Two weeks into the MLB season, some storylines are starting to shake out. There are divisions — such as the NL West, where the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers are 9-3 and somehow third in the division — that look extremely strong, while others, like the AL Central that look relatively weak.
The season is long; each team has played roughly 10 games and has around 150 games left before the postseason. With this many games left, there aren’t any teams who should be particularly concerned — not even the Atlanta Braves, who started 0-7, a mark that no team has ever made the playoffs from.
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PITCHER
Stud
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves, $10,500 – No pitcher has gotten off to a hotter start this season than Wheeler, who’s walked just two while striking out 18 and giving up just two earned runs in 13 innings (30.2 FPTS per game). This kind of dominance is hardly new for the right-hander, though, given that he’s been the runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award twice in the last four seasons. Sure, he’s arguably gotten lucky, with opponents posting just a .143 batting average on balls in play, but even regression to the mean would keep him at an elite level. The Braves have ranked nearly dead last in every conceivable offensive category this season — the team’s OPS is a brutal .577, nearly four percentage points worse than the worst qualified individual batter in 2024 — so I have high expectations for Wheeler tonight.
Value
Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs vs. Texas Rangers, $6,200 – Taillon’s 2025 season has been a tale of two starts. In his opening start on March 28, the Arizona Diamondbacks roughed him up to the tune of six earned runs and nine hits (-5.7 FPTS). But he bounced back with a stellar performance on April 2 against the Athletics, recording the win and going six innings of two-run ball, walking three and striking out seven (23.3 FPTS). To be fair, the Diamondbacks are a much better team than the Athletics, but even two years after winning the World Series, the Rangers are closer to the Athletics’ level, posting just a .580 OPS so far, even though they top the AL West. The return of third baseman Josh Jung ($3,200) should help, but he might take some time to get all the way back after dealing with neck spasms.
INFIELDER
Stud
Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers at Colorado Rockies, $5,600 – Turang has gotten at least one hit in each of his first 10 games of the season, and he’s slashing a very impressive .325/.349/.500 and averaging 10.1 FPTS per game. He could be walking more — his 27.8% chase rate ranks in the 50th percentile and his 4.7% walk rate in the 22nd, per Statcast — but he’s an excellent contact hitter with a little bit of pop, with a 94.4 MPH average exit velocity that ranks in the 90th percentile. Colorado, meanwhile, sits last in the NL West and is giving up the highest opponent batting average and WHIP in the league, and Coors Field, which sits at 5,280′, is the league’s single most hitter-friendly park, according to Statcast. Southpaw Kyle Freeland ($5,000) isn’t the greatest matchup for Turang, who has standard splits, but Freeland hasn’t been elite against anyone since 2018.
Stud
Josh Naylor, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Baltimore Orioles, $4,700 – Naylor has gotten off to an excellent start in a Diamondbacks uniform after joining from the Cleveland Guardians in the offseason. He’s had four two-hit games, is slashing .300/.391/.400, and has also stolen three bases. Naylor is such an asset because he rarely strikes out; this season, his 6.5% strikeout percentage ranks in the 98th percentile and his 13.0% walk percentage in the 75th. Plus, he couldn’t ask for an easier opponent than Charlie Morton ($6,700), who is 0-2 and has posted a 9.72 ERA so far this season. The 41-year-old still induces plenty of chases, but besides that, he’s been a bottom-quintile pitcher in pretty much all facets. For his career, Naylor has posted an .803 OPS against righties.
Value
Jose Caballero, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels, $3,500 – Although Caballero has been more of a utility player with somewhat inconsistent playing time this season, he is a fantasy asset because of his speed (every stolen base is five FPTS). His .231 batting average is unimpressive, but he has recorded four walks and stolen two bases in just six games and has a .412 OBP, which ranks 63rd among 413 players who have recorded at least one plate appearance so far in 2025. I like his matchup against Kyle Hendricks ($6,600), who was sharp in his season-opening outing last Tuesday but struggled mightily in 2024, posting a 5.92 ERA.
OUTFIELDER
Stud
Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs vs. Texas Rangers, $6,400 – Tucker has been incredible so far in 2025, leading the National League with five home runs, 16 RBI’s, a 1.165 OPS, and both leagues in hits, runs, and WAR. Of course, he’s helped by the fact that Chicago started off its season with the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers and has played one more game than any other team, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the stellar season that has rightfully made him the most expensive hitter on tonight’s slate. The 28-year-old should rake against Patrick Corbin ($6,400), who has led the NL in losses in three of the past four seasons and is unlikely to improve in his age-35 season.
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres at Athletics, $5,800 – Tatís hasn’t yet flashed much power in 2025, hitting just two home runs so far, but he’s been a consistently elite contributor who has helped San Diego tie for second in the NL West with Los Angeles. So far, the Dominican star is slashing .381/.449/.548, good for the 17th-best OPS among 183 qualified batters so far. He’s also tied for third in all of the major leagues with five stolen bases. Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs ($7,500) was elite in his season opener but horrible in his second start, giving up four runs, five hits, and four walks in just three innings of work (-0.7 FPTS). For his career, Tatís has recorded a .909 OPS against southpaws like Springs.
Value
Gavin Lux, Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants, $3,500 – This is admittedly a slight Dodgers homer pick; it probably isn’t realistic to expect that the former Los Angeles top prospect will ever live up to his full potential now that he’s 27 years old and a six-year MLB veteran, but there have been plenty of former Dodgers who have broken out after leaving the organization because of how deep it is, such as Yordan Alvarez ($5,600). Lux’s first foray out of Los Angeles hasn’t gone well so far, as he’s being mostly used as a utility man and is slashing just .194/.275/.250. He has a decent chance to turn it around against Landen Roupp ($7,300), who gave up three runs in four innings (14.2 FPTS) in his season-opening start last Wednesday. Lux has extreme splits, but he’s been a solid hitter against righties in his career.
