2014 Fantasy Baseball: 5 Shrewd Plays For June 17

This veteran has cooled off since his torrid start to the season, but he continues to be a solid bat in the middle of the Phillies' lineup. Look for a strong game out of him tonight when Philly takes on Ervin Santana and the Atlanta Braves. Not only does Santana own a putrid 6.48 ERA over his last six starts, but left-handers are batting a cool .307 against him this year.

Things are going well right now for the Yankees' star center fielder as he's hitting .327 so far in June, and has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games. Expect that trend to continue tonight. The Yanks start a homestand today where Ellsbury is hitting .323 on the season. They'll face Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman, who owns a lofty 5.18 ERA, and is allowing left-handers to bat .377 versus him to this point.

This hurler just keeps rolling along as his 2.92 ERA ranks him 14th in the NL among all starting pitchers, and his 1.06 WHIP places him at ninth. He's been even better over his last seven starts with a tidy 1.95 ERA, and should be in for another solid outing today. The Nats host the Houston Astros, who rank just 23rd in the league in runs per game, and have managed a minuscule .226 average vs. right-handed pitching.

After missing 23 games due to a quad injury, Votto is back and looking strong as ever. He's hitting .348 in six games since his return, including three doubles and four RBIs. Look for him to take advantage of an excellent matchup as the Reds take on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brandon Cumpton this evening. Cumpton not only sports an awful 6.06 ERA, but is allowing left-handed bats to hit .353 against him.

Baseball's top fantasy catcher is really rolling of late. He's hitting .379 in the month of June, plus has chipped in four HRs and 10 RBIs to boot. He'll face left-hander Wade Miley at Chase Field today, and that bodes well for another strong game. Lucroy loves hitting on the road as he owns an impressive .383 average in enemy territory, plus Miley has really struggled at home to the tune of a 5.69 ERA.