FanDuel MLB: Wednesday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Wednesday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

Tonight there's a nine-game slate for the main slate but the early DFS action starts at 12:05 PM EST when the Reds take on the Mets. The early-only slate starts at 2:05 PM EST and while it has only four games, two of them are at Globe Life Park in Arlington and Coors Field. That leaves a main slate tonight where no ballpark has a significant hitter's advantage.

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PITCHER

Clayton Kershaw, LOS at OAK ($11,000): Kershaw appears to be back to his old self scoring at least 34 fantasy points in each of his last five starts. Kershaw has also struck out a batter per inning on average over those last five starts as well. Oakland's 22.7 percent strikeout rate against lefties is the 12th worst mark in baseball and their .319 wOBA is right around league average making them a decent matchup. Luis Severino would be worth considering but a 8.28 ERA over his last five starts (25 innings) indicates something may be amiss with him.

GPP Fade: Mike Foltynewicz, ATL at WAS ($8,800): Wednesday will be the fifth time that Foltznewicz has faced the Nationals this season meaning the Nationals should be familiar with his stuff by now. Folty has games only in the 20-29 fantasy points range in four of his last five starts and given up seven home runs in that span of games. Washington has the 10th best wOBA against right-handed pitching (.321) and their 20.3 percent strikeout rate is the second lowest in the National League.

Cheap GPP Consideration: Jose Quintana, CHC at KC ($8,200): Quintana is in a great spot tonight as a lefty facing the Royals. Since June 1, the Royals have the lowest wOBA against left-handed pitching (.261) while their 25.8 percent strikeout rate is also the worst mark in the game. Against southpaw Cole Hamels on Monday the Royals had only two players in their lineup with an OPS over .700 and their cleanup hitter, Hunter Dozier, has a .620 OPS on the season. Quintana comes into this matchup in good form scoring 34 or more fantasy points in four of his last five starts.

FIRST BASE/CATCHER

Greg Bird, NYY at CHW ($2,800): Many of the Yankees come with big price tags with Bird being one of the cheapest ways to get one of their lefties into a DFS lineup. Bird just missed a home run Monday when Adam Engel robbed him with a highlight reel catch over the wall. Lucas Giolito has been one of the best pitchers to target this season for DFS purposes as he's given up a .376 wOBA to left-handed batters.

SECOND BASE

Devon Travis, TOR vs BOS ($2,400): Travis' price has not yet caught up to his recent production so now is the time to take advantage. Since June 1 (43 plate appearances) Travis has a .391 wOBA against lefties including three home runs. He's been moved up to the second spot in the batting order and Brian Johnson has surrendered a .336 wOBA to opposing right-handed hitters.

THIRD BASE

Johan Camargo, ATL at WAS ($3,200): Camargo has become an auto-play against left-handed pitching given his wOBA against that handedness is up to .389 this season (.464 last season). He typically moves up a little in the batting order against southpaws and Tommy Milone should be a good matchup for Camargo. Going back to the start of the 2016 season, Milone has allowed a .389 wOBA to opposing right-handed hitters including 25 home runs in 96.2 innings.

SHORTSTOP

Xander Bogaerts, BOS at TOR ($3,400): As usual, shortstop is a tough position to navigate through tonight with a limited slate, tough pitching matchups and possible weather implications for the usually reliable players here. Bogaerts doesn't check the box with any of those red flags and faces Mike Hauschild who will be making his first start. Hauschild is a former 33rd round pick and at 28 is not considered a big prospect. Bogaerts on the season holds a .367 wOBA against right-handed pitching and a Red Sox stack should be popular tonight.

OUTFIELD

Derek Dietrich, MIA vs STL ($2,700): Dietrich has done a nice job in the leadoff spot this season for the Marlins with a .349 OBP. His wOBA against right-handed pitching is at .361 and his 14 home runs and 22 doubles have helped to boost that stat. John Gant in his brief career has allowed a .331 wOBA to opposing left-handed hitters making this a good matchup for Dietrich.

Teoscar Hernandez, TOR vs BOS ($3,200): Like teammate Travis, Hernandez has done very well against left-handed pitchers this season with a .340 wOBA this season. Against lefties Hernandez usually hits in the cleanup spot and a matchup with Johnson is a good one. Johnson has issued a .347 wOBA to right-handed hitters since the start of the 2017 season.

UTILITY

Travis Shaw, MIL vs SD ($3,000): It's a rare occasion to use two second basemen in a lineup but tonight is one of those occasions with Shaw's new eligibility moving to the middle infield spot. Other lefty bats like Eric Thames, Christian Yelich and Mike Moustakas (home runs in each of his last two) are in play tonight as well against rookie Brett Kennedy who will be making his first major-league start. Shaw has a .379 wOBA against right-handed pitching which is almost exactly in line with his .373 mark from a season ago.

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. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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