FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.


PITCHER

Chris Archer, TAM vs. MIN ($9,200): Archer has begun to revert to last season's superb form over his last three starts, holding the opposition to six earned runs while striking out 25 in 20.1 innings. That successful stretch included an outing at the dangerous Coors Field, so doing well at the pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field shouldn't be a challenge. Archer should rack up strikeouts aplenty facing a susceptible Twins lineup and actually has a decent chance of picking up a rare victory against the only AL team with a worse record than his own Rays.

CATCHER

Victor Martinez, DET vs. NYM ($3,100): Martinez is still going strong at the advanced age of 37, posting a .357 wOBA from the left side. Meanwhile, advanced metrics suggest Mets right-hander Logan Verrett has actually been lucky in pitching to a 4.20 ERA in his 79.1 innings this season. Detroit shouldn't have a problem scoring runs against a guy that has allowed 15 earned runs in five starts since moving back into the rotation and Martinez is a likely candidate to drive in many of those runs out of his usual cleanup spot. It wouldn't be surprising if the veteran stays hot after homering twice and driving in four over his last three games.

FIRST BASE

Carlos Santana, CLE at NYY ($3,600): The switch-hitting Santana has been slightly more proficient against left-handers in his career, posting a robust .359 wOBA compared to a .347 mark against righties. One southpaw he loves facing is Yankees veteran CC Sabathia, against whom the leadoff man is 7-for-18 with a 1206 OPS lifetime. Sabathia has hit the skids with 36 earned runs allowed in his last eight starts and Santana is the Cleveland hitter best equipped to ensure that rough patch continues.

SECOND BASE

Neil Walker, NYM at DET ($3,000): Walker's success against left-handers and his recent production make him a must-have against Tigers lefty Matt Boyd at just $3,000. The veteran switch-hitter has an impressive .381 wOBA while batting right-handed and has also picked up 20 hits in his last 10 games overall. Boyd, on the other hand, has been subpar against right-handed opponents with a .338 wOBA allowed. All signs point to another big game for the affordable Walker.

THIRD BASE

Wilmer Flores, NYM at DET ($2,800): Much like teammate Neil Walker, Flores has hit the cover off the ball against lefties this season with an astronomical .454 wOBA. He'll be well-rested after receiving a day off Friday and needs to keep producing if he wants to expand his playing time. Facing an underwhelming southpaw in Boyd should help in that regard, giving the infielder a strong chance to make an impact for the Mets on his birthday.

SHORTSTOP

Erick Aybar, ATL at STL ($2,200): Aybar is riding a 10-game hitting at the moment and has earned some at-bats in the No. 2 hole as a result of his recent success at the plate. The switch-hitting veteran has been markedly better from the left side this season and should be able to keep the good times rolling against Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez, who has walked at least four batters in three of his last four starts and has pitched to a mediocre 3.60 ERA at home. Locking in the streaking Aybar for $2,200 gets you a high likelihood of production at shortstop while also maximizing buying power elsewhere in your lineup.

OUTFIELD

Ryan Braun, MIL at ARI ($4,500): There's a perfect storm of factors working in Braun's favor for this game. Not only does he get to face a slumping southpaw in Patrick Corbin, but he'll be doing it at the hitter-friendly Chase Field. Braun doesn't even require favorable conditions given his .426 wOBA against left-handed pitching, but he'll have them anyway given that Corbin has allowed a disastrous 39 runs in 34.1 innings over his last seven starts.

Aaron Altherr, PHI at SDP ($2,800): Altherr is still incredibly affordable despite getting off to a great start since returning from a wrist injury. The young outfielder has accrued a strong all-around line with two homers, three steals, seven runs and nine RBI in eight games, proving his ability to contribute in a variety of ways. Don't fret about the righty-on-righty matchup either, as Altherr managed an excellent .397 wOBA over 87 at-bats in that split during 2015.

Brandon Moss, STL vs. ATL ($3,600): Moss has been killing it since returning from the DL, going 6-for-16 with four extra-base hits while hitting in the heart of the Cardinals order. He should have no problem maintaining that strong form against a weak veteran right-hander making his return to the majors. The man formerly known as Fausto Carmona has found less success as Roberto Hernandez, registering a 4.60 ERA in 16 Triple-A starts. Moss already has a tremendous .436 wOBA against right-handers and this matchup should only add to that impressive total.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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