel him to seven long balls in total. His power stroke could do in Mike Fiers ($34), who has allowed at least 1.5 HR/9 in each of the last three seasons.
Bargain Bats
The Red Sox will start Martin Perez ($29) against the Rays, who hasn't exactly been on top of his game given his 1.34 WHIP. This could be a favorable spot to deploy Jose Martinez ($14), who is already sporting a .352 wOBA with his new team. He crushed southpaws last season, posting a 160 wRC+ against them.
Nick Solak ($11) has worked his way into an everyday role with the Rangers and might be starting to heat up with at least two hits in three of his last five games. He'll look to keep his hot streak going against Marco Gonzales, who had a 4.93 FIP and a 1.37 WHIP on the road last season, Solak hit left-handed pitchers very well last season, recording a .340 ISO and a .435 wOBA against them.
Stacks to Consider
Nationals vs. Rick Porcello ($31) Mets: Juan Soto ($23), Starlin Castro ($18), Howie Kendrick ($14)
The addition of Porcello might have seemed minor at the time, but the Mets really need him with Noah Syndergaard (elbow) having Tommy John surgery and Marcus Stroman opting out of the season. Unfortunately for the Mets, Porcello hasn't exactly been great by allowing 12 runs (10 earned) across 13 innings. He did hold the Nationals down in his last outing, but that could be a difficult task to duplicate. Soto looks to be trying to make up for lost time due to a positive COVID-19 test, hitting 8-for-19 with two home runs and two doubles in four games since making his season debut.
Yankees vs. Touki Toussaint ($25) Braves: Aaron Judge ($25), DJ LeMahieu ($19), Mike Tauchman ($14)
Toussaint held down the struggling Blue Jays' lineup in his last start, but facing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium is an entirely different story. This could be an excellent spot to roll with the red-hot Judge, who has a career 185 wRC+ at Yankee Stadium. Tauchman is a viable budget-friendly option, who has earned his way into more playing time by hitting 9-for-29 with three doubles and four stolen bases.
Diamondbacks vs. Kyle Freeland ($29) Rockies: Starling Marte ($24), Ketel Marte ($21), Nick Ahmed ($10)
The Diamondbacks exploded for 12 runs in the first game of this series Monday, taking full advantage of hitter-friendly Coors Field. They will face Kyle Freeland ($29), who has a career 4.66 FIP and 1.39 WHIP at home. Ketel Marte could be in for a big night given that he has recorded a wOBA of at least .407 against left-handed pitchers in both of the last two seasons. Ahmed helps gain some exposure to this game at a reduced salary. He started off the season terribly, but he has rebounded to hit 8-for-24 with two home runs across the last seven games.
