This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday night is one of the most interesting daily slates I've seen this season, giving us a bunch of value plays to consider. Every player below is priced $3,300 or cheaper, aside from the one pitching option. The pitching options are weak, as no pitcher is more than $10,000 and 10 of the 14 starters have an ERA higher than 3.00. There are also no Vegas totals less than seven, so there should be plenty of runs on which to capitalize. I liked about 10 outfielders from a value standpoint, so I did my best to limit it and got down to four. So with that said, let's get to some of the options for Saturday night.
Pitcher
James Paxton ($6,400) - Paxton has gotten off to a horrendous start this season, recording an 8.40 ERA over three games, but a matchup against the Minnesota Twins is just what the doctor ordered. Paxton has given up 14 runs in 15 innings this season, but he allowed all those runs in only four innings. Against a team like the Twins who struggle to score, he should avoid these crooked innings. Paxton was fantastic his first 11 starts last season, sporting a 2.19 ERA with 54 strikeouts in just over 65 innings. That was against stud offenses like LAA (3), OAK (2), BAL and DET. With the Twins third to last in runs with only 48 this season, Paxton has a chance to get on track Saturday.
Catcher
Robinson Chirinos ($2,400) - Chirinos flies under the radar, but he has shown some pop as the Rangers' starting catcher this season. While Chirinos has struggled against righties this season (2-for-23), he has hit left-handers in limited at-bats: four extra-base hits, including two homers, in eight at-bats. While this sample size is small, it's clear his power comes against lefties as he had six of his 13 home runs last year against left-handers, in just 93 at-bats. Chirinos faces lefty C.J. Wilson Saturday, and considering Wilson is a former Ranger, the Texas staff should have a good scouting report on him. At a cheap $2,400, Chirinos is a great play in a GPP as he could go deep.
First Base
Mike Napoli ($2,600) - Napoli has been one of the biggest fantasy disappointments this season but has been a lefty-killer throughout his successful career. Saturday night Napoli faces lefty Wei-Yin Chen and is one of the cheapest options at first base. Napoli put up impressive numbers against southpaws last year, posting a .450 OBP and .923 OPS. While those numbers haven't carried over yet to 2015, it's likely a matter of time before they come around. Napoli is not only a power source but offers value with walks. In FanDuel, a walk is worth just as much as a single, and while Napoli only has eight hits this year, he does have 10 walks. Protating his career numbers over a 162-game season, Napoli would average nearly 30 home runs a year. His first bomb this season should be soon. If we can get a couple walks, or possibly that first homer, Napoli will demolish his $2,600 price tag.
Second Base
Dustin Pedroia ($3,000) - Pedroia is healthy for the first time in years, and it's showing in his early season form. After an injury-riddled 2014 with only seven homers, Pedroia has already put away four in just the first 16 games. Pedroia's wrist is clearly healed, and his power is seemingly back. We'll stack the Laser Show with Napoli against left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. Pedroia has some stout career numbers again Chen, going 15-for-29 with six extra-base hits for a 1.321 OPS. In what should be a high-scoring game with an 8.5 Vegas total, Pedroia and Napoli could prove to carry the Red Sox lineup to a crooked number. At just $3,000, Pedroia is a great pair to solidify your middle infield with the likes of Troy Tulowitzki or a stud outfielder like Mike Trout.
Third Base
Adrian Beltre ($3,300) - Let's continue our Rangers and Red Sox stacks as we transition to third base with Adrian Beltre. Beltre is ranked as the fifth third baseman on FanDuel in a limited slate, and he should never be outside the top-five in a full slate. At $3,300, Beltre is at one of his lowest values of the season, and he has the platoon matchup to his advantage Saturday against left-hander C.J. Wilson. Last season, Beltre batted .350 against left-handers and is 11-for-34 in his career against Wilson with five extra base-hits and a .954 OPS. Wilson's start was pushed back because of some elbow soreness, and if he's not 100 percent healthy, Beltre and Chirinos could pounce on him. I really like the over in this game with the likes of Colby Lewis and Wilson on the mound. Beltre could be one of the catalysts to cash that bet.
