FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Saturday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

Pitcher

Gerrit Cole, PIT vs. STL ($8,700): Cole seems to offer the least amount of volatility outside of Stephen Strasburg among the top arms, and at $2,600 less, he's a worthwhile gamble (for lack of a better term). Cole entered the year with a 2.82 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 60.2 innings against the Cardinals over the past three seasons, and he's followed that trend up with five earned runs and 17 Ks over 18.0 innings this year. He has a 26.0 percent strikeout rate in the second half, a number that's grown to 29.1 percent in three prior September starts.

Catcher

Salvador Perez, KAN at CWS ($3,200): Perez has a .334 wOBA and .225 ISO against righties across the season, which alone makes him worth a look against Dylan Covey, who has been torched by same-handed bats to the tune of a .468 wOBA and 1.129 OPS. Friday night's game featured plenty of scoring, so if Covey can't last deep into Saturday's game, Perez should have a fatigued bullpen to further prey upon.

First Base

Jose Abreu, CWS vs. KAN ($3,700): There's a huge price disparity at this position, with eight players checking in at $4,000 or higher, and the steep drop off after Abreu makes him a very attractive option. He has a .433 wOBA and 176 wRC+ against lefties this season, and the Royals bullpen was called upon after only 3.1 innings Friday. He's likely to face plenty of tired arms.

Second Base

Cesar Hernandez, PHI at ATL ($3,300): Hernandez boasts a decent .341 wOBA and 108 wRC+ against righties while hitting .319 in September. Braves starter Julio Teheran's struggles at home are well documented (6.23 ERA vs. 2.84 away), and he's also allowed a .403 wOBA to lefties.

Third Base

Anthony Rendon, WAS at NYM ($3,900): The hot corner is another position where the options drop off dramatically after the top tier, seemingly forcing you to pay up for a premium bat. Rendon's .379 wOBA and 133 wRC+ help offset his second-half struggles, and he's 9-of-21 (.429) with a 1.193 OPS against Matt Harvey, who is expected to enter the game in the second inning for a rehabbing Noah Syndergaard.

Shortstop

Tim Beckham, BAL vs. TAM ($3,500): Rays' pitcher Jake Odorizzi has been solid in September, but still has a 4.17 ERA in the second half and has struggled in his career against the Orioles. He entered the season having allowed 17 homers over his last 69.2 frames against Baltimore, and he's allowed three more in 10.1 innings this year. Beckham has yet to face his former teammate, but he owns a .383 wOBA, 140 wRC+ and .223 ISO against righties since August 1.

Outfield

Kevin Kiermaier, TAM at BAL ($3,700): Kiermaier seems to be the lone trustworthy Ray with Steven Sousa and Logan Morrison mired in prolonged second-half slumps. Kiermaier has a .388 wOBA and 146 wRC+ since Aug. 18 against righties, while O's starter Jeremy Hellickson has allowed a .403 wOBA to lefties in the same time span.

Carlos Gonzalez, COL at SDP ($3,500): This price tag simply seems like a mistake given Gonzalez's current surge and prowess against opposite-handed arms. Since Sept. 1, CarGo owns a .682 wOBA, .318 wRC+, 1.770 OPS and .588 ISO. No further analysis is needed.

Lane Adams, ATL vs. MIA ($2,600): At this price, all that is overly relevant is that Adams is gathering consistent at-bats while Matt Kemp is relegated to pinch-hit duties due to a hamstring injury. Adams has hit righties decently, though, posting a .387 wOBA and 139 wRC+ over 65 plate appearances. Marlins starter Henderson Alvarez allowed four runs in 5.0 innings in his first big-league appearance since 2015 his last time out, and seems ripe for further picking.

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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