FanDuel MLB: Thursday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Thursday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

The main slate starts at 7:05 EST and features only four games, with the Red Sox being the likely stack targets for most. The free roll home run contest will run again tonight and pay out $500 for picking the three players who combine to hit the most home runs.

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PITCHER

Dylan Bundy, BAL vs TB ($9,700): As usual, there's nothing wrong with paying up for Chris Sale given his strikeout potential and how consistent he's been. However, Bundy has been equally impressive and has actually averaged 2.4 more fantasy points per game than Sale on the season. There's a strong argument that Bundy has the better matchup at home against the Rays, and Tampa comes in with fourth lowest ISO on the road (.102) and the 10th highest strikeout rate at 24.6%. Meanwhile, Bundy has kept his home wOBA below .300 in every season since returning in 2016 and sports a 31% strikeout rate on the season.

GPP Fade: Jakob Junis, KC vs CWS ($8,700): Junis has been fantastic to start the season, putting up a 2.03 ERA to go along with a 0.75 WHIP. The problem with Junis is that a deeper look at the numbers suggests a correction is coming shortly. Both his strand rate of over 90% is unsustainable as is his .169 BABIP. His xFIP currently sits at 4.55 further evidence he's been pitching over his head.

Cheap GPP Consideration: Chris Archer, TB at BAL ($8,300): It's odd to see Archer's price this low given how good he was last season, but one bad outing out of four and no game of 40-plus fantasy points has dropped his price. Being on the road likely plays a factor here, as well. However, the Orioles strike out a ton as a team (27.1%, which is second highest in the league) and Archer still has as much upside as anyone not named Sale tonight. This very well could be the cheapest we see him all season.

CATCHER/FIRST BASE

Lucas Duda, KC vs CWS ($2,400): Tonight's matchup with Lucas Giolito could be what Duda needs to break out of an early-season slump. Duda has always raked against right-handed pitchers, owning a .362 wOBA for his career, and Giolito has had all sorts of problems this season (to be mentioned in a bit). Look for Duda to have a good chance at a big night at home with an advantageous matchup.

SECOND BASE

Brock Holt, BOS at TOR ($2,700): This is likely the last time for a while Holt will be a viable option, as Xander Bogaerts is expected to be activated off the DL on Friday. Holt has been effective both in the field and at the plate, scoring at least 9.5 fantasy points in five of his last six games.

THIRD BASE

Mike Moustakas, KC vs CWS ($4,000): Moose has safely reached base 15 games in a row and arguably has the best matchup tonight. Lucas Giolito has struggled (to put it mildly), giving up a .424 wOBA to left-handed hitters en route to a 9.00 ERA. Moustakas has especially feasted on righties at home over the last three seasons with wOBA's of .387, .396 and .332 — not to mention the .563 mark this season in a limited sample.

SHORTSTOP

Tim Anderson, CWS at KC ($3,300): This position is ridiculously thin tonight. The only two players at the position averaging double-digit fantasy points this season are Anderson and Manny Machado. Machado has a tough matchup with Chris Archer, and by using Anderson, it saves $1,300. Anderson has the unique speed/power combo and has reached base safely in 15 of his last 16 contests.

OUTFIELD

Nicky Delmonico, CWS vs KC ($2,300): Delmonico was a chalky play during yesterday's early slate slotted in the cleanup spot. He didn't have a great game with two walks and a single (nine fantasy points), but for the price he wasn't a complete disappointment. After that performance, most will jump off his bandwagon especially with the Sox facing Jakob Junis. Not surprisingly, Junis struggled more against left-handed hitters last season, giving up a .334 wOBA to that side of the plate.

Jackie Bradley Jr., BOS at TOR ($2,500): Bradley Jr. is one of the cheap ways to get exposure to the Red Sox, as they check in with one of the highest expected team totals of the night. Before a down season in 2017, JBJ had wOBA's of .378 and .337 against right-handed pitching the previous two years. Marco Estrada has been prone to the long ball in the past and Rogers Centre still plays as a hitter's park.



UTILITY

Christian Yelich, MIL at CHC ($4,000):Kyle Hendricks toes the rubber tonight for the Cubs, who have compiled only a 3-4 record at home this season. Hendricks had his worst splits at home against left-handed hitters last season, giving up a .351 wOBA to them. Yelich has always hit better against right-handed pitchers, owning a .364 wOBA.

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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