3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 4/4/19
When being contrarian in daily fantasy sports, there's a fine line between taking a calculated risk and being reckless. But differentiating your lineups from everyone else is the name of the game if you plan on taking down one of those highly lucrative DFS tournaments. Whether it's because of Vegas totals, other options at a given position, or some gem you've found that everyone is overlooking, we can always find potential under-owned plays if we look hard enough.
Here are three such players to consider branching out for on FanDuel's main slate.
Matt Harvey, P, Los Angeles Angels
FanDuel Price: $6,400
Dare we say that Matt Harvey looked good in his first start of the year last week? Well, he looked OK but comes in cheap today and at home in a good pitcher's park.
Tonight, Harvey will be up against the Texas Rangers in a contest that has the Los Angeles Angels as -142 home favorites, giving him a bit of win equity for extra fantasy points. Harvey posted six innings in his first start, allowing only two earned runs, but he was only able to strike out one hitter. He was able to pick up the quality start in that first game against Oakland, which was truly needed since he lacked in the strikeout department. We all know that strikeouts are king in MLB DFS, and if we aren't getting that from Harvey, why should we consider him tonight?
The point-per-dollar value, along with the salary relief, Harvey carries shouldn't go overlooked on a small three-game slate, where there is no true ace on the mound. You aren't giving up too much strikeout equity either, as Yu Darvish comes in as the top overall pitcher with a 27% strikeout rate last season.
Jose Peraza, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
FanDuel Price: $ 2,800
Jose Peraza is very affordable tonight and is facing off against Jordan Lyles, who showed to be a bit of a reverse splits pitcher over the past two seasons.
In saying reverse splits pitcher, that mean that Lyles, while he's a righty, struggles with right-handed hitters just as much -- if not more -- than left-handed hitters. Last season, Lyles gave up a .355 wOBA and 1.58 homers per nine innings versus right-handed bats, and in 2017 he allowed a .370 wOBA and 1.86 homers per nine innings. Peraza isn't necessarily a power hitter, as evident from a .130 ISO versus right-handed pitchers last season. But he finished with a respectable .313 wOBA and a very low 12% strikeout rate.
Peraza is inexpensive and gets on base versus right-handed pitchers. He is hitting in the middle of the lineup, so that makes him someone to consider in tournament, despite the lack of power.
Tommy La Stella, 2B, Los Angeles Angels
FanDuel Price: $2,100
Tommy La Stella should figure into the starting lineup tonight as he will have the platoon advantage over David Fletcher, the Angels' other second basemen.
La Stella normally bats near the bottom of the lineup, and that is reflected in his price, which is just $100 above minimum salary. That should immediately jump off the page since the value options are very thin on a three-game slate and because the Los Angeles Angels come in with the second highest implied run total sitting at 4.54. La Stella finished last season with a .349 OBP, 13% strikeout rate, and a .313 wOBA versus right-handed pitchers, which are average at best. But the main reason La Stella is valuable tonight is the ability to do the wrap-around stack with the Angles. Since he hits near the bottom of the lineup, you can go with hitters eight, nine, one, and two, which will allow you to get Mike Trout in that stack.
Salary relief and the ability to differentiate your stack is key on a small three-game slate, and La Stella will accomplish both of those things tonight.
Thomas Vecchio is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Thomas Vecchio also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username TomVec629. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
