This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We have eleven games on Thursday, so there is a wealth of options out there. In addition, a whopping eight of them are day games, so make sure to check the early lineups to ensure that you don't waste money on players who won't be on the field. Here are our daily value plays for Thursday, June 25.
Pitcher:
Chris Heston, $7,400: Heston has been hit or miss this season. Sometimes he looks very hittable, and other times he has literally not given up a hit. However, his stuff is pretty legit and he's got a nice matchup against the Padres. San Diego's offense has struck out 631 times this season, third-highest total in MLB, and has been especially susceptible against right-handed pitching. In addition, the Padres have struggled lately, sporting the league's third-worst team OPS in the month of June. Heston has been strong at home, as evidenced by his 3.21 ERA at AT&T Park, and has been averaging over a strikeout-per-inning in the month of June. Add in an extremely affordable price of $7,400 and Heston is a nice value play that will allow you to spread your money out over other positions. However, if you are willing to spend more money on your pitcher, Jacob deGrom ($10,800) is a great play against a weak Brewers offense. Though the Met righty is the most expensive pitcher on the board, he's been outstanding lately and should be able to take advantage of a great a matchup.
Catcher:
Yadier Molina, $3,000: Molina has been on a tear lately. The veteran backstop is batting .421 over the last week and an impressive .339 in the month of June. Molina has also finally started showing a little power, hitting his only two home runs of the season over the course of his last eight games played. Molina also has 14 hits in his last eight games as well. He's simply been terrific. Yet, his FanDuel price still remains moderately low, making Molina a strong play. Add in a matchup with the effective, but far from dominant, Dan Haren and Yadier should provide a great value for a relatively minor investment.
First Base:
Ben Paulsen, $3,000: Paulsen has gone from relative unknown to valuable fantasy asset over the first few months of the 2015 season. The lefty slugger is sporting an impressive .296/.349/.561 slash line this season and has been even better in Colorado with a .980 OPS at home. Not only is Paulsen playing in Coors Field, but he also faces righty Rubby De La Rosa who's been a disaster against left-handed hitters this season, yielding an ugly .960 OPS against them. Add in the fact that Paulsen has killed right-handed pitching this season - .935 OPS vs. righties - and he makes a great play at a relatively inexpensive price, especially compared to the other options at first base. If you're willing to splurge a little at first base, Anthony Rizzo ($4,500) has a great matchup against righty Carlos Frias and has been hitting well lately.
Second Base:
Derek Dietrich, $2,600: Dietrich has finally gotten a chance to play on a somewhat consistent basis, due to Martin Prado's injury, and he's done nothing to disappoint. Though he's only played 10 games, he's sporting an impressive 1.128 OPS and has homered three times in only 27 at bats. In addition, Dietrich, a left-handed hitter, faces righty Lance Lynn who will be making his first start in two weeks after being sidelined with a forearm injury. Lynn has historically been significantly worse against left-handed hitters than right-handed hitters - career OPS difference of 118 - making Dietrich a solid play for a great price. Sticking in the NL East, Jace Peterson ($3,200) is slightly more expensive, but still offers a lot of upside. Peterson has been fantastic lately and has a great matchup against a struggling Doug Fister.
Third Base:
Yunel Escobar, $2,700: Escobar has been dynamite lately with a .357 average in the month of June to go along with a couple home runs. Escobar has actually been better than expected over the course of the season as a whole, sporting a .321 average in 65 games played. Escobar faces Braves rookie Matt Wisler who looked good in his first career start, but is brand new to MLB and still has a lot of maturing to do. As the 19th-highest priced third baseman on the board, Escobar presents a great bang for your buck play.
Shortstop:
Andrelton Simmons, $2,300: Simmons has been killing it of late with a .326 average over the last 28 days, and has been especially hot over the last week as evidenced by his .421 average in the last seven days. Yet, despite his solid play, Simmons is still priced as one of the cheapest shortstops on the board. Add in a matchup with Doug Fister - 4.80 ERA on the season - and Simmons is a really nice play at an insanely low price point.
Outfield:
Mookie Betts, $3,800: Betts has been one of baseball's hottest hitters. The Boston youngster is batting a scorching .520 over the last week and .373 in the month of June. However, despite his recent success, Betts is still only the 12th-highest priced outfielder available. This is insane. Add in a matchup with the eminently hittable Miguel Gonzalez, and Betts is a must-play option today.
Billy Burns, $3,600: Burns, like Betts, is way underpriced considering how well he's been playing. Burns is batting .393 over the last week and has stolen an impressive 15 bases in only 48 games played. With stolen bases counting for two points in FanDuel scoring, Burns is an outstanding play against a Texas team that is in the bottom half of the league in terms of stolen bases allowed. In addition, Burns is only the 21st-highest priced outfielder on the board, which makes him a value play.
Clint Robinson, $2,500: Robinson has been batting cleanup against right-handed pitching and faces aforementioned right-hander Matt Wisler. Robinson has been solid in the month of June - .295 average with a pair of home runs - and has been even better over the last two weeks with a 1.027 OPS over that time span. At the extremely low price of $2,500, Robinson is a great upside-play against a rookie right-hander.
Other Notable Outfielders:
Justin Upton, $3,200
Christian Yelich, $2,700
