This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Despite COVID-19 cases continuing to climb in baseball, games will press on. As things stand as of Monday morning, there are nine games on the schedule. Eight of those will make up the main slate on Yahoo, leaving us with plenty of options to sift through. Let's try to make that task a little easier by discussing some players to target.
Pitchers
The Phillies will be back in action after sitting out the last week to ensure they didn't have a COVID-19 outbreak of their own after playing the Marlins. They will be welcomed back with not only a tough matchup against the Yankees, but with Gerrit Cole ($53) on the mound. Cole allowed three runs across 6.2 innings in his last start against the Orioles, but two of those runs came on a two-out rally in the seventh before he was pulled. He's been excellent, overall, allowing just five hits across 11 2/3 innings. With the Phillies also potentially being rusty after sitting out a week, Cole could once again thrive.
Alec Mills ($26) did not pitch well at Triple-A last year, recording a 5.11 ERA that was supported by a 5.00 FIP. He still was called upon to make nine appearances with the Cubs, four of which were starts. His 2.75 ERA during that stretch looked nice, but his 4.19 FIP indicates that he wasn't nearly as dominant as his ERA would lead you to believe. With Jose Quintana (thumb) out, the Cubs will count on Mills to fill out the back end of their rotation. He started off the season on a high note, holding the Reds to two runs across six innings. Now he'll face the Royals, who have scored four runs or fewer in seven of their 10 games. If you're looking to take a chance on a cheap starter in a GPP, Mills should be on your radar.
Top Targets
Nelson Cruz ($24) started out the season on fire in his series against the White Sox, but is only 4-for-21 with no home runs across his last six contests. With that being said, it's difficult to hold him down for long. Tasked with trying to do that Monday will be left-hander Derek Holland ($26). This might be just the matchup that Cruz needs to get back on track considering Holland has allowed at least 2.0 HR/9 in two of the last three seasons.
It's been a rough start offensively for the A's. They have scored three runs or fewer in each of their last six games, which came against bad pitching staffs in the Rockies and Mariners. They will continue their series with the Mariners here and could finally break out against Justus Sheffield ($25). Sheffield has been wild in his brief career, which included him walking four batters across three innings in his season debut against the Angels. One of the few A's who has had success this season is Ramon Laureano ($21), who is 9-for-31 with two home runs and two doubles. Taking a chance on him to continue rolling based on this matchup could prove to be profitable.
Bargain Bats
With Holland's struggles to keep hitters inside the ballpark already detailed, Cruz isn't the only big bopper to consider on the Twins. If you want to take advantage of this matchup with a cheaper option, Miguel Sano ($11) could be your man. He torched lefties last year, posting a .408 wOBA and a .367 ISO against them.
Is Kevin Newman ($9) starting to heat up? After a dreadful start, he's recorded at least two hits in back-to-back games and he hit his first home run of the season Sunday against the Cubs. Considering he hit .309 with a .353 OBP last year, it was only a matter of time before he got back on track. The Twins will be deploying a bullpen game in this matchup with Lewis Thorpe ($25) set to be the opener. That could mean another strong performance is on the horizon for Newman.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees vs. Jake Arrieta ($25), Phillies: Aaron Judge ($23), DJ LeMahieu ($20), Mike Tauchman ($11)
As if facing Cole wasn't bad enough, the Phillies plan to start Arrieta, who posted a 4.89 FIP and a 1.47 WHIP in 2019. The Yankees' lineup is red hot, so this could get ugly in a hurry. Leading the way has been Judge, who has hit six home runs across the last five games. Tauchman may also be working his way into more playing time in left field. Brett Gardner ($16) only has one hit this season while Tauchman is 3-for-10 with three steals. If he's in the lineup, he could be just the cheap bat that you need to help balance out the high-priced players for a Yankees stack.
Rockies vs. Johnny Cueto ($25) Padres: Trevor Story ($24), Nolan Arenado ($21), Daniel Murphy ($14)
Cueto in Coors Field -- what could go wrong? He's already allowed 13 baserunners across 7.2 innings in his first two starts and has not looked overly sharp in his return from Tommy John surgery. Even at their expensive prices, the Rockies should be a popular stack for the night. At least Murphy is somewhat cheap. He's also coming off of a four-hit performance Sunday in which he hit a home run.
Giants vs. Chi Chi Gonzalez ($25) Rockies: Mike Yastrzemski ($24), Evan Longoria ($18), Alex Dickerson ($15)
This could be a high-scoring affair on both sides. Gonzalez remains a member of the Rockies rotation despite recording a 5.64 FIP and allowing 1.6 HR/9 last season. Longoria missed the first six games of the season due to injury, but he's logged at least one hit in each of the four games that he has played, including a home run Sunday. Left-handed hitters recorded a .362 wOBA against Gonzalez last season, meaning Dickerson is also in play for a Giants stack.
