FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

Pitcher

Lance McCullers, HOU at SEA ($9,600): There isn't much of a discount here for a pitcher making his first start since June 8, but the thought is that McCullers will come with low ownership if for no other reason than the red DL tag beside his name. He's been brilliant to date, only twice allowing more than three runs in any appearance while carrying a 28.6 percent strikeout rate. He's also the owner of a 2.28 ERA, .196 BAA and 35 strikeouts in 27.2 innings over the last three seasons against Seattle.

Catcher

Elias Diaz, PIT at STL ($2,100): With all of the aces on the bump Saturday evening, this is a tough slate in which to spend on elite bats. As such, it's hard to justify paying up for a catcher. Enter Diaz, who didn't start Friday and should return behind the dish against Lance Lynn. Diaz owns a serviceable .328 wOBA and 103 wRC+, giving him a shot to outperform his minor price.

First Base

Matt Carpenter, STL vs. PIT ($3,800): Carpenter is a bit of a lazy pick, as savvy DFS players know his left vs. right splits. They remain worth mentioning however, as he owns a .385 wOBA, 138 wRC+ and .254 ISO against right handers versus .285/73/.140, respectively, against his same handedness. There's a lot of divisional games on this slate, which lends itself to familiarity. As such, Carpenter's 11-of-29 (.379) with three homers, five RBI and a 1.162 OPS against Gerrit Cole are worth mentioning.

Second Base

Jose Pirela, SDP vs. DET ($3,100): Following a white-hot start, Pirela seems to be making adjustments after an 0-for-13 stretch, rebounding to go 5-for-13 over his last three entering Friday. He owns a .445 wOBA and 180 wRC+ over 42 plate appearances against righties, stealing three bases in the process. Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez has been woeful regardless of situation, but his 8.22 road ERA, .518 wOBA and 1.287 OPS allowed to righties is especially terrible.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado, COL at LAD ($2,700): Arenado is ridiculously discounted, seemingly because of Clayton Kershaw's presence on the mound against him. But there's plenty to suggest Arenado is worth the minimal price he'll require. He owns an absurd .563 wOBA, 237 wRC+ and 1.380 OPS against left handers this season. And in a rare instance where you may want to rely on head-to-head matchups to further the argument, Arenado is 13-of-42 (.310) with two homers, three doubles and four RBI against Kershaw.

Shortstop

Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs. LAA ($3,900): The limited slate has left slim pickings at short, and rolling with the top priced options appears to be the safer play. Boegarts owns a .378 wOBA and 132 wRC+ against right handers, the highest among Red Sox regulars. His .167 ISO limits his upside, which is further limited by JC Ramirez, who has been tough on righties (three HRs allowed to 177 batters, .279 wOBA against) but still comes with a 4.59 ERA.

Outfield

Jackie Bradley, BOS vs. LAA ($3,400): For as good as we just noted Ramirez was against righties, he's struggled against lefties, allowing a .393 wOBA and 10 homers to 160 batters. Bradley may not be ideal given his .319 wOBA and 92 wRC+, but he's hit safely in 51 of the 56 games he's played in, giving him a stable floor and providing a relatively inexpensive buy-in to the game with the highest total on this slate.

Aaron Altherr, PHI at ARI ($3,000): The Phils roughed up Robbie Ray for four runs and eight hits over 5.1 frames in his last outing, and Altherr was right in the middle of it, going 2-for-4 with a first inning homer. He owns a .376 wOBA and 132wRC+ against lefties, suggesting a repeat performance is possible.

Gregor Blanco, ARI vs. PHI ($2,900): The Saturday main slate only has seven games, and there are six pitchers priced north of $9,000, leaving a small offensive player pool to feel solid about. The D'Backs, facing Ben Lively, figure to be a popular stacking option as a result, and Blanco should play well given his price. He owns a .397 wOBA and 140 wRC+ against righties and has two hits in three of his last four outings entering Friday. One of those came on June 18 against Lively, where Blanco went 2-for-5 with an RBI, run scored and stolen base.

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. Chris Bennett plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: k30kittles, DraftKings: k30kittles.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
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