Welcome to the Monday edition of the FanDuel MLB value plays. Tonight we have a decent mid-sized slate consisting of eight games. As always, be sure to check out the weather and the team lineups throughout the day. Let’s go ahead and take a look at my favorite value options for today.
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Pitcher
Marco Estrada (TOR) : $6,900 at CWS
I wouldn’t use Estrada in cash games tonight, but I think he could be sneaky in GPPs. Marco Estrada has not been great by any means, but his 4.51 FIP indicates that he hasn’t been as bad as his 5.43 ERA shows.He also has a respectable 9.60 K/9. The White Sox have been one of the worst teams in all of baseball against opposing right-handed pitchers.
Catcher
Russell Martin (TOR) : $2,700 at CWS
Staying in that same game, Martin is a decent value option at the catcher position tonight. Martin has been hitting in the two-hole lately for the Blue Jays and he has been decent against opposing right-handed pitchers with a 0.345 wOBA. Not only is it important to research the opposing starting pitcher, but it’s also important in DFS to look at the opposing team’s bullpen. Most of the White Sox fire sale over the past couple of weeks has come from their bullpen as they have traded away their top four bullpen arms at the MLB level. This means that Martin and the Blue Jays not only have a great matchup against James Shields, but they should continue to pour on the damage against the White Sox poor bullpen once they knock Shields out of the game.
First Base
Danny Valencia (SEA): $2,800 at TEX
Valencia has always been much better against left-handed pitchers than he has against righties. That has been no different this season as shown by his 0.364 wOBA and a 0.209 ISO against opposing southpaws. Valencia and the Mariners will receive a nice positive park shift as they go from Safeco Field to Globe Life Park. Also, Cole Hamels has really been struggling with the long ball in each of his last two starts, allowing a total of four home runs.
Second Base
Jed Lowrie (OAK): $2,600 vs. SF
Lowrie has been my go-to value second baseman this season whenever the A’s face a right-handed pitcher. Lowrie has been decent against opposing righties this season with a 0.344 wOBA and a 0.185 ISO. On top of that, he typically hits third in the order. Tonight he has an excellent matchup against Matt Cain, who has not been very good over the past few seasons now.
Third Base
Ryon Healy (OAK) : $2,500 vs. SF
Although I prefer to use Healy against left-handed pitchers, he still has had some pop against righties this year with 14 home runs and a 0.187 ISO. I just mentioned that Cain is no longer a very good pitcher and that applies almost equally to both left-handed and right-handed hitters.
Shortstop
Xander Bogaerts (BOS) : $2,900 vs. CLE
Value at the shortstop position tonight is pretty bleak and I actually recommend paying up at that is spot. If for some reason you do want to go the value route, I wouldn’t go any cheaper than Xander, unless we have a surprise value option pop up somewhere at the top of the order for one of the teams playing tonight. Bogaerts hasn’t been great by any means this season against right-handed pitchers, but he hasn’t been terrible by any means either.
Outfielders
Matt Joyce (OAK) : $2,900 vs. SF
Another cheap A’s hitter who we can use to pick on Cain tonight is Joyce. He usually hits near the top of the order against opposing right-handed hitters, and he has good pop against them with a 0.208 ISO.
Joey Rickard (BAL) : $2,000 vs. KC
Rickard has not been great by any means, but usually, hits near the top of the order for the Orioles when they oppose a left-handed pitcher. At minimum salary, he really does not have to do much to pay off his price tag tonight.
Kevin Pillar (TOR): $2,200 at TOR
Pillar is another hitter who has been struggling, but he did hit a home run yesterday, so maybe that will get him out of his slump. Again, all of the Blue Jays’ hitters can be in play tonight, since they are all in such a great spot against the White Sox.
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Kaz is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Kaz, follow him @DraftStars_Kaz. You can find more of Kaz’s work at DraftStars.net.
