This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
PITCHER:
CC Sabathia, NYY at MIN ($7,200): Sabathia has an impressive 2.28 ERA and continues to defy expectations; including shoving my adamant belief he'd be a train wreck this season right in my face. Well guess what? I'm hopping on the CC bandwagon, for a day at least. With such a weak slate of available pitchers, Sabathia's $price stands out as the clear best play. In addition, he faces a weak Minnesota offense that has been particularly bad against left-handed pitchers (.307 wOBA, 23.9 percent K rate) and will trot out Kyle Gibson, making a Yankees win that much more likely.
CATCHER:
Victor Martinez, DET at KC ($2,800): It seems like V-Mart continues to get better with age, as the model of consistency's .332 batting average and .383 wOBA can attest. He also can fill your catcher slot without actually play the catcher position, which is always a nice bonus. And while Danny Duffy has been great lately, Martinez has owned left-handed pitching over his career (.370 wOBA, .179 ISO) and is priced surprisingly cheaply considering his high floor. One thing to note is that Martinez was not in the starting lineup Wednesday due to a bruised knee, but he did pinch hit in the ninth-inning, which is a good sign he'll be back Thursday.
FIRST BASE:
Tommy Joseph, PHI vs. TOR ($2,900): Joseph has raked since getting called up and has finally seized the full time first base job from Ryan Howard. Joseph has displayed a great deal of power with seven long balls in just 25 games, and he has been particularly devastating against left-handed pitching (.487 wOBA, .300 ISO). Luckily, he faces J.A. Happ, who's struggled against right-handed bats (.320 wOBA and 11 homers allowed this year) and is coming off two poor outings in a row. As only the 17th-most expensive first baseman available, Joseph is a terrific value play with a ton of upside.
SECOND BASE:
Logan Forsythe, TAM vs. SEA ($3,000): Forsythe has posted multi-hit games in three of his five appearances since returning from the disabled list. The 29-year-old has had a strong season (.373 wOBA) and has been notably effective against left-handed pitching (.402 wOBA, .265 ISO), yet he can still be had at a very reasonable price.
THIRD BASE:
Jung Ho Kang, PIT at NYM ($3,000): Kang continues to produce while somehow still maintaining an affordable price. In 31 games this season, Kang is sporting a .412 wOBA, .333 ISO and nine long balls while hitting cleanup in an good Pittsburgh lineup. He now faces Bartolo Colon, who, like CC Sabathia, is having a better-than-expected season considering his age and heftiness. However, he's struggled some against right-handed hitters (.288 batting average allowed) and isn't a strong enough deterrent to keep me from rolling with Kang.
SHORTSTOP:
Jonathan Villar, MIL at LAD ($3,300): Villar has been a beast at the top of Milwaukee's lineup - the shortstop is rocking a .300 batting average, .357 wOBA, and an MLB leading 23 stolen bases. Furthermore, Villar has dominated left-handed pitching (.413 wOBA, .176 ISO), and faces Scott Kazmir (4.52 ERA in 2016) who's faired worse against righties than lefties this season with a .319 wOBA and nine bombs allowed to right-handed sticks.
OUTFIELD:
Ryan Braun, MIL at LAD ($3,600): Let's stay in the City of Angels as Braun is priced far too low considering how good he's been (.375 wOBA, .215 wOBA) and the lack of a full slate of games. He becomes even more of a bargain when you factor in his .449 wOBA and .291 ISO against left-handers.
Joey Rickard, BAL at BOS ($2,700): Thanks to Rickard's ineptitude against righties (.265 wOBA), his price continues to remain low, allowing you to take advantage of his strong production against lefties (.359 wOBA, .203 ISO) when the opportunities arise. Thursday is one of those opportunities, as Rickard faces struggling lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and his ugly .395 wOBA allowed to right-handed hitters.
Mallex Smith, ATL vs. CIN ($2,600): Conversely to Rickard, Smith has been anemic against left-handed pitching (.142 wOBA), yet very productive against righties (.377 wOBA, .203 ISO). And despite facing middling righty Dan Straily, Mallex is still priced dirt cheap. Add in the rookie's stolen base potential and he is a no brainer play that will allow you to better spread your cash across other positions.
