Milwaukee Brewers left-hander DL Hall is listed as the team's probable start for Sunday's game at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sunday's outing will be Hall's seven start of the year and his first since Aug. 30, when he was excellent by tossing seven shutout innings with a walk and five strikeouts to beat the Cincinnati Reds. Since being called up when rosters expanded earlier this month, Hall has appeared out of the bullpen twice for the Brew Crew, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless frames with three walks and seven punchouts against the Cardinals and Giants. Hall has a 4.01 ERA and 1.54 WHIP on the year with 34 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings over his eight appearances in the big leagues this year. Against a Diamondbacks in the thick of the playoff hunt, Hall will be a shaky fantasy streaming option, albeit with upside as well.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck (arm) will officially make the start on Friday against the division-rival New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Houck will return from a bout with dead arm to face a potent Yankees lineup. Houck has had two rough starts and a solid one in his last three turns in the rotation, and he comes into this big matchup with eight days off since his last start on Sept. 4, when he allowed four earned runs with a walk and seven strikeouts in five innings against the New York Mets. The 28-year-old has been solid for fantasy managers this year with a 3.24 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 150 strikeouts in 169 2/3 innings over 28 starts, but he carries a little extra risk on Friday after a bout with dead arm. In his two starts against the Yankees in 2024, Houck has allowed seven runs (four earned) while walking eight and striking out only three in 9 1/3 innings

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Frankie Montas was excellent on Thursday, tossing six shutout frames against the San Francisco Giants in a 3-0 win. Montas allowed just two hits and two walks while punching out eight Giants. The veteran might be hitting his stride at the right time, as he now has back-to-back quality starts with a combined 18 strikeouts in 12 IP. He has only allowed four hits and five walks in those starts. He is currently in line for two starts next week, but they are against the Phillies and D-Backs, two very tough matchups. He is only a desperation streamer.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder (wrist) was scratched from Thursday's lineup, but eventually entered the game as a pinch runner. Refsnyder was removed from the starting lineup against the New York Yankees due to right wrist discomfort, but he was able to pinch-run in extra innings. The injury appears to be a minor one for the 33-year-old, and if all goes well he has a good chance to get back in the lineup this weekend. Refsnyder has had a surprisingly solid season, slashing .284/.361/.472 in 271 AB, but his playing time has been inconsistent and therefore he isn't of much use in fantasy.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray struck out nine batters en route to earning his 13th win of the 2024 season on Thursday afternoon. Gray allowed just two hits, two free passes and one earned run. Gray did not allow baserunners through the first five innings. However, he allowed four baserunners in the sixth but was able to escape the jam by allowing just one run to cross home plate. Entering this start, the 34-year-old held a stellar 1.38 ERA and 0.62 WHIP across his past two outings. Gray has looked comfortable in his first season in St. Louis as he sits with an overall 3.75 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 39:195 BB:K ratio across 160 2/3 innings of work.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (hip) will undergo season-ending sports hernia surgery, according to Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports. Seager hit the injured list last week with hip soreness; however, the injury is now much worse than expected. As a result, the 30-year-old will now be sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. The two-time World Series MVP enjoyed another excellent campaign as he has posted a .278/.353/.512 slash line with 30 home runs and 21 doubles. Under the hood, he held some of the best metrics among hitters, with an impressive 15.2% barrel rate and a 50.7% hard-hit rate. Seager will once again be drafted as one of the top shortstops next season and will bat at the top of a potent Texas lineup.

