This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
PITCHER
Aaron Nola, PHI vs SD, ($6,800):Nola was considered a decent prospect coming up through the Phillies' system and has done nothing to tarnish that reputation since being with the big club. He had a stellar outing Wednesday against Cincinnati, giving up only one run and striking out eight, good for 42 fantasy points. The attraction here is the matchup with San Diego, a team that didn't score a run in their first three games and is playing their fourth straight game in as many days on the road. This game sports a nice over/under of 7.5, with the Phillies being a slight favorite.
CATCHER
Miguel Montero, CHI vs CIN, ($2,600): The theme for this season is going to be that it's never a bad idea to get some Cubbies in your DFS lineup. Montero is the call Monday given his price and success against left-handed pitching despite hitting from the left side. He sported a .342 wOBA against left-handed pitching last season and could benefit if the wind is blowing out at Wrigley Field. Brandon Finnegan looks like a nice prospect, but with any rookie there will be some bumps along the road.
FIRST BASE
Ryan Zimmerman, WAS vs ATL, ($2,800): Fun story: I took my son to a spring training game between the Nationals and Braves about five years ago near Disney where we were vacationing. I forked over an extra $100 to be close to the field before the game to get autographs. Some lady in the crowd kept screaming "Ryan, Ryan, Ryan" until he stopped stretching and yelled "Gimme a break, I'll be over soon!" Sure enough he came over signed autographs, missed my son but came back after I asked him if he had time for one more. He came back instantly, apologized and gladly signed my son's program. This pick is based on BvP data if you believe in that stuff. It's hard to put any stock into Bud Norris despite his nice start, and this is an economical way of getting a piece of the Nats' offense. Zimmerman has gone 6-for-17 against Norris, including three home runs.
SECOND BASE
Kolten Wong, STL vs MIL, ($2,600): Last season Wong had a .335 wOBA against right-handed pitching and was slightly better at home (.337). He's always a threat to swipe a bag and gets a favorable matchup against Taylor Jungmann, who struggled mightily on the road last season by giving up a .336 wOBA, including nine home runs in only 66.1 innings.
THIRD BASE
Luis Valbuena, HOU vs KC, ($2,300): This price seems rather low and the logical explanation is likely the number of games he sits out and scores zero. While there's that chance he could sit this game out, there's also the possibility that he could be hitting cleanup as he did Saturday night. Valbuena had a .348 wOBP against right-handed pitching last season and gets that matchup against Chris Young. This is too good of a value at $100 more than the minimum in a game that sports an over/under of nine.
SHORTSTOP
Jose Iglesias, DET vs PIT, ($2,300): It was disappointing to see Sunday night's game between the Tigers and Yankees get the old PPD but today is a new day. Iglesias has been a nice surprise for the Tigers with his bat, and he's been a solid DFS play against left-handed pitching. He'll now get Jon Niese at home, and last season Iglesias had a .352 wOBA at home against southpaws. Iglesias is another steal considering he's only $100 more than the minimum.
OUTFIELD
Jeremy Hazelbaker, STL vs MIL, ($2,300): Hazel who? Hazelbaker has stepped in nicely for the Cardinals' outfield and has the solid power/speed combo fantasy owners love to roster. He has two home runs and two stolen bases to start the season, translating into 21, 18, 18 and 18 fantasy points over his last four games, respectively. The theme for this slate is going to be rostering a couple of players from each home team and Hazelbaker is very cheap.
J.D. Martinez, DET vs PIT ($3,300): If you watched the Tigers' opening series against the Marlins you would have seen Martinez miss a home run not once but twice in the opening game. He's hitting in a prime spot in the order behind Miguel Cabrera and, like Iglesias, had a lot of success against lefties last season. He finished the year with a .385 wOBA against southpaws and had a .409 wOBA at home last season against lefties as well.
Dexter Fowler, CHI vs CIN ($3,400): Granted, this is the cheapest price on the board but it's not a bad idea to roster more than one Chicago player today, sticking with the multi-players at home theory. Fowler has gotten off to a nice start with games of 24, 24, 30 and 12 fantasy points in four of his first six. Like Montero, this sets up as a nice matchup against a lefty, as Fowler finished last season with a .376 wOBA against them. It's not a bad thought to do a Cubs stack today in a GPP format.