Shortstop
Erick Aybar ($2,300) - It's surprising to see just how low Aybar's price has dropped, but it's not a surprise when you look at his slash line. Aybar has one extra-base hit and no steals this season. We're going to bet on Aybar finding some form against the likes of Colby Lewis on Saturday. Not only did Lewis have a 5.18 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP last season, he also allowed 18 steals. Aybar probably will bat fifth or sixth in the lineup against Lewis, giving him the opportunity for an RBI, and he has the speed to steal a bag. With the versatility that Aybar provides, it's amazing he's a nearly minimum price at such a shallow position like shortstop. Look for that price to shoot up in the the coming weeks starting with this friendly matchup as Aybar could produce in a multitude of ways.
Outfield
Jason Heyward ($2,900) - The Cardinals face the worst team in baseball Saturday, and Heyward has a nice matchup against righty Wily Peralta. Heyward has regularly batted second and is a good bet Saturday to provide production in numerous ways. Heyward can steal a bag, grab a couple singles or even pop a homer. What's to really like about this matchup is Heyward's numbers against righties last season. He batted .304, hit more than 80 percent of his homers and stole 65 percent of his bases against right-handers last year. He is a strict platoon option in fantasy terms, and he'll get it going against right-handers this season sooner than later. After homering Friday, Heyward should build off that and have another big night Saturday.
Carlos Gonzalez ($3,100) - I hate to say something based on the eye test, but as I watch the Rockies every night, I can tell you Cargo is close to breaking out of his slump. With Cargo facing Tim Hudson on Saturday at Coors Field, Gonzalez is posed to have a big night. Gonzalez is a regular $4,000 player on FanDuel and with a price of only $3,100, it's time to insert him into your lineup. The low price is clearly indicative of his recent struggles, but the Rockies could abuse the faltering Hudson. Hudson has struggled in his last two games at Coors Field, giving up seven runs in eight innings with a 1.88 WHIP. Gonzalez is the cheapest Rockies option by far and arguably their best player. He is a Coors Field killer as well, posting a .325 average with 204 extra base-hits in 1,462 home at-bats in his career. We'll take a chance on the struggling Venezuelan and use this all-time low price to see if we can catch the start of an inevitable hot streak.
Matt Joyce ($2,300) - I wrote about Joyce two weeks ago and he was one of my only players who faltered that night, so we'll go right back to him with a similar matchup. Joyce is a strict lefty platooner who is positioned nicely in a potent Angels lineup, batting cleanup behind Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun. This is one of the best 1-2-3 combinations in the league, and Joyce will surely have some RBI opportunities against gas-can Colby Lewis. At a nearly minimum price, Joyce will not have to do much to exceed his value. Look for Joyce to have plenty of opportunities, as he's one of the safest plays of the night at just $2,300.
Eric Young Jr. ($2,200) - I really wanted to get a stack against David Buchanan, but the Braves' offense is so bad that I decided to just recommend the projected leadoff hitter. I hate to recommend a player who might not even crack the lineup, but that's why I offered four outfielders. Be sure to monitor the lineups. What really intrigues me about this EY play is that he is a minimum-priced player. Young is a fantastic bet to steal a bag, and if he can do that, he is a fantastic bet to score a run as well. This is as much of a play against Buchanan as it is on Young. Not only is Buchanan the lowest-priced pitcher Saturday night, he has some dreadful numbers this season, posting a 9.27 ERA and a 2.27 WHIP with nine walks. Young can get on base either by hitting or walking -- he recorded 70 walks in his last two seasons in limited appearances. If he can get on base, he'll likely swipe a bag and if he does that, a $2,200 price tag is an absolute steal.
