This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The trade deadline has passed and we are in the home stretch for MLB with preseason football on the horizon. We have a full 15-game slate Sunday and here are some value play ideas to help you make your way to the top.
Starting Pitcher
Rubby De La Rosa ($7,100)
De La Rosa is a very volatile start, but he is worth risking in a tournament because of his low prise. De La Rosa is a high strikeout pitcher, which will create a nice floor. He has not been great lately, with his innings and strikeouts down and his hits and runs allowed up. Sunday he faces the Braves, who his teammate Patrick Corbin shut down Saturday. De La Rosa has allowed left-handed hitter to bat .305 this year with 17 home runs in 66 innings. The problem is the Braves, without Freddie Freeman, do not have anyone from the left side who has a wOBA over .349. They will throw a bunch of left-handed bats at De La Rosa, but other than Jace Peterson and A.J. Pierzynski, no one really scares you. Most of the pitching is very expensive, and if you decided to roll the dice on De La Rosa, you will be able to fit in a few more expensive bats.
Catcher
John Jaso ($2,500)
Catching is always tough on a Sunday as most of the options are given the day off. With Tampa Bay though, it might not matter. The guy to use is Jaso, though Curt Casali is a solid option if Jaso is sitting, as both of them are the top two wOBAs on the team vs. right-handed pitching. Although Yovani Gallardo has been solid this season, he usually struggles against left-handed bats. Jaso has been leading off lately and has been great with a .381 wOBA and a .178 ISO, so at $2,500, he makes a ton of sense.
First Base
Mark Teixiera ($3,500)
Teixiera is having a great season and still flies under the radar. He homered again Saturday and faces Drew Hutchison up in the friendly hitters' park known as the Rogers Centre. Hutchison has allowed right-handed batters to hit .325 with eight homers in 56 innings this season, while Teixeira has a .404 wOBA and a .342 ISO. He is also a great option because as a switch hitter with solid numbers from both sides of the plate he is never in a bad matchup, no matter who comes on in relief.
Second Base
Jose Altuve ($3,600)
Altuve is not really cheap but of all the second base options, he is the one that makes the most sense. Jedd Gyorko is $3,400 and also in a good spot, but it makes sense to pay up the extra $200 for Altuve. He faces Matt Boyd, who is a young lefty that struggles with right-handed batters, as they are hitting .316 against them in his young career. Altuve's wOBA against lefties is .397. He hit over .400 last year against lefties, so this is not a new thing. Numbers that good and consistent are worth paying up for and are still a good value.
Shortstop
Carlos Correa ($4,300)
Correa has quickly become the top option for fantasy at the position. He is also the most expensive now, but with at least 4.75 points in five of his last nine games, he is returning value despite the high price. Correa has a .395 wOBA and an ISO of .286 against left-handed pitching. He bats third, which puts him in a great spot to either score or drive in runs as well. Houston is in a good spot here, so the duo of Altuve and Correa makes sense to stack up in your lineups.
Third Base
Justin Turner ($3,600)
Turner recently came back from the DL and is still under owned. As good as he had been before the injury, he was even under owned then. He faces Anthony DeSclafani, who has allowed right-handed batters to hit .262 against him. Turner's numbers are ridiculous: he has a .443 wOBA with a .268 ISO, which are some of the best at the position. He is also batting in his third spot, so he will be in line for RBI and run-scoring opportunities.
Outfield
Randal Grichuk ($3,500)
Grichuk has been a breakout player for the Cardinals this year. The young outfielder is starting to heat up again, with hits and runs scored in his last four games. He faces David Phelps, who has reverse splits over the last three seasons. Right-handed bats are the way you really want to attack him. Grichuk has a .385 wOBA with an ISO of .287 against right-handed pitching, so it makes sense to roll him out as most others will skip over him.
Jackie Bradley ($2,900)
Bradley has been on fire since being moved back into the lineup, even though he is hitting low in the order. He faces Vidal Nuno, who has allowed right-handed batters to hit .305 against him with better than a home run per five innings rate. Bradley has a .494 wOBA with a .259 ISO this year, so the numbers are all in his favor for a big game, including the friendly price of only $2,900.
Nelson Cruz ($4,900)
If there is a guy to pay up for Sunday, it's Cruz against Red Sox lefty Henry Owens, who has allowed right-handed batters to hit .276 against him in limited innings of major league work. Cruz has always owned left-handed pitching and might be having one of his best years in that split in 2015. He has a wOBA of .484 with an ISO of .340, he has hits in nine of his last 10 games, with multiple hits in half, and six home runs. He has nine RBI, 10 runs scored, and eight walks as well. He has scored so many points in so many ways that he is in play at almost any price.
