It’s a fully loaded 15-game slate Tuesday evening with several potential stacking opportunities on tap and a quartet of ace-caliber pitchers toeing the rubber. Get your popcorn ready, folks.
Weather Report
After a tumultuous summer filled with weather-related issues, there are zero trouble spots, which is a relief for fantasy managers.
Injury Report
Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles 1B (shoulder)
Mountcastle has missed five straight games and is day-to-day after an MRI came back clean on his left shoulder following his removal from Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals with left shoulder discomfort.
Carlos Correa, Twins SS (foot)
Correa made an early exit from Monday's series opener against the Reds after re-aggravating the plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The 28-year-old has been playing through the ongoing issue for months at this juncture, but there's a possibility he'll require a few days off to recover. He's day-to-day.
Luke Raley, Rays OF (neck)
Raley missed two games over the weekend with neck stiffness following Saturday's on-field collision during batting practice. He's day-to-day heading into Tuesday’s series opener against the Angels.
Christian Yelich, Brewers OF (back)
Yelich has missed nine of Milwaukee's last 10 games, including Monday’s series opener against the Cardinals, with a lower back issue. There’s a possibility he’ll wind up on the injured list if he’s unable to get back in the lineup this week.
Bryan De La Cruz, Marlins OF (ankle)
De La Cruz has missed three consecutive games since being removed from Friday’s game against the Braves with right ankle discomfort. He's day-to-day.
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Brett Baty, Mets 3B (groin)
Baty appears likely to avoid a trip to the injured list, but missed his fifth straight game during Monday’s series opener against the Marlins. He had an MRI Thursday that revealed a mild left groin strain. He's day-to-day, but there’s zero incentive for the Mets to rush him back at this late juncture of the season.
Ha-Seong Kim, Padres 2B/SS (abdomen)
Kim sat out Monday’s series opener against the Rockies after being scratched from Sunday’s lineup due to abdominal tightness. The Padres have yet to settle upon an official diagnosis, so fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for the moment, but there’s a strong possibility he’s going to get some extra time off to rest and recover.
Top Priced Starting Pitchers (DraftKings)
- Spencer Strider (ATL) vs. PHI: $12,800
- Luis Castillo (SEA) vs. OAK: $11,300
- Blake Snell (SD) vs. COL: $10,600
- Zac Gallen (AZ) vs. SF: $9,800
- Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) vs. BOS: $9,600
- Ryan Pepiot (LAD) vs. DET: $9,100
- Yusei Kikuchi (TOR) vs. NYY: $8,700
- Hunter Brown (HOU) vs. BAL: $8,500
- Logan Allen (CLE) vs. KC: $8,400
- Michael Lorenzen (PHI) vs. ATLL $8,300
Strider, Castillo, Snell and Gallen are the headliners, as all will finish at or near the top of Cy Young balloting. Strider possesses the strikeout upside to warrant the top spot. But Snell has a tasty home matchup against a Rockies’ lineup that typically struggles outside of Coors Field as he looks to cement his status as NL Cy Young front-runner. Gallen can make noise in a critical division matchup against the Giants after being lit up for six earned runs his last time out against the Mets. Castillo has been about as consistent as it gets, despite not boasting massive strikeout totals, as he looks to propel the Mariners back to the postseason with an extremely favorable matchup against the Athletics.
Sneaky Option
Alex Cobb, Giants RHP, vs. Diamondbacks: $7,500
Cobb will take the ball against the division-rival Diamondbacks after receiving a couple extra days of rest due to an ongoing right hip issue, which cropped up shortly after throwing a 131-pitch complete game against the Reds back in late August.
The 35-year-old has put together arguably his strongest season in nearly a decade, compiling a 3.62 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 130/36 K/BB ratio across 149 1/3 innings (27 starts). Fantasy managers searching for an alternative outside of the consensus top four starting pitchers for Tuesday's slate should strongly consider Cobb as a low-cost alternative with the upside to spin a gem against a division rival in Arizona.
Stack Attack
White Sox vs. Nationals (RHP Jackson Rutledge)
Fantasy Sports Logic's Contrarian Edge Optimizer is all over the White Sox as they face Nationals pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge, making his second MLB start. The 24-year-old rookie was lit up for seven runs on 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings Wednesday in his big-league debut against the Pirates.
The White Sox' bats should be able to do damage in Washington, which makes loading up on hitters like Luis Robert Jr., Tim Anderson, Andrew Benintendi, Eloy Jiménez, Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets an appealing strategy.
- OF Luis Robert Jr.: $5,500
- OF Eloy Jiménez: $3,700
- 3B Yoán Moncada: $3,500
- 1B Andrew Vaughn: $3,400
- SS Tim Anderson: $3,300
- OF Andrew Benintendi: $3,300
- 1B/OF Gavin Sheets: $2,600
Guardians vs. Royals (RHP Alec Marsh)
It will ostensibly be a bullpen game for Kansas City, with Marsh likely making a bulk relief appearance, which sets up Cleveland's lineup in a favorable spot to take advantage following Monday's unexpected late-inning collapse. José Ramírez is the obvious building block, but low-cost alternatives like Josh Naylor, Andrés Giménez, Gabriel Arias, Kole Calhoun, Will Brennan and Bo Naylor make a ton of sense as well.
- 3B José Ramírez: $5,700
- 1B Josh Naylor: $4,300
- 2B Andrés Giménez: $3,700
- OF Kole Calhoun: $3,300
- C Bo Naylor: $3,200
- SS Gabriel Arias: $2,700
- OF Will Brennan: $2,500
Padres vs. Rockies (RHP Ryan Feltner)
It’s a must-win for the Padres against Feltner, who is making his first appearance since mid-May, when he was hospitalized after suffering a skull fracture on a line drive. It’s phenomenal to see the 27-year-old right-hander healthy and ready to compete again, but it’s a tough spot to be thrown into, even if it’s away from Coors Field. It would be surprising to see San Diego’s bats go cold in this one after scoring 11 runs on 15 hits during Monday’s series opener.
- OF Fernando Tatis Jr.: $5,900
- OF Juan Soto: $5,700
- 3B Manny Machado: $5,200
- 2B/3B Ha-Seong Kim: $4,800
- SS Xander Bogaerts: $4,600
- C Luis Campusano: $3,300
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