This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
We embark on the final week of the regular season with a limited six-game main slate on Yahoo. That doesn't leave us with a ton of options, but there is money to be won, so let's highlight some players with favorable matchups to consider.
Pitchers
The Cardinals continue their quest to make the playoffs with Adam Wainwright ($43) starting against the Royals. That should help their chances of getting a win given that he's allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his eight starts this season. His WHIP checks in at 0.98, although some of that has been aided by a favorable .228 BABIP allowed. Still, this is a great spot for him to come away with another strong stat line given that the Royals have the seventh-lowest OPS (.702) in baseball.
Johnny Cueto ($36) catches a break with his start against the Rockies coming at home. They have a .762 OPS at Coors Field, but just a .659 OPS on the road. To further tilt the scales in Cueto's favor, Nolan Arenado (shoulder) could be out for the rest of the season. Despite his limited strikeout upside, Cueto could provide valuable production at this reasonable salary.
Top Targets
If there is anything to be excited about regarding the Pirates this season, it has been the play of their exciting prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes ($18). He's immediately made an impact, recording a .409 wOBA and a .293 ISO through 17 games. He has a favorable opportunity to keep things rolling against Jon Lester ($32), who has a 5.17 FIP and has had problems keeping hitters inside the ball park, allowing 1.8 HR/9.
The Royals don't have many viable starting pitching options left, so they will turn to Carlos Hernandez ($25) to start against the Cardinals. He didn't perform well against the Pirates in his last outing, allowing three runs on three home runs across three innings. It's a lot to ask for him to be pitching in the majors at this point given that he entered the season having never pitched above Single-A. Although he's cooled off a bit lately, this matchup makes Paul Goldschmidt ($16) very appealing.
Bargain Bats
Staying with the Cardinals matchup against Hernandez brings us to Kolten Wong ($11). He's recorded at least one hit in 12 of his last 14 games, although he didn't hit for much power during that stretch with only one home run and no doubles. The good news is that he should bat leadoff with a righty on the mound and he could be busy in what has the makings of an excellent offensive night for the Cardinals.
It's not often that you see Alex Bregman ($14) check in at such a cheap salary. Yes, he's having a down season. Even with his struggles, though, he has a 198 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. That should come as no surprise given his career 172 wRC+ versus southpaws. He'll face Marco Gonzales ($44) in this matchup with the Mariners, so he could end up being a bargain.
Stacks to Consider
Marlins vs. Huascar Ynoa ($25), Braves: Brian Anderson ($16), Garrett Cooper ($16), Starling Marte ($14)
It's impressive that the Braves are still leading the NL East given the injuries that have destroyed their starting rotation. They'll be forced to once again turn to Ynoa, who enters with a 5.11 FIP and a bloated 1.61 WHIP. That could lead to a big night for the Marlins' lineup. Anderson has been one of their offensive leaders, recording what would be a career high .357 wOBA. Cooper has caught fire at the right time, hitting 8-for-23 (.348) with two home runs and two doubles across the last eight games.
Braves vs. Trevor Rogers ($25), Marlins: Freddie Freeman ($27), Ronald Acuna Jr. ($27), Adam Duvall ($19)
This matchup could be a recipe for disaster for the Marlins. Rogers has allowed 2.1 HR/9 and the Braves have hit the second-most home runs in baseball. Freeman and Acuna both carry tremendous upsides and Acuna has already hit a home run in two of his last three games. Duvall has been just as impressive in the power department, hitting 16 home runs on his way to a .337 ISO. This game being played in Atlanta is noteworthy given that Duvall has a .397 ISO at home.