With a left-hander on the mound, Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will retreat to the bench on Thursday against the division-rival New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Tyler O'Neill will serve as the DH and will bat cleanup against Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes. O'Neill has hit .167 with an RBI in just six career at-bats against Cortes. However, O'Neill comes in riding high after hitting a walk-off home run to beat the division-rival Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. He's also hitting .313 (10-for-32) with five homers and nine RBI in nine games in the month of September. Needless to say, O'Neill is attractive for DFS lineups. The contact-based Yoshida is hitting just .200 (17-for-85) with only two of his nine home runs on the year against left-handed pitchers and is hitless in his four career at-bats against Cortes.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu will retreat to the bench for Thursday's series opener in the Bronx against the division-rival New York Yankees. Rob Refsnyder will make the start in right field for the BoSox and will hit third against Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes. Refnsyder will definitely be a sleeper to take a look at for DFS lineups on Thursday. He's hit .500 with a 1.188 OPS and an RBI in 16 career at-bats against Cortes and has hit .304 (38-for-125) on the year against southpaws, with eight of his 11 home runs coming against them. Abreu, 25, has struggled against lefties this year, slashing .177/.236/.275 with only one of his 15 homers coming against them in 51 at-bats. The Venezuelan outfielder is hitting .265 (93-for-351) overall in his first full season in the big leagues with 15 homers, 55 RBI and seven steals for Boston in 392 plate appearances.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is sitting out on Thursday in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium against the division-rival New York Yankees with left-hander Nestor Cortes making the start. Connor Wong will make the start at first base and hit sixth, with Danny Jansen behind the plate and batting eighth. Wong is hitting .333 with an RBI against Cortes in nine career at-bats, while Jansen hasn't found similar success with a .143 average in just seven career at-bats. Casas missed the majority of the 2024 regular season due to a rib-cage injury. Since returning from the injured list on Aug. 16, he's hit .247 (20-for-81) with only two home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, nine walks and 33 strikeouts. The 24-year-old lefty slugger has hit .222 (10-for-45) with only two of his eight home runs on the season against left-handers.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri and infielder Taylor Walls will both start Thursday's game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on the bench. Jonny DeLuca will start in center field and bat eighth for the Rays, with Jose Caballero starting at shortstop and hitting sixth against Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. DeLuca is hitless in two career at-bats against Williams, while Caballero is hitless in his only at-bat against Williams. Siri could see more time on the bench moving forward if he can't break out of his recent slump soon. The 29-year-old Dominican is hitting .184 (69-for-374) on the year and is 1-for-24 (.042) with two walks and 11 K's in eight games in September. Walls has played in only 72 games this year due to injuries and is hitting a similarly weak .179/.287/.242 with a homer, 13 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Initial X-rays on Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal's right hand came back negative after he was hit on his non-throwing hand by a comebacker in the sixth inning on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park in a 4-2 loss, according to manager A.J. Hinch. Skubal will go for additional tests. The 27-year-old southpaw finished his outing after being hit in the hand and allowed only one earned run on four hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out six in the no-decision. It's unclear if the Tigers would have sent Skubal back out for the seventh inning against Colorado, if not for his hand injury. Skubal has been a first-time All-Star in 2024 and has had a Cy Young-caliber campaign, as he entered Thursday's contest with a 16-4 record while leading the league with a 2.53 ERA and 2.54 FIP with a career-high 208 K's in 174 innings over 28 starts. He should be able to make his next start.

Cleveland Guardians rookie first baseman/outfielder Jhonkensy Noel is out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. With Noel back on the bench after starting each of the last three games, Will Brennan will make the start in right field and will bat seventh against Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Noel does have 13 home runs in his first 55 big-league games with Cleveland this year, but he's also hitting only .232 (35-for-151) and has 55 strikeouts in 169 plate appearances. The Dominican slugger has really struggled of late, too, as he doesn't have a hit since Sept. 2. In nine games in September, Noel has gone 2-for-23 (.087) with a double, two RBI and 10 strikeouts. The left-handed-hitting Brennan has not recorded a hit in only three career at-bats against Pepiot and should be considered a low-upside DFS sleeper.

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Carson Fulmer (elbow) felt something in his elbow in his start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 25 but pitched through it without any issues. But his elbow continued to bother him when he tried to throw a bullpen session, and he was put on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 30. Fulmer has progressed to playing light catch and he is still hoping to return at some point before the end of the season at the end of September. He is continuing to ramp up his throwing program. The 30-year-old has operated as a swing man for the Angels in 2024, going 0-5 with a 4.15 ERA (4.56 FIP), a 1.31 WHIP and a 79:37 K:BB in 32 appearances (eight starts) over 80 1/3 innings before his injury. At this point with the Angels playing out the string, it feels unlikely that we'll see Fulmer pitching again in 2024 at the big-league level.

