This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
After a fairly quiet Monday, all 30 teams are scheduled to be in action Tuesday. Four of the five teams in the AL East will be facing each other when the Blue Jays host the Red Sox, and the Orioles take on the Yankees. The defending World Series champions will also be in action with Max Fried set to take the mound at home against the Cubs. Out West, the Dodgers will resume their series with the Diamondbacks in what is a matchup between two franchises heading in opposite directions. The same situation will also present itself when the rebuilding Athletics do battle with the Giants. Let's discuss some players from Yahoo's main 11-game slate to consider for your entries.
Pitchers
If there were any thoughts that last season's performance from Carlos Rodon ($53) was a fluke, he's done his best to squash them. Across his first three outings, Rodon has allowed two runs and recorded 29 strikeouts over 17 innings. He still hasn't allowed a home run, and his WHIP checks in at 0.82. This is a mismatch if epic propositions in his favor given that the Athletics' torn-down lineup has scored two or fewer runs in five of their last six games.
The Yankees have had trouble scoring runs, but their pitching has been excellent. Luis Severino ($43) has been no exception, allowing three runs and posting 14 strikeouts over 13 innings through three starts. He'll look to keep things rolling in what is a great matchup against the Orioles, who have the third-worst OPS in baseball after ranking inside the bottom-10 in the category last season.
Josiah Gray ($36) was done in by the long ball last season, allowing 19 home runs over 70.2 innings. He's shown some improvement in that area through three starts, allowing two of them across 14.1 innings. His last outing was excellent, taking advantage of a bad Diamondbacks lineup by allowing one run and recording eight strikeouts over 5.1 innings. Up next is a matchup against the Marlins, who have an improved lineup compared to last season, but they have scored three of fewer runs in eight of their 15 games.
Top Targets
After getting smoked for six runs by the Cardinals in his season debut, Daniel Lynch ($29) followed it up by throwing five shutout innings against the Twins. He only had two strikeouts in that game, though, and he's coming off of a season in which he recorded a 1.65 WHIP across 68 innings, so more struggles could be on the horizon. This could be an excellent matchup to roll with Jose Abreu ($15), who has a career 150 wRC+ versus left-handed pitchers.
Staying with the White Sox's matchup against Lynch, Tim Anderson ($20) could also be worth his hefty salary. While he only has a career 94 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers, he has a 135 wRC+ versus lefties.
Bargain Bats
The final White Sox player to highlight for their matchup against Lynch is Andrew Vaughn ($14). With all of their injuries, playing time shouldn't be a problem for him moving forward. Known more for his hitting ability while working his way up through the minors, he looks more comfortable in the majors, following up his .705 OPS last season with a .939 OPS across his first 44 plate appearances.
It's been an awful start to the season for Joey Gallo ($7), who has a 35 wRC+. He's still looking for his first home run, and he has a whopping 40 percent strikeout rate. A matchup against Jordan Lyles ($31) could be just what the doctor ordered. Lyles only has a 17.4 percent strikeout rate for his career, and he's allowed at least 1.6 HR/9 in four of the last five seasons.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Taylor Hearn ($25), Rangers: Alex Bregman ($19), Yuli Gurriel ($14), Jeremy Pena ($19)
Hearn has allowed a gaudy 16.7 percent barrel rate across his first three starts of the season. The result has been a 7.59 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP. Neither of those numbers will likely hold up, but his 4.66 ERA and 4.82 FIP from last season don't exactly instill a ton of confidence. Bregman, who has a career 161 wRC+ versus left-handed pitchers, could be a key player to build any Astros stack around.
Dodgers vs. Zach Davies ($25), Diamondbacks: Freddie Freeman ($22), Trea Turner ($18), Gavin Lux ($14)
Davis had control issues last season, with his 11.2 percent walk rate contributing to a 1.60 WHIP. His walk rate has improved a little out of the gate, but it's not much better at 9.8 percent. A lack of control and a general inability to miss bats (given his career 17.3 percent strikeout rate) could be a recipe for disaster against the Dodgers.
Royals vs. Dallas Keuchel ($27), White Sox: Salvador Perez ($17), Hunter Dozier ($19), Whit Merrifield ($10)
Keuchel did plenty of damage to his ERA in his last start, allowing 10 runs (seven earned) while recording just three outs against the Guardians. He allowed a staggering 11 base runners, which comes on the heels of his 1.53 WHIP last season. He's a shell of the pitcher that he was during his heyday with the Astros, and he could be a great option to stack against for this slate. Dozier isn't the biggest name in the Royals' lineup, but he's used a 21.1 percent barrel rate to post a 138 wRC+ through 52 plate appearances.
