This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
STARTING PITCHER
Sean Newcomb, ATL vs. MIA ($38): The Braves have been unexpectedly potent offensively, which means Newcomb will likely get plenty of run support. He may not even need it, though, as the Marlins have the worst offense in the league on a per-game basis. Newcomb has also pitched really impressively, as he has a 3.14 FIP and has struck out 10.41 batters per nine innings.
Ivan Nova, PIT vs. SDP ($35): Nova's 5.01 ERA is concerning, but his 4.31 FIP is a little less worrisome. That is also in line with his career FIP of 4.25. The Padres were worst in the league in runs scored last year, and they are in the bottom five again despite the fact they have played several more games than a few of the teams also down in the dregs.
CATCHER
Jonathan Lucroy, OAK at TOR ($14): Lucroy seems to have lost some of his power, he is a 32-year-old catcher after all, but his batting average is back up to around his career average of .281. Plus, the last few years his issues have come against lefties, and Toronto's Marco Estrada is a righty. Estrada also has a 5.63 FIP, and he's allowed 1.38 homers per nine innings in his career.
FIRST BASE
Matt Adams, WAS vs. LAD ($20): Adams is off to a nice start in his first season with the Nationals, as he has a .268/.383/.629 slash line. That's with a .250 BABIP as well, so he's actually been unlucky this far. Due to injuries in their rotation, the Dodgers will be starting Ross Stripling on Friday. He usually pitches in relief, so starting may overextend him.
SECOND BASE
Yoan Moncada, CWS vs. TEX ($22): Moncada still hasn't even played 100 games in his career, so we don't have a great sense of who he is as a player. What we do know is that he's only 22, he was considered a top-shelf prospect before his debut, and he's having a career year. He already has six homers in 31 games. The 34-year-old Doug Fister has a 4.06 ERA, which is actually a better ERA than he's had in his last three seasons. However, he also has a 5.32 FIP.
THIRD BASE
Rafael Devers, BOS vs. BAL ($16): Devers is off to a slow start, and his OBP is concerning, but it's only 42 games. He does have seven homers as well, so when he's connecting he's showing power. Alex Cobb has been disastrous, as he has a 7.06 ERA and 5.48 ERA. He will likely get better, but in 2016 he had an 8.59 ERA and 5.65 FIP, so he's had his struggles before.
SHORTSTOP
Jurickson Profar, TEX at CWS ($14): Profar may never become the player he was expected to be as a prospect, but he's still only 25. He also has a .392 slugging percentage, which is good for his position. This is also a potentially great matchup. Carson Fulmer has a career 5.79 ERA and 6.12 FIP, and he's allowed 1.93 home runs per nine innings. Anybody could have a nice day in a matchup like this, let alone a player with Profar's former potential.
OUTFIELD
Giancarlo Stanton, NYY at KCR ($21): Stanton finally found his footing with the Yankees, and he now has a .255/.344/.516 slash line with 10 homers in 41 games. Maybe he won't hit 59 dingers again, but the power is still readily apparent. Jakob Junis has improved his ERA from 4.30 to 3.53, but his FIP has actually increased from 4.59 to 5.06. The main issue? Junis has allowed 1.94 homers per nine innings…and now he has to face Stanton.
Ronald Acuna Jr, ATL vs. MIA ($19): In his limited time in the major, Acuna has done nothing to refute the general opinion that he is the best prospect in baseball. The 20-year-old has excelled at the plate, even if his BABIP seems destined to regress. Dan Straily has only started three games, but in that time he has a 5.54 ERA and 8.74 FIP. That's a small sample size, but in his career he has a 4.78 FIP.
Albert Almora, CHC at CIN ($13): Almora posted a .298/.338/.445 slash line last season and is building upon that this year. The 24-year-old has earned a regular spot in center field for the Cubs. Since his Tommy John surgery, Homer Bailey has not been the same pitcher. Over his previous three seasons he had an average ERA of 6.25 and an average FIP of 4.44. This year, his ERA is 5.59 and his FIP is 6.22.
