This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday's a very light schedule, with only 6 games to choose from, so making the right decisions will be crucial. Furthermore, with two of them being day games, make sure to check the early lineups. Here are our daily value plays for Thursday, April 16.
Pitcher:
Cole Hamels ($9,900): With such a light slate of games it makes sense to spend on pitching and Hamels is the cheaper of the only two high-end options available. Hamels rebounded from a poor Opening Day outing with a strong showing in his second start - 7 innings, 5 strikeouts - against the Nationals. The Phillies ace faces those same Nationals, and their still-depleted lineup, on Thursday and is thus a solid option for DFS play.
Archie Bradley ($7,400): Bradley looked great in his first start of the season allowing only one hit and no runs in six innings of work. The rookie struggled with command in his first outing allowing 4 free passes, but Fanduel does not penalize for walks so that shouldn't be too big of a worry. Bradley clearly has the stuff to be dominant, so is worth the play at the low price point, especially against an underwhelming Giants offense.
Catcher:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia ($2,500): Salty is much better against right-handed pitching - career OPS of .778 vs. lefties - and Gee is an eminently hittable right-hander. Add in the shorter right-field porch in Citi Field this season, and Salty is as good a bet as any catcher on Thursday's slate to go yard.
First Base:
Matt Adams ($3,400): Adams crushes right-handed pitching - career .845 OPS -and has been batting in the cleanup spot, so should have an opportunity to drive in some runs. Fiers struggled in his first outing - five earned runs in five innings - so Adams, for the price, is an intriguing option for Thursday.
Second Base:
Brian Dozier ($3,200): Dozier has had a tough start to the season but is bound to go off at any moment. Dozier has crushed left-handed pitching throughout his short career - .855 OPS - and faces lefty Jason Vargas on Thursday. Dozier has also been hitting cleanup which raises his value. Furthermore, Dozier's price point is very low due to his slow start, so take advantage of the upside at such a low price.
Third Base:
Cody Asche ($2,700): Asche is white-hot so far the season batting .500 with a home run. Yet, Asche's price is still depressed as he is one of the cheapest third baseman available for Thursday's action. Take advantage of this and get Asche into your lineup today and continue to ride the hot hand.
Shortstop:
Ian Desmond ($3,800): Shortstop is a barren wasteland today, so it makes sense to pay up for the top guy on the board. In addition, Desmond was moved up to the two-hole in the lineup on Wednesday and responded with his first home run of the season. Pay the price and feel confident with Desmond at shortstop for you today.
Outfield:
Jose Bautista ($4,700): Bautista has homered in two straight games and seems to be heating up. With a small slate today, Bautista is another guy worth paying up for as he should continue to rake, especially at home in the Rogers Centre.
Jason Heyward ($3,500): Heyward has hit safely in five of the team's six games this season and has historically been much better vs. right-handed pitching - career .833 OPS vs. righties as opposed to .657 vs. lefties - so the matchup with Mike Fiers should be fruitful. Plus, the price is not exorbitant, so feel good about getting Heyward in your lineup today.
A.J. Pollock ($3,100): Pollock has been leading off against left-handed pitching and is available for a decent price. Furthermore, Pollock has been moderately successful against Bumgarner - career .286 average with a home run vs. the lefty - which is a positive as well. With such a dearth of options today Pollock should provide nice upside for a very reasonable price.
Good luck!
