This article is part of our FantasyDraft MLB series.
PITCHER
Chris Archer, TB at TOR ($20,400): With the absence of Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion, along with the struggles of Jose Bautista, what once was a potent lineup in Toronto is now one of the worst in baseball. Toronto has the third-worst wOBA against righties this season and the Blue Jays rank in the bottom-10 for K% against them. Archer hasn't ascended to the heights that were projected early in his career, but he's been a steady big league pitcher. This season has been a mixed bag, as his ERA is near 4.00, but he keeps his team in the game more often than not and he's fanned 32 batters in 32 innings.
Ervin Santana, MN at KC ($17,100): Santana has been excellent to start the season, with a 0.77 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 35 innings in his first five starts. It's only the K% that gives me pause, but it's hard to pass on a matchup with the Royals. Kansas City is last in the league in wOBA against righties this season and they are bottom-10 in K% against righties, so Santana gets a chance to beef up his strikeout numbers in this game while likely picking up another win against the hapless Royals.
INFIELD
Jake Lamb, AZ vs. COL ($9,200): Poor German Marquez. His first assignment of the season came last week against the best lineup in baseball, the Washington Nationals, at Coors Field and the results were predictable. Now he gets another tough lineup, in what is also one of the best hitters' parks in baseball. There isn't a lot of major league data to dissect Marquez, but what we can see early in his career is that he has a lot of trouble with lefties. The Diamondbacks are stacked with righties, but they have a couple solid lefties and Lamb is at the top of that list.
Francisco Lindor, CLE vs. SEA ($9,300):Chase De Jong gets the start for the injured Felix Hernandez and this one is going to be ugly. De Jong is not faring well in the majors this season through two games, but that's not a surprise because De Jong has struggled at every spot on his way to the majors. The Indians are going to tee off and it's just a matter of picking the right ones. Somehow, Lindor isn't the most expensive Indian, yet he's the most reliable, averaging 10.40 fantasy points per game this season.
Dee Gordon, MIA vs. PIT ($8,400):Chad Kuhl's numbers this season looked a lot better before facing the Cubs in his last start, but even prior to that outing he was struggling with left-handed hitters, who have a .509 wOBA against him this season. That number is not due to the long ball, as he's only surrendered one home run this season, rather it's a collection of hits and walks to lefties that have done him in. In other words, he's struggling keeping lefties off base. That's a perfect scenario for Gordon to thrive, as once he gets on base, he starts racking up the points.
OUTFIELD
David Peralta, AZ vs. COL ($7,800): I mentioned German Marquez earlier, but I didn't get into detail about his struggles. In six games last season, he posted a 5.23 ERA and through one game this season, he's at 18.00. We are dealing with extremely small sample sizes, but Marquez is a guy who's had no success yet and this doesn't look like a spot where he'll thrive. Peralta is another lefty in the Diamondbacks' lineup who could hurt Marquez, as his best split is at home against righties, where he's posted a .506 wOBA.
Jose Ramirez, CLE vs. SEA ($8,800): As mentioned earlier, the Indians will be a good stack against De Jong, and Ramirez will be a great target. He leads the Indians in wOBA against righties this season at .479, which is good for seventh-best in the majors. Ramirez has hit in seven straight games, and he's averaging a healthy 9.80 fantasy points per game this season. Every batter in the Cleveland lineup is a reasonable target, but Ramirez and Lindor appear to the best of the bunch.
Aaron Judge, NYY vs. BAL ($7,600): Is Judge hot or is he really this good? He has homered in six of his past 10 games and has multiple hits in five of his past 10. He gets publicity for his moon shots, but he earns plenty of fantasy points outside of those home runs, which is good if we are looking for a high floor. He gets a matchup with Wade Miley, who has been surprisingly strong this season, but he's still vulnerable to righties.
UTLIITY
Freddie Freeman, ATL at MIL ($10,200):Matt Garza takes the hill for the Brewers and he'll hope to go more than four innings in his second start of the season. That might be a difficult task, as the Braves have proven a pesky out this season. The toughest Brave against righties this season has been Freeman, who has a .495 wOBA against them this season, fourth-best in the league. Freeman has scored at least 10 fantasy points in eight of his past 10 games, so he comes with not only a high upside, but consistency as well.
Eric Thames, MIL vs. ATL ($9,900): While the price remains low for guys like Judge, the window to buy low on Thames is long gone. Thames has 11 home runs this season, but the nice thing is he walks a lot as well, so even in the games when he doesn't go deep, chances are he'll find a way to get on base. Mike Foltynewicz is not a guy who I would normally target hitters against, but this matchup works because Thames is fifth in the league in wOBA against righties and Foltynewicz has some troubles with right-handed hitters.
