Daily fantasy baseball: Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado top Tuesday picks – Sports Illustrated

We’re back to a full 15-game slate on Tuesday, though there is weather to watch out for in the middle of the country that could affect games in Minnesota, Kansas City and Texas. The Twins and Brewers get going at 1:10 ET, as well, so make sure you have your lineups set early if you want to play all-day games. You will not find any Twins or Brewers in the SI.com ultimate lineup for Tuesday.

Starting pitcher: Carlos Carrasco ($10,200) vs. Seattle and Mat Latos ($7,600) vs. Los Angeles Angels

The biggest name on the board is that of Stephen Strasburg, but Carrasco is the top pitcher play for Tuesday. He was excellent in his last trip to the mound, allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts in eight innings. There are some bats to watch out for in Seattle’s lineup, but this team is 20th in wOBA and 15th in strikeout rate. We’re not exactly talking about the Rockies or the Cubs. You can almost spin Carrasco as a bargain given that he’s $800 cheaper than Strasburg with the exact same ceiling.

Latos is making White Sox GM Rick Hahn look smart for signing him to a one-year, $3-million deal in February. He has allowed just one run on four hits in 12 innings this year, giving the White Sox a stable No. 4 starter. His matchup with the Angels makes him one of the more attractive pitchers below the $8,000 threshold Tuesday.

Catcher: Wilson Ramos ($3,200) @ Miami, Adam Conley

Buster Posey is just $3,700 on Tuesday, while Francisco Cervelli ($3,500) and Jonathan Lucroy ($3,400) are also tempting at their price tags, should you feel like spending a bit more at catcher. Ramos makes our lineup thanks to his recent production—he’s 10-for-23 in his last six games—and price. Conley has some upside, but he hasn’t yet shown it this season.

First base: Paul Goldschmidt ($4,500) @ San Francisco, Matt Cain

No one expected that we’d be talking about Goldschmidt as a .229 hitter through 12 games. The good news is that his OBP is at .383 and he’s slugging .479, so he’s doing the other things at the plate that set the foundation for a breakout. AT&T Park puts a damper on offense, but it’s hard to ignore Goldschmidt at $4,500, which makes him just the fourth-most expensive first baseman on the board, tied with Prince Fielder and Ryan Zimmerman. There’s just too much value in Goldschmidt on Tuesday to pass him up for anyone.

Second base: Rougned Odor ($3,900) vs. Houston, Scott Feldman

Odor is on a mini hot streak, going 5-for-12 with a pair of doubles and four RBI in his last three games. Feldman, meanwhile, has allowed four earned runs on 12 hits—including two homers—in just 10 1/3 innings this year. There is some weather to watch out for in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but if this game gets in, Odor should have his way with the Houston starter. The Rangers are one of the better available stacks, as well.

Third base: Nolan Arenado ($4,700) @ Cincinnati, Alfredo Simon

The last time we saw Simon, he was busy failing to make it out of the first inning in a start against the Cubs. Arenado, on the other hand, has been one of the best players in baseball over the season’s first two weeks, hitting .302/.351/.698 with six homers and a league-leading 16 RBI. Josh Donaldson looks great on Tuesday against Baltimore’s Mike Wright, but he’s a full $600 more than Arenado. That’s just too wide a spread, and the difference should send you in Arenado’s direction 10 times out of 10.

Shortstop: Trevor Story ($4,800) @ Cincinnati, Alfredo Simon

Pairing Story with Arenado gives us a Colorado stack against one of the most exploitable pitchers taking the mound Tuesday. Story may not be hitting dingers in every other plate appearance like he seemingly was during the first week of the season, but even since his homer binge ended, he has been driving the ball with authority. In his last six games, Story has five extra-base hits, including one roundtripper. Simon has the bad fortune of drawing the Rockies right after the Cubs. Expect the former to be just as tough on him as the latter was.

Outfield: George Springer ($4,600) @ Texas, Derek Holland; David Peralta ($3,300) @ San Francisco, Matt Cain; Nomar Mazara ($3,300) vs. Houston, Scott Feldman

There are our two favorite outfielders, Peralta and Mazara. After going 2-for-5 with a triple on Monday, Peralta’s slash is up to .302/.362/.472, and yet he’s still wildly affordable. Mazara is 12-for-27 with a homer and a pair of walks in his first 31 plate appearances, posting a .444/.452/.593 line. Why these two are both $3,300 is beyond me, but I’ll keep on rostering both without thinking twice. As for Springer, he has started to get the bat going, racking up six hits, including two home runs, in his last three games. That raised his season slash to .269/.321/.481, and he gets a platoon advantage with Holland on the mound for Texas.