It’s crazy to think we’re almost halfway through the regular season. Regardless, on we march, in search of bright blue skies and elite lineup construction. With 14 teams on tonight’s slate and plenty of high-powered offenses ready to ignite, there should be plenty of value to find. Let’s try and focus on cheap, unique offerings with potentially low ownership. Throughout the season this article will primarily focus on players on the teams with the highest implied team totals for the day.
As always, you must pay close attention to batting lineups when they are released in addition to monitoring weather reports leading up to game time. For reference throughout the season, be sure to bookmark our overview of MLB Park Factors and how to “Use Weather to Your Advantage” in MLB DFS. Also, check out our GPP and Cash Games Primers to learn more about different daily fantasy game types specific to MLB. Play ball!
Check out today’s MLB Grand Slam contest at FanDuel 
Pitcher
Brent Suter (MIL): $6,800 @ PIT
Don’t laugh! If you’re avoiding paying up for Charlie Morton or Gio Gonzalez, then the lovable Brent Suter is legitimately worth using tonight. Don’t be fooled by his 21.9 points per game average which is skewed by several bullpen outings earlier this season. Over his previous six starts, Suter is averaging 32.3 FD points per game, almost identical to Gonzalez’s and David Price’s per-game averages. Suter is better, um, suited for cash games given his low ceiling, but he makes for a safe, cheap play tonight in Pittsburgh. He’s struck out six hitters in four of his last six starts and hasn’t allowed more than two walks in a start since April 5th. Even on the road, the Brewers are 1.5-run favorites against the Pirates, while Pittsburgh has the second-lowest implied run total on the slate (3.25). His ownership is certain to be low, allowing you to differentiate while loading up on position players on the Yankees, Rockies and Red Sox.
Catcher/First Base
Jesus Aguilar (MIL): $3,000 @ PIT
I simply don’t understand Aguilar’s affordable price. If he qualified, he’d rank seventh league-wide in Slugging % and ninth in OPS. Despite ranking just 182nd at-batsats, Aguilar is tied for 21st in RBIs (45) and 25th in home runs (14). Put simply, the dude has been raking. And yet, Aguilar can be had for the exact same price as Tony Wolters and Josh Bell, along with Hanley Ramirez, who isn’t currently on an MLB roster. With screaming upside, Aguilar is more a tournament play than cash option. Still, he’s scored 22 or more FD points in five of his last nine games. Regardless of matchup, you need to have Aguilar in your lineups until his price catches up to his production. If you’re worried about high ownership levels, then Salvador Perez is another nice option at this price.
Second Base
Whit Merrifield (KAN): $3,200 vs. TEX
Second base is just a mess right now. You’re on your own trying to chase Jace Peterson’s recent production. That’s why I’m ok paying for Merrifield at a price I still consider a discount. The young second baseman sports an above-average .290/.368/.416 slash line and quietly ranks fifth in MLB in stolen bases. On a related note, Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos has the lowest Caught Stealing Percentage (7.9%) in all of baseball. Sure enough, Merrifield stole second last night the one time he got on base. The sneaky Royals are tied with the Yankees for having the second-highest implied run total of the night (5.5).
Third Base
Matt Duffy (TAM): $2,900 @ HOU
I understand you’re probably not racing out to use players going up against Charlie Morton tonight. I get it. But the thing is, that’s how everybody feels. Duffy is a great differentiation play almost certain to have little to no ownership. And while I still don’t love the idea of using anyone on the Rays, Duffy is an exception given his superb .317/.360/.439 line. Similar to Aguilar above, I simply don’t understand why his price is so low given his production. Duffy hasn’t put up a goose egg since May 28th and is averaging 9.8 FD points per game in June.
Shortstop
Marwin Gonzalez (HOU): $2,900 vs. TAM
González is a pretty simple play. If you’re not paying up at shortstop, it’s tough to find a lot of value in the middle tiers of the position. González is in a potent lineup with a 4.5-run implied total and his price is more than reasonable. With Nathan Eovaldi and his 4.63 ERA on the mound, the matchup isn’t scary at all. González is on a bit of a tear right now, average 13.2 FD points per game over his last seven.
Outfield
Alex Gordon (KAN): $2,600 vs. TEX
Again, we’re keeping it simple here. The Royals are tied with the Yankees for the second-highest implied run total (5.5) and Gordon gives you a cheap way to get in on the action. His numbers are also a bit skewed by his slow start to the season, and he gets the added advantage of facing a right-handed pitcher with a high ERA. Hernán Pérez and Josh Reddick are other similarly priced options with upside.
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Eli Weiner is a correspondent at FantasyPros, a writer for numberFire and a contributor and editor for SconnieSportsTalk. For more from Eli, you can view his archive or follow him @eweiner_bball.
