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 and here are some value play idea's to help you make your way to the top.
Starting Pitcher
Corey Kluber ($11,000)
There are a lot of very good top end starters on the mound Sunday, but Kluber has the best matchup of them all. He faces a Twins team that has been better lately, but has struggled with right-handed pitchers all season long. Kluber is at home, so that is a plus. He also is a high strikeout pitcher facing a team toward the top tier in strikeout percentage against right-handers. He has 59 strikeouts in his last 58 innings, with double-digit fantasy scores in six of the last eight. He is not cheap, but with so many aces on the mound, you really cannot afford to fade all of them for a true value option.
Catcher
Yasmani Grandal ($3,300)
Grandal will not be the highest owned catcher, as that is likely to be Kyle Schwarber. Both guys are in good spots, but Grandal is almost $1,000 cheaper and a much better value play with a softer matchup. He faces Charlie Morton, who has allowed a .288 batting average to left-handed hitters this season. Grandal's .393 wOBA and .247 ISO are some of the better splits today at the catcher position. For only $3,300, he provides a lot of upside.
First Base
David Ortiz ($3,900) 
Ortiz might be getting a little old, but he can still smash right-handed pitching. Big Papi has homered in three of the last four games and faces Justin Verlander, who has one good start since coming back from the DL. Verlander has allowed left-handed bats to hit .270 against him with five home runs. Ortiz has a wOBA of .391 with an ISO of .275, and he is five for his last 15. His price has come up a bit, but it is justified by the way he is swinging the bat.
Second Base
Cesar Hernandez ($3,100)
Hernandez has been a consistently under-appreciated fantasy option for a few weeks. He is the spark plug on top of the Phillies' offense that has really picked it up lately. Hernandez has the green light to run at will when he gets on base. Lately he has been getting on, stealing second and scoring runs. Those points add up and at only $3,100, he has been able to return value. He faces Andrew Cashner, who has allowed a .290 batting average to left-handed hitters so far this year. Look for Hernandez to get on base and do what he always does. He has averaged 3.5 points over his last nine games and is consistently over two, so he is safe for cash games and still usable in tournaments.
Shortstop
Jung-Ho Kang ($3,300)
Kang has nice lineup placement in the middle of the order and has been smashing left-handed pitching. He faces Alex Wood, who is a left-handed pitcher that has allowed right-handed hitters to hit .297 against him this year. Kang has a wOBA of .380 against left-handers with an ISO of .211, which are great numbers from a shortstop.
Third Base
Matt Carpenter ($3, 700)
The discount offered on taking Carpenter instead of the highest priced option is getting smaller by the day. That may have something to do with the home-run feast he has been on lately. He has six home runs in his last nine games and is averaging over six fantasy points per contest during his run. He has raised his wOBA to .380 and his ISO up to .212, and he faces Jimmy Nelson, who has allowed a .290 batting average with seven home runs in 54 innings to left-handed batters.
Outfield
Michael Brantley ($3,600)
Brantley has a great matchup today for a home run. He faces Phil Hughes, who is an extreme fly-ball pitcher that has allowed left-handed bats to hit .271 with 13 home runs. Brantley has a .376 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season and most of his home runs have come off right-handers. Brantley has hit safely in his last nine starts, with five of those being multi-hit games. He is 15 for his last 37, so he is as hot as anybody in the league right now.
Lorenzo Cain ($3,600)
Cain has been smashing left-handed pitching this season, posting a .439 wOBA and an ISO of .248. He faces Jose Quintana, who has pitched well but struggles with right-handed batters. Quintana has allowed righties to hit .298 with nine home runs. Cain is four for his last 12 over three games with two runs scored, two RBI, two extra-base hits, a walk and a stolen base. He has averaged over four fantasy points per game recently and has the matchup to keep that going.
Mike Trout ($4,900)
It might not seem like a value play at $4,900, but that may still be a bargain price for Trout. He faces Miguel Gonzalez, who has already allowed 18 home runs so far this year. Trout has a .427 wOBA with an ISO of .314 against right-handed pitching this year. Over his last 10 games he has hit four home runs with 10 RBI, so he can certainly rack up the fantasy points in good matchups. He is not cheap, but he is the big bat who is in the best spot to produce Sunday.
