This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Sunday's 15-game MLB slate begins at 1:10 PM Eastern time. These players all fall on the affordable side of the price spectrum, but a combination of favorable matchups and platoon advantages has them primed to finish in the upper echelon at their respective positions. Here are the day's top value plays…
PITCHER
German Marquez, COL vs. ARI ($34): Marquez has been strong over his past 10 starts, posting a 5-1 record with eight quality starts and a 63:15 K:BB in 62 innings. Despite the challenges of pitching at Coors Field, Marquez should be able to keep the good times rolling against a Diamondbacks lineup that ranks 26th with a .700 road OPS and strikes out 9.16 times per game. His expected returns are tremendous for a $34 pitcher.
Sal Romano, CIN at PIT ($30): Romano took a few starts to get used to pitching at the major-league level, but the rookie has picked things up over his past three outings. In that stretch, Romano is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 15:7 K:BB in 20 innings. The Pirates rank 27th in runs per game at 4.17, so expect the 23-year-old righty to maintain his strong recent form and easily outperform his $30 valuation.
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CATCHER
Miguel Montero, TOR at BAL ($10): Orioles righty Chris Tillman would surely be out of the rotation by now if the team had any semblance of a reasonable alternative, as he has posted an awful 7.91 ERA and 1.95 WHIP in 19 appearances. Those struggles have included a .427 wOBA allowed to batters from the left side. Montero's having a down year, but the affordable catcher does have a respectable .339 career wOBA against right-handed pitching and can be had for cheap in this nearly ideal matchup.
FIRST BASE
Mike Napoli, TEX vs. LAA ($12): Napoli's all-or-nothing approach should pay off in this situation. Angels lefty Andrew Heaney has had trouble with right-handed hitters, allowing eight home runs in 59 at-bats en route to a .422 wOBA. Napoli owns a .383 career wOBA against left-handed pitching, and Globe Life Park in Arlington's second-ranked 1.18 park factor further helps his cause.
SECOND BASE
Javier Baez, CHC vs. ATL ($19): Baez owns a .392 wOBA against lefties, making him Chicago's surest bet for production in what projects to be a high-scoring affair. Atlanta will be sending southpaw Max Fried to the mound for his first major-league start, which is unlikely to go well given the talent in the Cubs lineup and Wrigley Field's ninth-ranked 1.08 park factor. Baez has also been a threat on the base paths of late with three steals in his past four games.
THIRD BASE
Ryon Healy, OAK at SEA ($16): Healy has pummeled left-handed pitching, managing a .403 wOBA in 108 at-bats. The free-swinging slugger should continue that success against underwhelming southpaw Andrew Albers, who has allowed a .397 wOBA to batters from the right side and got torched for eight runs in his last outing.
SHORTSTOP
Dansby Swanson, ATL at CHC ($13): Swanson has reached base multiple times in 11 of his past 16 games and should be able to stay hot against lefty Mike Montgomery. The 2015 first overall pick's .336 wOBA when facing left-handers is .073 better than his mark against righties, but neither of those numbers is representative of his improved play following a midseason demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett. He'll also benefit from Wrigley Field's hitter-friendly conditions just like Baez.
OUTFIELD
Josh Reddick, HOU vs. NYM($14): Stacking Astros is likely to pay off given their appetizing home matchup against Mets righty Chris Flexen. Flexen has a 6.89 ERA and 1.99 WHIP in 32.2 innings through seven starts, and has been even worse on the road with a 9.77 ERA in four appearances. Reddick in particular is well positioned to do damage here, as the affordable outfielder costs just $14 despite batting clean-up for the dangerous Houston lineup. His .349 wOBA against righties should translate to strong production in this one.
Marwin Gonzalez, HOU vs. NYM ($13): The switch-hitting Gonzalez has been much better from the left side, posting a .394 wOBA there while managing a mere .319 when batting right-handed. He'll hit left-handed here against Flexen, who has allowed a .394 wOBA in that split.
Justin Upton, LAA at TEX ($18): Upton will have a tremendous opportunity to make an impact for his new team against the division rival Rangers in a game with AL Wild Card implications. Despite his recent winning ways, Texas southpaw Martin Perez comes in with a 4.89 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. Upton's punished far more impressive opponents in that split judging by his monstrous .476 wOBA in 106 at-bats.
