FanDuel MLB: Sunday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Sunday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

Starting Pitcher
Zack Greinke ($10,500)

Greinke gets a matchup with a Marlins team that just lost its best hitter in Giancarlo Stanton. Miami already has the fourth lowest OPS in the league against right-handers and losing Stanton is not going to help that number. They have the eighth highest strikeout rate against righties (20.8 percent) which should play into the hands of Greinke, who has 88 strikeouts in 100 innings. Greinke is a huge favorite at -187, in a pitchers' park and with a run line of only seven. There are a lot of expensive options, but he has one of the softest match ups and is one of the biggest favorites.

Catcher
Stephen Vogt ($3,700)

Vogt has a really good matchup against Jeremy Guthrie, who has struggled with left-handed bats his entire career. This year has been no different, as he has allowed a .341 batting average with 10 home runs over 39 innings. He has also allowed 39 earned runs, which is astoundingly bad. Vogt has been placed back in the three hole for the Athletics. He is hitting .287 with 12 home runs in 171 at-bats against right-handed pitching this year. The game is in Oakland, which is not a great hitters' park, but Vogt already hits well there and the matchup is too good to pass up.

First Base
Carlos Santana ($3,300)

Santana has a sneaky good splits matchup in this one. Ubaldo Jimenez has allowed 14 home runs in 104 innings against left-handed batters dating back to last year. While he does not have a particularly high batting average against (.245 over that span), he does get tagged for home runs at a pretty good clip. Santana has 28 homers against right-handed pitchers over that time. It's more of a GPP play, but the upside is enticing with this matchup in a good hitters' park.

Second Base
Jason Kipnis ($4,500)

Kipnis is another Indian with the same solid matchup. He is pricey, which makes him someone who could go under-owned. The smart players will be paying up though, as Kipnis is hitting .399 with 20 extra-base hits in 164 at-bats against right-handed pitching this year. He has flashed home-run upside as well, having cranked out 13 in 360 at-bats in 2013. He has an OPS over 1.000, which is very rare for a second baseman. He should be in the leadoff spot again and will provide upside at low ownership because few will pay up for him.

Shortstop
Jung-Ho Kang ($2,600)

Kang tends to find himself in the cleanup spot when the Pirates face a left-handed pitcher, and that should be the case with his matchup against Alex Wood. Kang is hitting .308 against left-handers this season. He was a guy who hit 50 homers and batted .340 last season in Korea, so he has tremendous offensive abilities. He gets his preferred split, a better spot in the lineup and a cheap price at only $2,600.

Third Base
Chris Johnson ($2,200)

Johnson has been playing a lot of first base for the Braves thanks to Freddie Freeman's injury. He gets a good matchup with Jeff Locke, who is allowing a .289 batting average to right-handed batters this season, and allowed a .274 mark last season. Johnson is a left-handed pitcher's worst nightmare: he is hitting .387 against them in 2015 and hit .395 against them last year. At only $2,200, you can easily see him making or exceeding value you would need based on his numbers. Plus, he has been hitting in the cleanup spot against left-handers lately, which only increases his RBI chances.

Outfield
Nelson Cruz ($3,000)

Cruz is popping up very highly on the home run predictor in this matchup. He faces the left-hander Hector Santiago who allowed 26 home runs to right-handed batters in his last 150 innings. Cruz is currently batting .396 with seven home runs in just 48 at-bats against lefties this season. The matchup could not be any more in his favor here. Cruz has an obscene 1.417 OPS against lefties in 2015, and at a price of only $3,000, you would be crazy not to use him.

Josh Reddick ($3,000)
Reddick is also only $3,000 and has every bit of good a matchup. He faces Jeremy Guthrie, whose numbers we discussed with Vogt. Reddick is batting .328 with nine home runs, 11 doubles, two triples and a .926 OPS. He will likely be hitting either fourth or fifth and is way too cheap for how good a matchup he has.

David DeJesus ($2,200)
DeJesus is one of the best minimum priced outfielders you can use for salary savings on Sunday. He faces Justin Masterson, who has allowed a .320 batting average with eight home runs in his last 74 innings against left-handed batters. DeJesus is hitting .285 with five homers in 172 at-bats against right-handers this season, and he usually finds himself in the cleanup spot against righties . He is minimum priced with good splits in his favor, so he makes a lot of sense to use as a salary saver.

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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Benjamin Ricciardi
Benny is an award-winning sportswriter whose work has been seen all over the daily fantasy landscape. He is the 2014 FSWA winner for best baseball article of the year (web), the co-host of a baseball webcast called "The Curve" (@rotocurve), and a featured writer for DraftKings Playbook and the DFSReport. He believes, as a former athlete and self-proclaimed "NUMBER's GUY", he has the perfect mix of knowledge and know-how to help you win your fantasy matchups. You can follow him on twitter @BennyR11.
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