3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 6/20/19
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
Dylan Bundy, P, Baltimore Orioles
FanDuel Price: $7,300
As mentioned earlier in the week when I wrote about Homer Bailey, the Seattle Mariners have taken a significant step down after their hot start and are a great team to attack in DFS.
The Mariners lost Edwin Encarnacion in a trade and have seen their team drop from the top of the AL West to last in their division and six games under .500. Tonight, they are up against Dylan Bundy, who comes in with a 24.1% strikeout rate this season, which is the fifth highest on the slate, but he is the eighth-most expensive pitcher available.
His strong strikeout rate should work well against the Mariners, who have a 24.6% strikeout rate this season versus right-handed pitchers, which is the eighth worst in the league. Bundy also has the best park factor going for him tonight, which should allow him to hold off a falling Seattle lineup.
Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati Reds
FanDuel Price: $2,700
The Cincinnati Reds come in with a modest 4.49 implied team total but have an opportunity to hit the over on that due to their matchup.
They are facing off against Jimmy Nelson, who only has two starts under his belt this year and missed all of 2018, so we have to look back to 2017 for his stats. In 2017, he allowed a 37.7% hard-hit rate and had a 15.6% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio versus left-handed hitters. There is no doubt that Nelson had good numbers overall versus lefty hitters with his 3.22 xFIP, but if he got hit hard, it could go for a home run. Combine that with the fact he has yet to prove that this season makes him a good pitcher to attack.
Jesse Winker is carrying a strong .358 wOBA, .254 ISO, and 31.6% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio this season versus right-handed pitchers. As you can see, Winker's numbers line up nicely versus where Nelson has been known to struggle and when combined with a great park factor, the Reds' offense is in a great spot.
Freddy Galvis, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
FanDuel Price: $2,700
The Toronto Blue Jays are at home against an inexperienced Los Angeles Angels pitcher and should be a good place to target tonight.
A 4.87 implied run total for the Blue Jays isn't low, and they won't go overlooked in general, but we can find some lower-owned options within their lineup. One of those options should be Freddy Galvis, a cheaper player who often hits near the bottom of the lineup, which is why he is generally a less popular choice.
His numbers won't blow you away -- only a .318 wOBA, .185 ISO, and 36.5% fly-ball rate versus lefty pitchers -- but the matchup is more important tonight. He is up against Jose Suarez, who has a total of 16 innings pitched in his Major League career, with a 5.19 xFIP versus righty hitters.
If we look to Suarez's minor league numbers from last season over 78.1 innings pitched, we see a 4.54 xFIP, along with an unimpressive 21.4% strikeout rate and a 10.2% walk rate. Those aren't numbers you should be afraid and can actually attack with a cheaper and potentially lower-owned player like Galvis.
