A lack of solid value plays at third base on Monday makes Travis Shaw a great third base option for savvy players
Welcome to the Monday edition of the FanDuel value plays. There are nine games being played on the main slate tonight. As of right now, the only two games that could potentially be affected negatively by weather is the game in Pittsburgh between the Giants and Pirates and the game in Cleveland between the Rays and Indians.
Be sure to check the weather forecasts closer to game time. Value options are kind of limited currently, so keep an eye out on the lineups as they are released in case any pop-up value options occur. Let’s go ahead and take a look at my value plays for tonight.
Pitcher
Josh Tomlin (CLE): $8,700 vs. TB
The value options tonight are not too pretty. However, if you want to take a shot on a value pitcher in GPPs, consider using Tomlin against the Rays. Tomlin has pitched well this season and the Rays have been awful against right-handed pitchers this year with a 95 wRC+ and a 25.2% K%.
Catcher
Willson Contreras (CHC): $2,200 vs. STL
Contreras was greeted with a standing ovation during his first career MLB at-bat at Wrigley Field last night. He was able to deliver with a home run on the first pitch he saw. Tonight he is expected to make his first career start in a matchup against Jaime Garcia and the Cardinals.
Contreras absolutely raked in Triple-A this season with a 0.450 wOBA and a 176 wRC+ in 240 plate appearances. If you are looking to use Kershaw tonight as your pitcher, Contreras should probably be locked into your lineup.
First Base
Mike Napoli (CLE): $2,900 vs. TB
Napoli has quietly been solid in the months of May and June with a 0.324 wOBA and a 0.222 ISO this month. Drew Smyly has been struggling lately after having a great start to the season. In his last five starts he has a 5.49 FIP and a 2.57 HR/9.
Second Base
Jonathan Schoop (BAL): $3,000 at TEX
The value options at second base are currently extremely thin. Therefore, the lowest I’m willing to go is $3,000 with Schoop. He has a great matchup against Derek Holland, who has allowed a 0.337 wOBA and a 1.4 HR/9 to right-handed hitters this season.
Third Base
Travis Shaw (BOS): $3,100 vs. CHW
I’m going to once against cheat and recommend someone that is above $3,000 since third base does not present any solid value options at the moment. Shaw does not typically hit in an ideal spot of the order.
However, he has been excellent this season against right-handed pitchers and Miguel Gonzalez has been awful against left-handed hitters. Gonzalez has allowed a 0.351 wOBA and a 1.83 HR/9 to lefties this season.
Shortstop
Javier Baez (CHC): $2,900 vs. STL
Baez is another Cubs’ value option who we could potentially use tonight if he is in the lineup. The matchup is not great against Garcia, but Baez has been on fire during the month of June with a 0.392 wOBA and a 0.302 ISO in 45 plate appearances.
Outfielders
Joey Rickard (BAL): $2,800 at TEX
I already mentioned how we can pick on Holland a little bit with Orioles’ right-handed bats and Rickard is another option who we can use, assuming he is in the lineup. Rickard has been excellent against left-handed pitchers this season with a 0.374 wOBA and a 0.210 ISO.
Nolan Reimold (BAL): $2,400 at TEX
If you cannot fit Rickard into your lineup then consider using Reimold as a value option. Reimold has been decent against left-handed pitchers during his career with a 0.325 wOBA. It is important to note that Reimold typically hits in an unfavorable lineup spot though.
Albert Almora (CHC): $2,000 vs. CHC
Almora should see a start in centerfield today with Dexter Fowler dealing with an injury. Almora has swung the bat well since being called up and is a nice salary relief option tonight. Even though this is the third Cubs’ player I am recommending,
I must note that I do not recommend using all three in the same lineup unless it is in a GPP contest. Jaime Garcia is not scrub by any means and should not be stacked against in your cash lineups. With that being said, a mix and match of two of the Cubs’ value players at their salary is reasonable for your cash lineups.
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Kaz Kalita is a correspondent at FantasyPros. You can find more of Kaz’s work at DraftStars.net, and you can follow him @draftstars_kaz.