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.

Oakland Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda has been swinging a hot bat through August at Triple-A Las Vegas and could be a candidate to return to the majors down the stretch. Since August 1, the 28-year-old boasts a stellar .354/.466/.875 line with seven doubles, six home runs, and 13 RBI. This is an excellent sign as Noda held an underwhelming .143/.337/.271 line through July. Noda spent most of 2023 in the big leagues but struggled through the early part of this season, which resulted in his demotion. Noda has shown upside for power all summer at Triple-A with a .517 SLG, 19 doubles, and 20 round-trippers but has yet to show it at the majors as he holds a cumulative .370 SLG across 492 ABs. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Noda's performance at Triple-A Las Vegas, as he could be a late-season upside target for power.

Oakland Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda will be sitting on the bench Saturday as left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore will be the opposing pitcher. Noda has yet to make a start against a southpaw this season, and today, this trend continues. Noda has struggled during the first two weeks as he is sporting a .179/.273/.205 stat line with 16 strikeouts. Veteran J.D. Davis will man first base today and comes into Saturday's game with two home runs and three doubles. Davis is worth considering in DFS today as he faces Gore, who has a 4.09 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in his first two starts.

Oakland Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda (hand) is back in action on Thursday against the Texas Rangers, serving as the team's designated hitter and batting sixth against Rangers right-hander Jon Gray. Tyler Nevin is at first base and hitting fifth in the batting order. Noda hurt his left hand during batting practice before Tuesday's contest and sat out the previous two games as a result, but the 28-year-old was just dealing with a contusion and will return to the lineup for the series finale against Texas. The former 15th-round selection by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 out of Cincinnati is still searching for his first home run and has gone 7-for-33 (.212) with one RBI and 12 strikeouts in the first 10 games. He's hitting .200 in five career at-bats against Gray

Oakland Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda (hand) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers. The left-handed slugger was scratched ahead of Tuesday's game due to a hand issue. In his absence, J.D. Davis will cover first base and bat third versus left-hander Cody Bradford. Davis doesn't offer great fantasy value given the lack of talent around him.

Oakland A's first baseman Ryan Noda is back in the starting lineup and will hit leadoff on Saturday versus the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Tanner Bibee. Noda had a tough Opening Day on Thursday with a pair of strikeouts in three hitless trips to the plate and got the night off on Friday with a lefty on the mound in Logan Allen. The 28-year-old enjoyed a fruitful rookie season that saw him club 16 homers alongside a healthy 15.6% BB% in 128 appearances, helping him to a quality .770 OPS. However, he also punched out in a hefty 34.3% of his plate appearances. While he sat against a lefty on Friday, Noda posted a .753 OPS against same-handed pitching last season as fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on his platoon trend moving forward.