This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Pitcher
Johnny Cueto, SF at MIL ($48): Cueto will face the Brewers and while they got to starter Matt Cain on Wednesday, their current lineup simply isn't built to hit a good pitcher. With Ryan Braun on the DL and Eric Thames not hitting like he was earlier in the season, this team doesn't have much to scare any decent pitcher. Cueto certainly qualifies as decent as he's posted six quality starts in his past eights games and recorded at least six strikeouts in all of those games as well. Milwaukee enters with a 25.1 percent K rate against righties, which is third worst in the majors.
Christian Bergman, SEA vs MIN ($27): If you are in need of a cheaper option on this slate, Bergman could be your guy. Bergman had one disastrous start against the Nationals where he gave up 10 runs but outside of that, he's looked pretty good. In his three starts surrounding the pounding he took at the hands of the Nationals, he's surrendered only three runs and he's recorded 17 strikeouts. It would be nice to see him improve the strikeout rate, but it's not like he's only putting up two or three strikeouts per game, he's still in the 5-6 range. The Twins have been pretty good against righties this season, but they are still in the bottom half when it comes to K rate.
[Sign up for a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest today]
[Free entry into MLB Yahoo Cup: $25K in prizes]
CATCHER
Chris Iannetta, AZ vs SD ($12): Clayton Richard takes the mound for the Padres and one thing that really jumps out about his past four starts is the number of hits he's surrendered. In three of his past four games, Richard has allowed 10 hits and as you would expect, those starts have not turned out well for him. Hopefully Iannetta gets the start behind the dish, because he's the catcher most equipped to take advantage of Richard. Iannetta leads the Diamondbacks in wOBA against lefties this season at .462.
FIRST BASE
Marwin Gonzalez, HOU at KC ($21): Though he didn't start Wednesday, Gonzalez was available off the bench, so I'm going to assume he'll be back in the lineup Thursday. If he does return, a nice matchup awaits in Jason Hammel, who has struggled the entire season. Hammel enters with a 5.93 ERA, but he's only been truly hammered just once this season, which means he consistently gives up multiple runs in short outings. Gonzalez has been the Astros' best hitter this season against righties and that trend should continue against Hammel.
SECOND BASE
Jonathan Schoop, BAL at WAS ($16): Joe Ross takes the hill for the Nationals and if he doesn't find his game quickly, he might not be long for the majors. Ross has been pounded on a consistent basis this season and this matchup doesn't look favorable. Schoop has been in the zone lately, with multiple hits in four of his past five games and he's been locked in against righties all season. Schoop is second on the team in wOBA against righties this season at .383.
THIRD BASE
Evan Longoria, TB vs CHW ($16): Derek Holland takes the mound for the White Sox and while he's been good for most of the season, he's coming off a terrible outing in his most recent start. If that's a sign of things to come, then he could be in trouble against a sound Rays lineup. Longoria is not the hitter he was a few years ago, but he's still good in spurts and this matchup looks favorable. Longoria has been much better at home this season than on the road and he's posted good numbers against Holland in his career. Longoria is 9-for-28 lifetime against Holland, including three home runs.
SHORTSTOP
Nick Ahmed, AZ vs SD ($11): The Diamondbacks are almost always a good stacking option at home, but more often than not, it's impossible to fit all of their high salaries into a lineup. Ahmed is one of the cheaper options in the Arizona lineup and his matchup against Richard provides some upside as well. Ahmed is second on the Diamondbacks in wOBA against lefties this season at .449. Ahmed has yet to play in this series, so my guess is, he gets the nod against Richard.
OUTFIELD
Nelson Cruz, SEA vs MIN ($18): Cruz left the game early Tuesday because of a calf injury, but seeing his teammates having all the fun against a crumbling pitching staff might speed up his recovery process. Kyle Gibson takes the mound for the Twins and he brings a 7.24 ERA with him to Seattle. Gibson has yet to record a single quality start this season and there's no reason to think he posts one here. Cruz leads all active Mariners in wOBA against righties this season at .411.
Michael Saunders, PHI at ATL ($10): Saunders has been in a bit of a rut over the past week, but a matchup with R.A. Dickey might be just what he needs to break out of it. Dickey has struggled for most of this season as evidence by his 5.10 ERA. He's also surrendered four or more runs in three of his past four starts, so it's clear that his knuckleball isn't moving like it should. Saunders has had some success against Dickey in his career, with two home runs in seven at-bats.
Seth Smith, BAL at WAS ($10): As mentioned earlier, Ross has been terrible this season and the Orioles look like a nice stack option. Ross has surrendered five or more runs in four of his past five starts and that number could grow against the Orioles' potent lineup. Smith usually gets the start against righties and when that's the case, he's generally in the leadoff spot. Smith has posted totals of 12 or more fantasy points in three of his past six games and considering he didn't do anything last night, I'd say his odds of a bounce back look pretty good against Ross.
