This article is part of our The Daily Duel series.
Values
Here are some guys who are good additions to your team who are currently out-producing their value. Keep in mind that these prices can change daily, so take advantage of them while you can.
Desmond Jennings, OF, TB, $3000 – Jennings made his return Tuesday night to the Rays lineup after missing a month with a knee injury. He went 1-for-4 in the contest with two strikeouts but came through without re-aggravating the injury. It wouldn't be surprising to see him get his timing back soon and it shouldn't be too long before he starts producing. Before the injury, he had eight stolen bases and 20 runs in only 31 games which, of course, made him much more expensive than his current price tag. His price will go up eventually, so enjoy him at a discount while you can.
Mike Morse, OF, WAS, $2900 – Like Jennings, the time Morse has missed has affected his price negatively, which is good if you want to plug him into your lineup. He has struck out four times in his first 13 at-bats as he continues to work on getting his timing, especially against breaking pitches. Keep in mind he hit .303 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI last season, showing the amount of potential he has.
Yan Gomes, C, TOR, $2500 – This is Gomes' second go-round with the Jays, getting the call-up after Edwin Encarnacion got beaned with a Dan Bard pitch. While Gomes' .349 batting average at Triple-A Las Vegas is likely the result of his environment and league, he did have two home runs, five RBI and four runs in only 22 at-bats with the Jays earlier this season.
Andrelton Simmons, SS, ATL, $2200 – They don't come any cheaper than this price and it appears Andrelton will have the starting shortstop gig for the Braves for at least the near future. Simmons doesn't project to have a big bat (one home run in 517 Single-A at-bats last season), but he has some speed and a decent batting eye. This is another player you can plug into your lineup if you decide to go with expensive at other positions.
Fernando Martinez, OF, HOU, $2500 – Do you remember the Mets' prospect who started playing professional baseball at age 17? This is that Martinez, who now finds himself in an Astros uniform and getting a second shot at the majors. Martinez had posted a .904 OPS at Triple-A Oklahoma City and was likely another player benefiting from playing in a hitter's league. He's gone 1-for-10 with six strikeouts in his brief time with Houston heading into Wednesday night. This could suggest either he's not ready or still adjusting to advanced pitching. For now, he's only a player to keep tabs on.
Adron Chambers, OF, STL, $2400 – At 25, there's not too much to get overly excited about with Chambers considering his lack of pedigree. But he did display some speed (22 stolen bases) and pop (10 home runs) last year at Triple-A Memphis and has found playing time in the Cardinals outfield that's dealing with the slew of injuries. He's at an extremely cheap price and will benefit from hitting in one of the better lineups in baseball.
Players Looking To Rebound
Here are some players who have seen their value drop significantly due to poor production in the season this far. You might be surprised at some of the names and how much their stock has fallen. That being said, for most of these players there is either a track record of success or enough pedigree that they should be able to turn their season around sooner rather than later and have good value in the near future as a result.
J.D. Martinez, OF, HOU, $3100 – At this price Martinez doesn't come at a huge discount, although he was priced much higher earlier this season. The good news is Martinez has been hitting in the cleanup spot for a much improved Astros offense and had a six-game hitting streak (9-for-25, .360) heading into Wednesday's tilt with St. Louis. Look for him to return to being a good source of power in the middle of the Astros lineup.
Howie Kendrick, 2B, LAA, $2800 – It's hard to figure out what has been going wrong with Kendrick this season considering the signs of potential he's displayed in the past. So far he hasn't looked like the 18/14 player who hit .285 in only 140 games a season ago. Kendrick has shown throughout his career the ability to get on a hot streak but can turn cold just as quickly. As the weather heats up, look for Kendrick to come around at the plate given his talent with the bat.
Matt Wieters, C, BAL, $3200 – While this doesn't appear to be that cheap of a price, take into consideration that there are 16 other catchers who have the same price or are more expensive. Even though he was in a bit of a slump, I can't buy that Matt Wieters is anywhere close to being the 17th best fantasy catcher in baseball. That reason as well as his recent hot streak make him a decent fantasy value at this price. Wieters entered Wednesday's contest on a four game hitting streak (8-for-16) and will likely not stay this cheap for long.
Beat Kevin Payne
If you entered the "Beat Kevin Payne" contest, I'll try to go easier next time. As you can see from this link, I not only won but did so by over 17 points. Enough bragging, I'm pretty sure I tore my rotator cuff patting myself on the back. The good news is we'll do more contests in the future and give everyone another shot to make some extra cash.
The DFBC
Ever hear the saying "second place is the first loser?" I kind of felt like that after finishing second among 1,988 people for last week's DFBC contest. Here's the link in case you missed the final results.
As you can see, I was that close to a free trip to Vegas to compete in the big one-day event. While I was obviously disappointed to finish in second, the big takeaway here is that anyone has a shot to win the big prize. There are only six Fridays left to qualify for the big tournament.
Here are some more details about the competition and how you can take part in the fun:
The $250,000 DFBC is the biggest and best competition in fantasy baseball. But do you know how amazing the live final in Vegas will be? Winners - and their guests - will be treated to:
· An amazing suite at the luxurious Palazzo Hotel
· Dinner, drinks, and the best partying Vegas has to offer with other winners and the FanDuel crew
· A huge private suite at Lagasse's Stadium to watch baseball on Sunday. Free food, free drinks, and amazing atmosphere will make this one of the best "sports Sundays" of your life.
Go to FanDuel today and start competing to earn a spot at this year's DFBC final in Las Vegas!
