This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
After a successful first week thanks to the likes Jonathan Schoop, Julio Teheran, Yovani Gallardo and Kole Calhoun, we'll look to build off that in this marginally small eight-game Saturday night slate. In this week's article, I will look at stacking against the likes of Colby Lewis, C.J. Wilson and Jeff Locke. Infield options are slim-pickings, so while infield isn't necessarily the cheapest, we can give you cheap values at pitcher and outfield. The Oakland-Kansas City game could be impacted by thunderstorms, so be sure to monitor weather reports before submitting lineups. So with that said, let's get to some of the value plays.
Pitcher
Chris Heston ($5,000) - I was shocked to see that Chris Heston was at a minimum price for a pitcher after watching him pitch a gem against my beloved Rockies last week. In Heston's two starts this season, he has gone 13 innings and given up only one earned run with 10 strikeouts. Not only that, Heston gets to face a weak Diamondbacks offense in a game the Giants desperately need a win to get out of their slump. With the Giants favored and the Vegas run total seven, Heston seemingly has a good chance to have a solid outing. At $5,000, if he gets a quality start and a win, Heston will be the steal of the night.
Mat Latos ($7,600) - Every fantasy owner knows how bad Latos has been this season, but it's just a matter of time he gets out of his slump, and against an opponent like the Mets, I'll bet on him to do that Saturday night. Latos was dreadful in two starts against the Braves, but he has had success against the Mets. In his last two starts against the Mets, Latos has pitched 13 innings with 12 strikeouts and allowed only one earned run. Without the likes of David Wright in the lineup, Latos could finally find some rhythm against a weak Mets lineup. A win will be tough against Mets starter Jacob deGrom, but with a game total of only 6.5, we should have pitcher's duel at Citi Field.
Catcher
Evan Gattis ($2,900) - Gattis started off as bad as you could this season, hitless in his first 23 at-bats with 13 strikeouts. He has looked good the last four games, though, with a hit in each, including a home run. Gattis gets to face lefty C.J. Wilson, and he absolutely abuses left-handed pitchers. Gattis has a career .295 average against southpaws with an .876 OPS in 166 career at-bats. Gattis has only faced Wilson in one game but hit a three-run bomb. With Gattis heating up and Wilson struggling against righties, this seems like a fantastic cheap value at a shallow position like catcher.
First Base
Albert Pujols ($4,000) - First base was so tough to figure out that I just wanted someone who is reliable with good splits and a good history. The Machine has struggled this season, but it's just a matter of time before he hits his stride. Pujols rakes against lefties and faces southpaw Dallas Keuchel, against whom he has one home run in 13 at-bats. While Keuchel is solid, it just seems like a tough matchup against strong righties like Pujols, Mike Trout, and David Freese, and he could be in for a long night with the short porch in left field at Minute Maid Park.
Second Base
Robinson Cano ($3,900) - Cano is far from a cheap play, but he is a strong value as the third-ranked second basemen against Colby Lewis. Lewis had a 5.18 ERA last year and gave up four runs to Houston in his last start. This could be the breakout game for Cano after a slow start to 2015. Lewis has used his slider more than ever this year, throwing it almost 20 percent. Cano, though, has an impressive 5.9 runs above average on sliders, which simply means he destroys that pitch. That's probably why he has seen it only 5 percent of the time this year. But I have a hunch Lewis will throw him a few Saturday. So, while Cano isn't the cheapest option, he's a must play.
Third Base
Kyle Seager ($3,500) - I initially wanted to go with Aramis Ramirez ($3,000) against lefty Jeff Locke, but I'll take Seager against gas-can Colby Lewis instead. It's a small sample size of 21 at-bats, but Seager has two home runs and seven RBI with an impressive 1.123 OPS against Lewis. Seager is better against righties than lefties, and this lefty-heavy lineup could abuse Lewis. Stacking Mariners is a strong option, as blowing out the Rangers with Felix Hernandez on the mound seems likely.
Shortstop
Jean Segura ($3,000) - With the injury to Carlos Gomez, Segura has been moved to the leadoff spot in a dangerous righty-heavy lineup. While Milwaukee has struggled, it is much better against southpaws as it features almost all right-handed hitters. Segura is a good option to be the catalyst for the Brewers as they battle Pirates southpaw Jeff Locke. Segura is already 4-for-7 this season against lefties and has one of his 19 career home runs against Locke. Segura is a dangerous fantasy option who not only has some pop, but can steal bags and score runs as well. He had two hits in a game against Locke earlier this season and probably will get at least four at-bats in this game batting leadoff. Segura is a good volume play and has a great chance of getting a hit and possibly scoring a run.
Outfield
Ryan Braun ($3,700) - $3,700 is Braun's season-low price, and as he is ranked as the 15th outfielder on FanDuel, it's a good time to use him against southpaw Jeff Locke. Braun is a career .300 hitter in 20 plate appearances against Locke and has an impressive four extra base-hits in those limited at-bats. Braun is lefty-destroyer, batting .337 and slugging .634 SLG with a 1.036 OPS against left-handers. Stacking Segura and Braun seems like a fantastic option, as you can spend more on higher can't-miss players like Adrian Gonzalez or Mike Trout. One of the best strategies in daily fantasy is to buy players at their lowest value, and that is just what we're doing with Braun.
Chris Carter ($2,600) - Carter is the most risky DFS option, but we're betting on his first dinger of the season against C.J. Wilson. Carter is valuable not only for homers but his ability to draw walks, which is rewarded on FanDuel. Carter has walked in nearly 20 percent of his career appearances against southpaws. Against Wilson, he has a .360 AVG with two home runs and five RBI in 25 at-bats. Not only does Wilson struggle mightily against righties, he has also given Carter four free passes. It's tough to pick a player with only three hits this season, but let's roll the dice and gamble on a home run at a cheap price of $2,600.
Seth Smith ($2,600) - Smith is one of the most underrated right-handed bats in the game and is another great stacking option against the Rangers. We mentioned Colby Lewis' struggles, but Smith is a righty-killer who bats second in a lineup with a strong 3-4-5. He platoons against right-handers and started the season hot, going 5-for-6 in his first two games. He has gone hitless in 10 at-bats since, but he's a good bet to get out of his slump against Lewis. My favorite part of the play is that he only costs $2,600. If he can just get on base once or twice and provide a run or an RBI, he' exceeded his value by leaps and bounds.
