FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

PITCHER

Kendall Graveman, OAK vs. TAM ($6,600): Graveman appears to have gotten himself straightened out in recent starts, scoring between 38 and 42 fantasy points over his last three trips to the mound. The Rays have also struck out 24.4 percent of the time (third-highest in the majors) against right-handed pitching and have a mediocre .305 wOBA. Graveman has also been solid at home this season, posting a 2.91 ERA and allowing only three homers over the 43.1 innings.

CATCHER

Victor Martinez, DET at CWS ($2,700): Despite a very reasonable price on Martinez, this could conceivably be considered a contrarian pick considering both the opposing pitcher and Martinez's considerable struggles in July. However, the veteran slugger does bring plenty of upside, and he has a surprisingly outstanding history against White Sox starter Chris Sale, batting .500/.537/.917 over 36 at-bats with three doubles, four homers and nine RBI. Sale has also given up 13 of his 17 homers on the season to right-handers, with nine of those coming at home. Righty bats have generated a .325 wOBA against him at U.S. Cellular Field as well, and the switch-hitting Martinez has a .362 wOBA against southpaws that rises to .426 when facing them on the road.

FIRST BASE

Hanley Ramirez, BOS vs. MIN ($2,800): Ramirez was the darling of the DFS world on Wednesday when he blasted three homers against the Giants. However, he's actually enjoyed an excellent month overall after a forgettable June, posting a .349 average and .481 wOBA that make his current price all the more surprising. Ramirez also has a 35.1 percent hard contact rate against right-handers at Fenway Park. Meanwhile, Twins starter Ricky Nolasco has given up a .356 wOBA and 11 of his 14 homers on the season to righty bats, and a 38.6 percent hard contact rate to them on the road.

SECOND BASE

Jean Segura, ARI at CIN ($3,100): Reds starter Keyvius Sampson has given up a massive .441 wOBA to right-handed hitters, and Segura has blasted righties to the tune of a .353 wOBA. Segura has also ripped off three straight double-digit fantasy point outings, one of which was a 2-for-3 night Friday that included his eighth homer of the season. Whenever Sampson does give way to the bullpen, Segura will also have the benefit of teeing off against the most hittable collection of relievers in the majors, furthering his appeal.

THIRD BASE

Jake Lamb, ARI at CIN ($3,100): We can attack Sampson from the other side of the plate with Lamb, who's blasted righties to the tune of a .436 wOBA, .347 ISO and 46.1 percent hard contact rate. He's also amassed a .463 wOBA and .429 ISO in July over 55 plate appearances, while Sampson has yielded a .388 wOBA and 7.19 xFIP against left-handed hitters.

SHORTSTOP

Marcus Semien, OAK vs. TAM ($2,900): Semien has battered southpaws this season, tallying a .398 wOBA and .360 ISO against that handedness, along with half of his career-high 20 homers. Drew Smyly's struggles have been considerable, as he's yielded a .349 wOBA and 17 of his 21 homers on the season to righty bats. He's had an even more difficult time on the road, where he's surrendered a .410 wOBA and 40.7 percent hard contact rate to right-handed hitters, and a 6.28 ERA and .380 wOBA overall.

OUTFIELD

Mark Trumbo, BAL vs. CLE ($3,300): Seeing Trumbo under $3,500 is surprising, especially considering his long ball-upside and Indians starter Josh Tomlin's own struggles with keeping the ball in the park. Trumbo boasts a .397 wOBA, .265 ISO and 37.4 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching, along with 19 of his 28 homers on the season. He's been even more lethal at home, where he's managed a .434 wOBA. Tomlin has had a very solid season overall, but has given up 22 homers, with half of those coming from right-handed bats.

Miguel Sano, MIN at BOS ($2,700): Sano makes for an intriguing value tournament play Saturday. He certainly brings a load of upside, and has a matchup with a name pitcher that many might avoid in David Price, despite Price's uneven performances this season. Sano has a .432 wOBA against lefties and .316 ISO overall, and he sports even more impressive .455 and .360 figures, respectively, when facing them on the road. Price actually makes for a very good target for Sano, given the fact that he's given up 12 of his 16 homers on the season to righty bats, with eight of those round-trippers coming at Fenway. He's also yielded a 37.6 percent hard contact rate to right-handed hitters, and is surrendering a 40.6 percent hard contact rate overall in three July starts.

Carlos Beltran, NYY vs. SFG ($3,000): The switch-hitting Beltran has a .351 wOBA and 35 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching this season, along with 13 of his 20 homers, with eight of those coming at Yankee Stadium. Giants starter Jeff Samardzija has surrendered a .352 wOBA to lefty bats that rises to .388 when facing them on the road, making him a solid target for a player in Beltran, who has a .317 average and .334 wOBA this month.

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. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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