This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Football season is underway, but we still have some days left to make a few nice baseball scores on FanDuel. We have a full 15-game slate Sunday and here are some value play ideas to help you make your way to the top.
Starting Pitcher
Josh Tomlin ($8,200)
Many will be tempted to take Rich Hill as a value play at $4,600, but remember he is a lefty facing the Blue Jays. It makes more sense to pay for Tomlin, who has a better track record and a much softer matchup. The White Sox are one of the worst offenses in the league, as they are in the bottom third in runs scored, batting average and slugging percentage. Tomlin has been very solid, posting at least 13 fantasy points in six straight starts, so it's not a bad idea, especially for cash games. He tends to go about seven innings with 6.5 strikeouts and has not allowed more than a hit and walk per inning in any of those recent starts.
Catcher
John Jaso ($2,400)
Jaso has hits in four of his last five starts. He is averaging 2.4 fantasy points per game during that run, which puts him right in line with his value at $2,499. He tends to bat either leadoff or cleanup, which are two positions that carry a lot of opportunities to score or drive in runs. He is not a big power guy, but he can rack up the hits, runs and RBI in his preferred split against a pitcher who has been inconsistent, to say the least.
First Base
Carlos Santana ($3,300)
Santana has been heating up and has a great matchup Sunday facing lefty John Danks, who has a long track record of struggling against right-handed batters. Santana has hits in nine of his last 10 games, which includes an average of over five fantasy points per game in his last four. He hits left-handed pitching well and is way too cheap for a guy with good lineup placement that is facing a weak pitcher. At $3,300, he has a ton of upside for a tournament and is relatively safe in this matchup.
Second Base
Neil Walker ($2,600)
Walker has hits in five straight starts, including three straight multi-hit games. He faces Michael Bolsinger, who has struggled getting out left-handed bats over his career. Walker has averaged 3.9 fantasy points per game over his last five starts, so he is a very useable player at a weak position with good safety and upside.
Shortstop
Wilmer Flores ($3,100)
At one point this year, Flores was the Mets' cleanup hitter against left-handed pitching. He has one of the highest wOBA/ISO combinations of any Met in that split. They next face CC Sabathia, who has allowed a .300 batting average and over 20 home runs this year to right-handed hitters. It is very tough to find power from the middle infield spots, and few shortstops have a better chance for a home run at a discounted price than Flores.
Third Base
Mike Moustakas ($2,600)
Moustakos has hits in five of his last six games, averaging over three fantasy points per game during this stretch. He faces a weak pitcher in Alfredo Simon, who has been horrible against left-handed hitters this year. The $2,600 price tag is way too cheap for a guy who can score fantasy points in many ways and faces a very weak pitcher.
Outfield
Carlos Gonzalez ($4,500)
Gonzalez has a perfect matchup Sunday taking on James Shields, who has allowed left-handed hitters to tee off against him this year. Gonzalez is crushing right-handed pitching to a wOBA over .400 and an ISO nearing .300. Shields has given up double digit home runs to left-handed batters, so the numbers are pointing to this being a good game for Gonzalez. Add in the fact this game is at Coors Field and you can see why CarGo is a top option.
Charlie Blackmon ($4,300)
Almost everything that was said for Gonzalez applies to Blackmon, who has three multi-hit games in his last six and has been on base multiple times in all but one of those. He has averaged almost four fantasy points per start in those games and he faces a guy who struggles against left-handed batters at his friendly home hitters' park. He leads off, has power and can even steal a base, so there are a lot of reasons to think he can be a top option.
Ryan Raburn ($2,900)
Raburn has hit safely in six of his last seven starts, averaging over 3.25 fantasy points per game, which is great value for a guy under $3,000. He has a long track record of hitting left-handed pitching well. In fact, he basically only plays when the Indians face a left-hander and is so good that he often hits fourth or fifth in the order when it does happen. John Danks is horrible against right-handed bats and has been for some time, so this is as good a matchup as it gets.