The Minnesota Twins reinstated outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned utility man Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. Buxton was fully expected to come off the IL and rejoin the Twins on Friday before their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field. Minnesota has made the move to reinstate Buxton a day earlier. The Twins have a scheduled day off on Thursday, but Buxton should be back in the lineup on Friday night. The oft-injured 30-year-old outfielder will return to being an everyday player for the Twins, although he could be eased in at first with designated hitter duties before eventually taking over in center field. Buxton has only six steals in 90 games in 2024 but has hit a nice .275 (84-for-305) with 16 homers and 49 RBI in his 10th year in the league.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Thursday that outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) should play right field in Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels on the road for the first time since coming off the 60-day injured list last Friday. Tucker has been serving as the team's designated hitter since returning last week and has struggled at the plate, going 2-for-11 with two RBI, two walks and four strikeouts in his first four games back. It's good news that he'll be moving back to a defensive role this weekend, as it shows he hasn't had any setbacks after recovering from a fractured shin that kept him out since early June. While the 27-year-old left-handed slugger has looked a bit rusty offensively, he still has time to be a difference-maker for both the Astros and fantasy managers down the stretch in the final few weeks of the regular season.

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes will make the start on Thursday in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium for the series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Cortes' last appearance came as a piggyback to starter Clarke Schmidt last Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, when he went 4 1/3 shutout innings to pick up his ninth win while walking one and striking out three. His last start came on Sept. 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he allowed five earned runs and nine hits in four innings. Outside of that outing, though, Cortes has a 1.86 ERA with 23 K's and only four walks in his last five outings (four starts) covering 29 innings. In his two starts against Boston this year, Cortes has allowed five earned runs on 12 hits while walking three and striking out 13 in 10 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old southpaw has pitched much better of late, but Boston ranks sixth in team OPS (.754) in 2024.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Seth Brown, infielder Max Schuemann and first baseman Ryan Noda are all out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Daz Cameron is starting in left field and is batting eighth, Nick Allen is at the hot corner and is hitting ninth, and Tyler Nevin will man first base and hit seventh against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez. Allen has the best numbers in his career against Valdez, hitting .385 against him with an .852 OPS and an RBI in 13 at-bats, but none of Cameron, Allen or Nevin are particularly attractive DFS sleepers in this matchup on the road. Brown and Noda, who was recently called up from the minors, both hit from the left side, so it's no surprise why they are on the bench on Thursday against a tough southpaw.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (side) is not in the team's starting lineup on Thursday at Minute Maid Park for the series finale against the division-rival Oakland Athletics. Altuve's absence shouldn't come as a surprise after he was forced from Wednesday night's win over Oakland due to right-side tightness. Manager Joe Espada said after the game that he's not really concerned about Altuve's injury, with the team calling him day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers need to get the 34-year-old All-Star out of their lineups on Thursday and check back on Friday to see if he's available for the series opener in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Mauricio Dubon is at the keystone and batting ninth on Thursday against A's right-hander Mitch Spence. If Altuve misses additional time, Dubon will likely see most of the starts at second in his place for Houston.

Detroit Tigers infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling is getting a day off on Thursday against the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park. With Vierling starting on the bench, Zach McKinstry will start in right field for the Tigers and will bat seventh against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner. McKinstry has faced Feltner three times in his career and has gone hitless. Vierling has seen regular playing time the last two seasons while in Detroit with a rebuilding franchise. In 129 games so far in 2024, he's hitting .261/.308/.438 with a .746 OPS, career-high 16 home runs, career-high 54 RBI and five steals in 513 plate appearances. He's currently riding a modest four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 5-for-14 with a double and three RBI. McKinstry brings little upside as a deep DFS sleeper near the bottom of Detroit's batting order. The 29-year-old has a .226 average with four homers, 22 RBI and 14 steals in 270 at-bats.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner homered for the second straight game in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Angels. It was his only hit of the day, going 1-for-4 at the plate, but it was his 13th home run of the season in just 184 at-bats and he's slashing .289/.396/.623 since his return from the minors in July. He also bashed 19 home runs at Triple-A, giving him 32 home runs on the season overall, but the problem is that the left-handed hitter doesn't play much against left-handed pitching which makes him frustrating for season-long fantasy. Nevertheless, with a 20.0% barrel rate, there are surely more to come before the season is out, so managers in need of pop during the fantasy playoffs could consider him and he's usually going to be in play against right-handed pitching for DFS.