Top Tier
Fernando Tatis, SS, SD – Tell me how it is ever a bad idea to use this guy? He hit .529 in the last week with a ridiculous 1.930 OPS and that included four home runs and a stolen base. He is crushing right-handed pitching with a .322 average and 22 of his 26 homers and a 1.149 OPS. Tatis is also hitting .320 on the road and is playing at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati which is one of the best hitter’s parks in baseball. Luis Castillo has been better lately than he was to start the season, but he certainly is not someone I am actively avoiding in DFS. Tatis is beyond white hot and is worth every penny.
Max Muncy, 1B/2B, LAD – You could call this a good streak where he has homered in three of the last four games and has driven in a run in all four. There haven’t been a ton of other hits over that time, but Muncy is making the most of it when he makes contact. He will face Patrick Corbin, who has been slightly better of late, but still has given up the fifth most home runs with 15 in his 15 starts and was torched for six earned runs in his first start this year against the Dodgers. Muncy has a great .418 wOBA this season and a solid 1.006 OPS against left-handed pitching. Look for him to keep rolling on Thursday although you have to watch the weather on this one.
Mid-Tier
Buster Posey, C, SF – He was in a bit of a funk but after the day off he received on Sunday he has been great with five hits in the last three days. Posey’s resurgent season is back on track as he has hit .455 in the last seven days. He is facing a pitcher that I often target in Arizona’s Merrill Kelly. He will fire a good outing off here and there, but Kelly did allow 16 earned runs in a four start stretch in the beginning of the month. He is not a dominant strikeout pitcher, and he puts a bunch of guys on base. In 76 starts in Arizona, Posey has hit .326 with 16 doubles and eight home runs. He certainly can take advantage of a spacious outfield and find the gaps. He has hit .357 against Kelly in his career with a couple of doubles and a home run and if you can afford a higher priced catcher, Posey looks to be your guy.
Eric Hosmer, 1B, SD – He was ejected Tuesday, and was held out of the lineup yesterday, but Hosmer should be back in there for your Thursday lineups. This one is all about the matchup. Not only is the game in Cincinnati where Hosmer has homered three times in his career in just ten games, but he has also had amazing success against Luis Castillo. Eight hits in 13 at-bats, including a home run, is too much for me to ignore. It hasn’t been a great first half for Hosmer, but he is set up to succeed today.
Willy Adames, SS, MIL – When you hear the phrase “a player needs a change of scenery” you can naturally now think of Adames. He was decent for the Rays, but he has been a whole new player for the Brewers. With his grand slam yesterday, he now has three homers in the last six games, including ten RBI. He is never going to be a high batting average guy, but his 42.1% hard-hit rate says when he makes contact it is loud. You have to love the matchup today against one of the weaker pitchers on the slate in Wil Crowe. The Pirates hurler has allowed 16 earned runs in his last four starts, including six home runs. Adames hits 54 points higher against right-handed pitching and is facing Crowe at the perfect time to make an impact.
Value Tier
Tyler O’Neill, OF, STL – Let’s go to Coors on a lower salary guy. O’Neill has five hits in the last three games and although he doesn’t hit for a great batting average, I like a guy without a huge price tag with a 41.1% hard-hit rate at the best hitter’s park in baseball. Antonio Senzatela takes the mound, and while he hasn’t been completely awful at Coors, he hasn’t been great either. Right-handed bats hit just under .30 against him with an .833 OPS and six of his eight homers allowed have been to righties. O’Neill has a double and two home runs in three career games at Coors and can help you save a few bucks putting your lineup together.
Kyle Tucker, OF, HOU – I like to find a bargain priced option against the pitcher with the lowest salary on the slate. J.C. Mejia has allowed 13 earned runs in his last 15.2 innings as a starter in June. He pitched pretty well out of the bullpen, but he also strugged as a starter in 2019 when he was in just Single-A ball with a 4.09 ERA. Tucker his 68 points higher against right-handed pitching, and eight of his 13 home runs have come against them. He has four hits and three RBI in the last three games and Houston should put some runs on the board today.