This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Pitcher
Justin Verlander, HOU vs. BOS ($45): Verlander finished the season with a fastball that registered a 32.9 RAA, the highest mark in the league. Meanwhile, the Red Sox held a negative RAA against the fastball to go along with a .313 wOBA against right-handed pitching. Chris Sale may have been the better pitcher overall in 2017, but Verlander will save owners $8, has the better matchup, and pitched to a 1.06 ERA with 43 strikeouts in his 34 innings after being acquired by the Astros.
Masahiro Tanaka, NYY at CLE ($35): Advanced statistics can be the difference between winning and losing on mini-slates, as owners who know what to look for can potentially find something that gives them a leg up on the competition. In the case of Tanaka, we can see that he notched an 8.0 RAA with his splitter, a pitch the Indians registered a bottom three RAA against. It is true that Tanaka carried a 6.48 ERA on the road, but it's hard to attribute that to something tangible, as the highest ERA he tallied away from Yankee Stadium prior to this season was the 3.51 mark he notched over 66.2 innings in 2014.
Tanaka has not been named the starter as of the publication of this article. If manager Joe Girardi decides to go with Sonny Gray, consider selecting Zack Greinke ($44) against the Rockies instead. Colorado has been one of the worst teams in the league this season on the road according to wOBA, and while Chase Field is still a hitter's environment, Greinke has had quite a bit of success against the Rockies at home this season, notching a 3.15 ERA over 20 innings (three starts).
Catcher
Evan Gattis, HOU vs. BOS ($7): Sale was incredible overall this season but did show some signs of being human during the last two months, when he tallied a 4.09 ERA over 66 innings. Gattis notched a .207 ISO against lefties, making him a potential money-saving option at a top-heavy position.
First Base
Mark Reynolds, COL at ARI ($12): Reynolds saw excellent results against the fastball this year, notching a career-best 25.3 RAA. Greinke logged a negative run value with his heater while allowing a 1.3 HR/9 rate against righties. Reynolds managed just two hits against Greinke over 15 at-bats in 2017, but it is worth noting that they both left the ballpark.
Second Base
Starlin Castro, NYY at CLE ($11): Castro tallied a 10.3 RAA against the fastball in the 2017 campaign, while opposition starter Trevor Bauer registered a -5.4 RAA with his heater over 176.1 innings. It should also be noted that the 26-year-old kept a 35.5 percent hard contact rate against same-handed hitters over that span.
Third Base
Jake Lamb, ARI vs. COL ($10): Jon Gray notched a -4.2 RAA with his fastball in 2017, while his strikeout rate experienced more than a 10 point drop (19.7 percent) against lefties. Lamb ended up with a 9.8 RAA against the heater and a .270 ISO against righty pitchers.
Shortstop
Didi Gregorius, NYY at CLE ($14): Bauer had trouble keeping lefties in the park this season, as evidenced by the 1.7 HR/9 rate he notched over 82.2 innings. This is good news for Gregorius, who tallied a .228 ISO against his opposite hand over 390 at-bats.
Outfield
Jay Bruce, CLE vs. NYY ($10): Bruce represents a fantastic value play, as he finished the 2017 season having tallied a .273 ISO and a .369 wOBA against righties over 384 at-bats. Tanaka allowed homers to both sides of the platoon, contributing to a 1.8 HR/9 rate over 30 starts.
Aaron Judge, NYY at CLE ($26): Judge found his footing in September after stumbling out of the All-Star break, finishing the month with a stunning .578 ISO over 90 at-bats. The curveball has been Bauer's go-to secondary pitch, but that may get him in trouble against Judge, who notched an 8.9 RAA against the bender this season.
Marwin Gonzalez, HOU vs. BOS ($15): Gonzalez closed out the season with a fantastic month of September, logging a .213 ISO to go along with a .424 wOBA over 80 at-bats. He had great success against fastballs over the course of the year, as evidenced by the 25.7 RAA he logged against the pitch.
