Best Bets (Hitters)
C: Ryan Doumit ($5,965) faces Gavin Floyd ($10,863) with the platoon edge in a homer-friendly park. The weather should cooperate in Chicago; if not, be prepared to switch him out for someone like Jonathan Lucroy ($6,688) or A.J. Ellis ($4,285).
1B: Anthony Rizzo. The Cubs will go against Hiram Burgos, a righty making his major league debut and not even in the DS player pool. Rizzo is heating up and a lefthanded power bat in a good park for hitting is more than worth his $7,523 salary.
2B: Dustin Pedroia ($8,173). We all have our favorites, and Pedroia is near the top of my list. A consistent performer who hits line drives, walks and steals the occasional base. He will almost always provide some positive contribution.
SS: Starlin Castro ($8,274) is another Cub, the best of the bunch. I anticipate a high-scoring game in Milwaukee.
3B: Kyle Seager ($6,678) has the platoon edge over Texas rookie Nick Tepesch ($10,749) and is Seattle’s most consistent hitter
OF: Ryan Braun. After another great game yesterday, the price of $9,811 is low. Few players have better ‘monster game’ potential than an in-form Braun.
OF: Alfonso Soriano ($6,557) is my third Cub, expected to bat cleanup and there’s a good chance of runners being on base for him.
OF: Vernon Wells ($7,560) is having a solid start to the year, and faces lefty Mark Buerhle ($7,301) who hasn’t yet hit his midseason stride. Wells is an excellent matchup against any lefty who doesn’t throw hard.
U: Justin Morneau ($7,978) also has a favorable matchup against the righty Floyd, who has a tendency to make mistakes up in the zone. Morneau has always been adept at hitting mistakes.
AVOID: Evan Gattis ($10,468) is a hot hitter cooling down, but the price is still high. Howie Kendrick, like most of the LAA lineup, is cold and showing few signs of heating up. $7,094 is still too much to gamble on a thaw.
Total cost of hitting: $68,519
Kent Williams is on Twitter @SheridanFantasy and be sure to follow Rob Dudek for updates when our morning picks change during the day.