Another fantasy week is ending, with head-to-head battles still in the balance. The top of the pitching slate isn't especially daunting, so there's opportunity to make up ground, as your opponents won't be able to separate as much as other Sundays. On the hitting side of the ledger, keep in mind the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels wrap up a two-game set in Monterrey, Mexico, where the venue is second to Coors Field in terms of boosting offense.
Good luck to those trying to secure a head-to head victory, as well as rotisserie league players aiming to pile up more stats. Here's an array of players in a good spot to help, with the caveat being the weather and the usual Sunday lineup machinations require confirming players are indeed active.
Pitching
Julio Teheran (R), rostered in 39 percent of ESPN leagues, Atlanta Braves at Miami Marlins: If you've been playing fantasy baseball for a few years, you've likely been burned by Teheran, perhaps on multiple occasions. Put those biases aside, as this is a make-good matchup. Teheran's Achilles' heel is power-hitting lefty swingers, and the Marlins are last in terms of homers per plate appearance from the left side.
Brad Keller (R), 26 percent, Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers: Keller was due an ERA correction from last season, as regression doesn't punch a time clock; sometimes it kicks in quickly, other times it waits. Sure enough, Keller's ERA is bloated, although some of that is a spike in walks, amplified because he doesn't fan many hitters. That said, like the Marlins, the Tigers don't hit right-handers for much power, putting Keller in a decent spot to keep ratios in check and possibly pick up a victory.
Jordan Lyles (R), 25 percent, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Oakland Athletics: Joe Musgrove likely disagrees with this recommendation, as the righty was roughed up by the Athletics on Friday night. Lyles has done a decent job keeping the ball in the yard, allowing only three home runs in 26 innings, fanning 26 with no walks. Musgrove failed to take advantage, but in an interleague tilt in an NL park, Oakland is short one bat -- though Khris Davis might play the outfield so unfortunately it may not be him.
Spencer Turnbull (R), 7 percent, Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals: Turnbull has caught the eye of several fantasy pundits. While there's some strikeout growth portended by underlying metrics, he's also due to see an increase in balls clearing the fence. His 7.7 percent HR/FB mark is artificially low, especially in concert with his average fly ball distance allowed. That said, the Royals aren't set up to take advantage, relying more on speed than muscle.
Bullpen: Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the Rays' pitching approach was Ryan Yarbrough, as the southpaw tallied 16 wins last season, several without hurling the five frames required of a standard starting pitcher to record a victory. Yarbrough was slow out of the gate, resulting in a trip to Triple-A Durham; it appears he's on the verge of being recalled, likely for Sunday's AL East affair with Baltimore as Yarbrough is back with the Rays. To be honest, the available pitchers to spot-start aren't enticing. Facing a weak Orioles lineup, Yarbrough is in play as the likely primary pitcher.
Hitting
Catcher -- Manny Pina (R), under 1 percent, Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Mets (LHP Jason Vargas): Call it an educated hunch, but Yasmani Grandal hasn't have a day off for a while. Getting Pina behind the dish for a day game following a night game makes sense. Vargas has pitched well at times, but he's still vulnerable, especially to right-handed batters.
First Base -- Jay Bruce (L), 46 percent, Seattle Mariners at Cleveland Indians (RHP Cody Anderson): Anderson gets the first shot at replacing Corey Kluber, but coming back from the bullpen, he isn't stretched out enough to go deep. So not only will Bruce face a weak starter in Anderson, he should square off with a few mediocre bullpen arms, too.
Second Base -- Jason Kipnis (L), 6 percent, Cleveland Indians vs. Seattle Mariners (RHP Erik Swanson): The bad news is Kipnis is 1-for-14 over his past four games. The encouraging news is he has fanned only once in that span, suggesting he's been smitten with some bad luck. That alone isn't enough to hope Kipnis gets on track. Bet that facing Swanson, author of five homers in his inaugural 17 ⅔ innings, does the trick.
Third Base -- Kelvin Gutierrez (R), 1 percent, Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers (RHP Spencer Turnbull): Ryan O'Hearn's early woes have spurred the Royals to shift gears, calling up Gutierrez for the hot corner with Hunter Dozier dusting off his first baseman's mitt. Gutierrez has chipped in with eight RBIs in his first seven games, though he has whiffed five times in his past three. Still, in deep leagues, playing time is key and Gutierrez is currently getting regular run at third base.
Shortstop -- Chris Taylor (R), 33 percent, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres (LHP Nick Margevicius): A.J. Pollock's elbow infection could open more playing time for Taylor, especially against southpaw pitching. Margevicius impressed early, but he has been sluggish lately, walking eight with seven punch outs in his past two outings, spanning 10 ⅔ IP.
Corner Infield -- Jeimer Candelario (S), 7 percent, Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals (RHP Brad Keller): Here's a points-league special, as Candelario's recent penchant for drawing walks from the leadoff spot plays well in the format. Not to mention, Keller has issued a generous 23 free passes in 42 frames.
Middle Infield -- Michael Chavis (R), 20 percent, Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox (RHP Dylan Covey): The newly nicknamed Ice Horse has the three-longest Red Sox homers so far this season. He has also held his own defending the keystone. Eduardo Nunez is back with the club, but look for Alex Cora to keep Chavis' bat in the lineup.
Outfield -- Josh Reddick (L), 22 percent, Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels (RHP Matt Harvey): Reddick is essentially in play whenever the Astros face a righty, even if he doesn't get a shout-out in this space. However, with the incendiary Harvey on the docket in Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey, Reddick's great spot is worthy of reinforcement.
Outfield -- Avisail Garcia (R), 8 percent, Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles (LHP John Means): It's rare a cleanup hitter is available for a spot-start, let alone one enjoying the platoon edge on a pedestrian starter in a great hitter's park.
Outfield -- Teoscar Hernandez (R), 3 percent, Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers (LHP Drew Smyly): Smyly is set to return from the IL for Sunday's contest. Although the oft-injured southpaw has already missed time, the homer-prone Smyly has served up four long balls in just 15 innings, true to form. Hernandez has gone deep only twice so far, but he did leave the yard 22 times last season, so he has the pop to take advantage.