This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday's a lighter schedule, with only 9 games to choose from, so making the right decisions will be crucial. Furthermore, with five of them being day games, some catchers will probably get days off, so make sure to check the early lineups. Here are our daily value plays for Thursday, April 9.
Pitcher:
Matt Harvey ($9,000): Harvey was the talk of spring, as the right-hander dominated the opposition with 21 strikeouts and one walk in 22.2 innings. All reports were that Harvey looked better than ever, which is saying something, considering how good he was before Tommy John surgery. And he draws a Nationals lineup that's without the injured Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth and Denard Span. Feel good about spending on Harvey on Thursday - just check the weather report with all the rain on the East Coast this week.
Kendall Graveman ($5,000): Graveman is the least-expensive pitcher on the board today despite an outstanding spring in which he only allowed one earned run in 25.1 innings. Graveman is not much of a strikeout pitcher, but he should give you innings and a decent chance at a win for an insanely low price. Furthermore, Graveman faces a Texas team that has struggled to score runs so far this season; he should be a nice low-risk play that will allow you to load up your offense with studs.
Catcher:
Carlos Ruiz ($2,500): With so many day games, catcher will be a tough spot to fill, as many regulars will get a day off. That makes Ruiz a nice option, since he's playing at night, and the Phillies had an off day on Tuesday, so it's likely Chooch will be in the lineup. Add in the fact that Ruiz is swinging a hot bat - a .600 average through two games! Look out, Ted Williams! - and he seems like a nice cheap play for Thursday.
First Base:
Carlos Santana ($3,400): Santana is surprisingly cheap considering he's facing Asher Wojciechowski in the youngster's MLB debut. Santana hit his first home run of the season Wednesday night, and he's known to be a streaky hitter. Also, Santana is a better hitter from the left side of the plate - an .864 OPS in 2014 - so you have to like the matchup against an unproven right-hander like Wojciechowski.
Second Base:
Devon Travis ($2,500): Travis was a highly regarded prospect, and he's living up to the hype so far, batting .500 through his first two games in the majors. C.C. Sabathia has been a shell of himself for a while now, so the Jays should be able to put some runs up against the gigantic left-hander. Travis presents a great cheap option, allowing you to spread your money out across your other positions.
Third Base:
Todd Frazier ($3,700): Frazier's off to a hot start, with two homers through two games - and Wednesday's game isn't over as I write this. He started last season off with a bang as well, so maybe this is the beginning of a trend. He faces an uninspiring A.J. Burnett, so look for Frazier to continue his hot start against Cincy's divisional rivals Thursday.
Shortstop:
Jose Iglesias ($2,700): Iglesias is white-hot, batting .857 through two games, and he's even chipped in two stolen bases for good measure. Kyle Gibson has not pitched well against Detroit - he put up a 6.00 ERA in five 2014 games against the Tigers - which only strengthens Iglesias's value. Add in the low price point and the hot bat, and the Detroit shortstop should be a solid play for Thursday.
Outfield:
Matt Kemp ($4,000): Kemp has carried his strong spring into the regular season, batting .375 heading into Wednesday. As long as he's healthy, which he currently is, Kemp should be a strong DFS play depending on the price point. Also, Kemp has always hit Tim Hudson well - .364 with a home run in his career - and Hudson is a long way from his best days.
J.D. Martinez ($3,900): Martinez has a career .364 average against Gibson and is batting fifth in a hot Detroit offense. Martinez also ate up right-handed pitching in 2014 to the tune of a .318 average. Look for Martinez to have a nice day against Gibson as this Tigers offense continues to rake.
Ben Revere ($2,900): Revere is a left-handed batter against Justin Masterson. Do I need to say more? Okay, I'll say more: Masterson's been touched up for a .287 average and .794 OPS by lefty hitters in his career. Furthermore, with stolen bases counting for two points in FanDuel scoring, Revere has the potential to put up big numbers at any moment. You won't find many better options for the price than Revere on Thursday.
Good luck!
