Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Aaron Nola, PHI at SF ($50): If Nola were on a better team, he'd certainly get more recognition, but as it stands, he'll have to settle for being one of the best unheralded pitchers in the game right now. Nola has recorded at least seven strikeouts in nine of his past 10 starts and he hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of those starts either. The matchup works in Nola's favor as well as the Giants enter with the lowest wOBA against righties this season.

Luis Severino, NYY at NYM ($51): Beyond Nola, there aren't a lot of options that I like, but Severino seems like a good play, even though he got hammered in his most recent start. It is that most recent start this gives me a little pause, but not enough to select someone else in his stead. Prior to his most recent start, Severino was on a roll, recording eight or more strikeouts in three consecutive starts, while allowing just two runs total. The Mets are a middle of the road team against righties and they've lost some potency with the trade of Jay Bruce.

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CATCHER

Tyler Flowers, ATL at COL ($16): Flowers has been in a time share with fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki for most of the season, but if he gets the nod here, he's definitely in play against Jeff Hoffman. Hoffman, like most of the Rockies rotation, pitched well early in the season, but has started to show some signs of fatigue lately. Hoffman enters with a 5.15 ERA, but he's allowed four or more runs in five of his past seven starts. Flowers has the edge on Suzuki with a .362 wOBA against righties this season.

FIRST BASE

Mark Reynolds, COL vs ATL ($18): It might be a good idea to stack your entire lineup with batters from this game as it's going to be very high scoring. Given the choice between Freddie Freeman at $24 and Reynolds at $18, Reynolds seems like the better play. Reynolds has homered in his past two games and he enters with a .386 wOBA against righties this season, which is second on the Rockies.

SECOND BASE

Jose Pirela, SD vs WAS ($15): Cory Spangenberg has been on a tear lately, but Pirela has actually been the more consistent batter at the 2B spot for the Padres this season. Pirela enters with a .373 wOBA against righties this season, which leads the Padres. The Padres will face Edwin Jackson, who enters with a 3.86 ERA this season, but he's been anything but consistent.

THIRD BASE

Jose Ramirez, CLE at MN ($14): Ramirez's pace has slowed since the first half of the season, but because of that, we get him at a discounted price. Ramirez still maintains the best wOBA against righties this season among his team at .386 and he gets a crack at Jose Berrios, who might be hitting a wall. Berrios was very impressive early in the season, but he's been hit hard lately. Berrios has allowed 16 runs in his last 19.1 innings.

SHORTSTOP

Zack Cozart, CIN at CHC ($23): At first glance, it doesn't seem wise to target a batter against Jon Lester, but upon closer inspection, this matchup really favors Cozart. Cozart enters with a .475 wOBA against lefties this season, which is best on the Reds and sixth highest in the majors. Lester is having a good season, but he has a tendency to blow up from time to time and the Reds could certainly cause some problems for him.

OUTFIELD

Charlie Blackmon, COL vs ATL ($28): It sure costs a lot to put Blackmon in your lineup, but when facing a righty like Lucas Sims at home, he's worth the hefty price. Sims enters with a 5.71 ERA this season and that's bound to go up after a visit to Coors. Blackmon enters with a .416 wOBA against righties this season, which leads the Rockies and is top 15 in the majors.

Aaron Judge, NYY at NYM ($16): It's no secret that Judge has not produced in the second half of the season like he did in the first half, but he's still hitting bombs and at this price, you almost have to take him. Factor in a matchup with Steven Matz and he's almost a must-have. Matz has been terrible this season as evidence by his 5.54 ERA. Judge enters with a .407 wOBA against lefties this season, which leads the Yankees.

David Peralta, AZ at HOU ($13): Peralta is set to rejoin the Diamondbacks after a few days away for the birth of his child and he's walking into a nice matchup with Mike Fiers. Fiers was terrible early in the season, but worked through that and found some success for a spell, but lately he's fallen back into his early-season ways. Fiers enters with a 4.26 ERA and he's allowed 16 runs in his past 16.1 innings. Peralta enters with a .366 wOBA against righties this season.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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