TGIF! If you’ve had a stressful week at work, kick back, relax and win some cash tonight at DraftStreet. A full slate of games and a full round of picks should get you started in the right direction!

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Weather

Unfortunately, we’re forced to get out our radars prior to locking in lineups for tonight’s games. Rain chances scatter the east coast, possibly affecting the games in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cincinnati.

Positional Breakdown

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Starting Pitchers

Honestly, I’m not sure if we’ve had an easier day all year to pick pitchers, well, at least a top pitcher. Jose Fernandez is your guy tonight. I do my best to give you guys a good analysis and solid reasons to use a guy in a certain spot, but, Jose doesn’t really require much analysis right now. He’s absolutely electric, a top 5 pitcher in baseball already and gets a perfect matchup at Petco Park with the Padres. Teammate Jacob Turner did a nice job shutting down the Padres; just imagine what Jose is capable of tonight. If you’re not on board with using Jose, Japan has provided us with the other top options tonight. Both Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka take their devastating arsenals to the bumps for their respective teams tonight. I give a slight edge to Tanaka based on the Brewers’ woes against good right-handed pitching, but you can’t go wrong playing either of these guys tonight. Strikeouts mean cash in daily fantasy sports; you’re going to want to have one of these arms.

Others to consider: Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Julio Teheran.

Catchers

I used to cringe at the thought of making Miguel Montero my top play at catcher, but tonight he fits the bill. Montero has been swinging the bat well all year long and his .382 OBP makes me feel a little bit better about recommending him. I absolutely only use him against right-handed pitchers, and Andre Rienzo is a mediocre one at best. His matchup tonight is at the US Cellular, a very hitter friendly park. Should you not decide to punt your backstop, use Montero.

It’s not often that I list Buster Posey as my second favorite catcher option, but his price puts him there tonight. Posey has been great again this season, no surprise. He’s always a top play anytime he gets to face a left-handed pitcher, and Paul Maholm won’t be a guy that’s going to be blowing it by him tonight. If you have room for Posey, roster him accordingly, you won’t be disappointed.

Others to consider: Wilson Ramos and Matt Wieters.

First Basemen

I don’t often look deeply into batter versus pitcher statistics, but I can’t help but take note of Miguel Cabrera’s matchup tonight. Cabrera has 15 hits in 28 at-bats against right-hander Phil Hughes, and five of those 15 hits have found their way over the fence. I shouldn’t forget to point out; Miggy is heating up, a pleasant surprise for fantasy players and an unpleasant forthcoming for opposing pitchers. It will be tough to roster a bunch of expensive hitters tonight with the great options at pitcher, but Miguel tops the list.

If you want to go the cheap route, grab Juan Francisco where he’s first base eligible and cheap. Francisco is a monster against right-handed pitching and is swinging the bat with a vengeance right now. Homeruns have come off his bat in each of the last two games, and he’s at home in the Rogers Centre tonight against right-hander Garrett Richards. Richards has been good this season, but it will be a tough matchup for him as the Jays are swinging the bats with authority.

Others to consider: Brandon Moss and Victor Martinez.

Second Basemen

There seem to be a lot of no-brainer, high percentage owned plays tonight, and Anthony Rendon is no different. Rendon has been insanely good against left-handed pitching, making himself essentially a must start against southpaws this year. Well, he faces Tommy Milone tonight, another left-handed starter. The good news is, Rendon should make for a very solid play against Milone. The bad news is, everyone will have him, and he’s going to priced quite highly, however, he still makes for the top second baseman today.

It’s not often that a Houston Astro makes their way into the top plays of the day, but how can you not love Jose Altuve? He’s so small, and cute. Wait, sorry. Anyway, Altuve is the best hitter the Astros’ have until George Springer gets his feet a little more wet. Not to mention, Altuve is a very good hitter against left-handed pitching. He flies under the radar playing in Houston, but he has very good upside with lots of extra-base hits and stolen bases.

Others to consider: Ben Zobrist and Ian Kinsler.

Third Baseman

Despite being a position loaded with power and potential, I’m not a fan of the third base options tonight. Instead of fluffing you with the best players who lack the platoon advantage tonight, I’m going to fill you in with a few value third basemen to keep your eye on. Nick Castellanos has been considered a blue-chip prospect for a while now and is holding his own in his first full season with the Tigers. Phil Hughes has been torched by the reverse splits as right-handers are hitting .342 against him this season. Castellanos has been up and down, but provides solid homerun upside tonight against Hughes.

Wise to recommend two Astros? I’ll do it anyway. Matt Dominguez is another low salary third baseman with homerun potential tonight. While all five of his homeruns this year have come against right-handed pitching, Dominguez has fared better against southpaws in his career. Tonight against Chen at Camden Yards, I like his chances for a big fly.

Others to consider: Adrian Beltre, Josh Donaldson and Juan Francisco (where eligible).

Shortstop

Sadly, Troy Tulowitzki will not be my top play today, although riding his hot hand the past few weeks has surely brought us great pleasure and lots of money. Tonight, I’m going a different route and taking speedster Jose Reyes. Reyes is back and is leading off the top of that explosive Blue Jays offense at home in the Rogers Centre. Last night was a great night for Reyes and I expect the trend to continue. He swiped two bags last night and if his hamstring is healthy and he’s ready to run he makes for a huge upside play. Garrett Richards has been tough, but I like Reyes.

If you want to talk about upside, Jed Lowrie fits the bill. Although Lowrie is a much better hitter for average from the right side, he hits for all of his power from the left-handed batters’ box. Tonight he faces Doug Fister in his first start for the Nationals at home in the cozy Oakland Coliseum. Like the Blue Jays, I like to use the Athletics at home, despite the pitchers park. Lowrie should be a sneaky tournament play.

Others to consider: Alexei Ramirez and Elvis Andrus.

Outfield

With all the great pitching matchups tonight, picking your hitters will be what wins you the cash. Outfield is typically a place you can find a lot of value, but some of the top players have very favorable matchups tonight. Mike Trout is seemingly the best player in baseball and he gets a very favorable park boost tonight headed into the Rogers Centre. While Dustin McGowan was good against the lackluster Pirates in his last start, I don’t expect him to be nearly as good against the powerful Angles. Trout has probably the greatest upside of any player in DFS, use him wisely.

If you’re looking to take a player with a great matchup and a great beard, you want to roster Jayson Werth. Werth has been excellent this year hitting third for the Nationals and has strongly anchored their lineup without the presence of Ryan Zimmerman. He destroys left-handed pitching and has been red hot of late. Tommy Milone should be no match for Werth’s bat, or his beard.

Going back to the other side of this matchup, I like Brandon Moss again tonight. Moss seems to be good for homeruns against right-handed pitchers just about every time I use him, so I’ll want to be using him tonight. I’m not sure what to expect in Fister’s first start back off the disabled list, but I’m not threatened by it.

Others to consider: Adam Jones, Torii Hunter, Dayan Vicideo, Gerrardo Parra and Michael Brantley. 

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