When Kemp plays in a ballpark like Toronto’s he is a threat to go deep

Welcome to another Tuesday edition of FanDuel MLB Value Plays. I hope this has helped you when looking for some cheaper players with upside. FanDuel is offering some nice contests tonight, including the $250k MLB Super Home Run with a $100 entry that will reward first place with a cool $50k. These should be some fun contests for sure, and these picks should help you round out your lineups. Let’s get to the picks!

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PITCHERS

Andrew Cashner (SDP) – $6,900 @ TOR
It always feels a little bit odd to suggest pitchers against the Blue Jays, especially ones that aren’t elite. Cashner started off the second half of the season with 17 strikeouts over 2 games, and an average of 46 FanDuel points, which makes him crazy value. We know the good side of the Blue Jays – double-digit scoring upside, coupled with the ability to knock a pitcher out of a game within just a few innings. It is also important to remember that there is a downside to them as well. That one includes a lot of strikeouts and plenty of frustration from fantasy players. If I am running out several tournament lineups tonight, I will have Cashner in about 25% of them, and hope that he is able to take them down a notch.

Other Options

Bud Norris (LOS) – $6,600 vs. TAM
Tom Koehler (MIA) – $6,900 vs. PHI

CATCHER

Jett Bandy (LAA) – $2,000 @ KAN
I am a glutton for the minimum priced catcher. Even on a night like tonight where there isn’t a top tier pitcher that I see as a must start, I will still default to the lowest priced tolerable catcher. That is where Bandy comes in. He has hit well during his time in the big leagues, and a matchup with Dillon Gee seems too good to be true, and I will cash in on it every time. He has power upside to hit home runs, but will be able to find other ways to contribute.

Other Options

Robinson Chirinos (TEX) – $2,800 vs. OAK
Chris Iannetta (SEA) – $2,400 @ PIT

FIRST BASE

Dae-Ho Lee (SEA) – $2,200 @ PIT
I feel like Lee ends up making this article pretty much every time it comes out. I feel like he is also underwhelming. He doesn’t give us zeroes, but seems to be incapable of turning in even a nice performance. The issue with value at the first base position tonight is that I find it to be severely limited. He’s going to break out of his funk eventually, and really, when you are playing him, you do so knowing you are looking for a home run or bust. He should see low ownership tonight, so if he does go off, you should have little competition with him.

Other Options

Tommy Joseph (PHI) – $2,700 @ MIA
Billy Butler (OAK) – $2,500 @ TEX

SECOND BASE

Ryan Schimpf (SDP) – $2,200 @ TOR
Schimpf is quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy plays, as he is always cheap and basically all he does is hit home runs. I am not saying that as in he does them with great consistency, but when he makes contact, it is usually hard contact. I couldn’t be happier that he has moved to second base from third, as there are typically fewer options there, so now we have one that is routinely sitting around minimum price. Marcus Stroman hasn’t been very good this year, and I expect one of the Padres’ left-handers to take advantage of this matchup.

Other Options

Devon Travis (TOR) – $2,700 vs. SDP
Phil Gosselin (ARI) – $2,000 @ MIL

THIRD BASE

Jose Reyes (NYM) – $2,500 vs. STL
Reyes may not be hitting for average this year, but he is still putting up pretty good fantasy numbers. Jaime Garcia isn’t a pitcher we should be shying away from tonight. While he is a ground ball pitcher, he is still getting hit harder from the right side of the plate. Reyes should be batting leadoff tonight, which gives him good upside, as he should see an extra at bat. He has some power to go along with some speed, so there are a few ways he can put up points.

Other Options

Cheslor Cuthbert (KAN) – $2,500 vs. LAA
Pedro Alvarez (BAL) – $2,700 vs. COL

SHORTSTOP

Brad Miller (TAM) – $2,900 @ LOS
Miller hasn’t been having a great year, so to speak, but this matchup is one that favors his skill set. Bud Norris has been giving up a hard hit percent to left-handed hitters of 41.5%, which is absolutely absurd. This puts a lot of the Rays lefties into our consideration tonight, and Miller should be the one closest to the top. At one point this year, he was the most expensive option at the position, so we are getting a discount for the upside he has in this matchup. He’s a viable option in both cash games and tournaments tonight.

Other Options

Aledmys Diaz (STL) – $2,700 @ NYM
Troy Tulowitzki (TOR) – $2,800 vs. SDP

OUTFIELDERS

Matt Kemp (SDP) – $2,900 @ TOR
Matt Kemp has actually been a reasonable good fantasy option in July. In fact, the Padres are one of the top scoring offenses in the month. I think that this should be a different game than the one we saw last night, as Stroman is a much different pitcher than Sanchez. I expect the Padres to put up a fair amount of runs tonight, and Kemp is a guy I like to contribute in a big way tonight. I would not hesitate to have a small Padres stack in your lineups tonight.

Oswaldo Arcia (TAM) – $2,500 @ LOS
Arcia is currently questionable, but it was just a right elbow strain that kept him out of his last game, so it is probable that he will be in the lineup tonight. He is a home run hitter, and that is what we are looking for at this price. He could certainly be a difference maker in tournaments tonight. We already talked about Bud Norris’ struggles against left-handers, so I think it makes sense to look at the lefties in the Rays lineup tonight.

Eddie Rosario (MIN) – $2,500 vs. ATL
Lucas Harrell has actually pitched pretty well in 2016, but it doesn’t matchup with the last few years of his career. Rosario is playing really good ball when he gets into games lately, and is definitely a candidate to have a nice game. Harrell is giving up fly balls at over a 50% rate, and even though the contact hasn’t been hard, it is still possible that Rosario could get into one and have a nice evening.

Other Options

Josh Reddick (OAK) – $2,900 @ TEX
Brock Holt (BOS) – $2,700 vs. DET
Alex Dickerson (SDP) – $2,500 @ TOR
Cody Asche (PHI) – $2,500 @ MIA
Kevin Kiermaier (TAM) – $2,400 @ LOS

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Nicholas Volinchak is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Nicholas, follow him @researchandwin. You can find more of Nicholas’ baseball work at Research Fantasy.