MLB

3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 9/3/19

Matt Carpenter hasn't posted the season many expected, but there are some signs of hope with his matchup tonight.

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.

Sandy Alcantara, P, Miami Marlins

FanDuel Price: $6,800

The Pittsburgh Pirates come in with an implied run total set at 5.02, but their offense truly isn't that good.

The Pirates are -174 home favorites against the Miami Marlins, but that might be a bit much even against one of the worst teams in the league. We have a loaded 12-game slate tonight, and there are five elite pitchers over $10K tonight, but there are also a ton of great offenses on the board. If you want to really load up on hitters tonight, consider Sandy Alcantara as a pitching option. He is under $7K and while his 17.4% strikeout rate isn't impressive by any means, he might be turning the corner in recent starts. He has posted six strikeouts or more in three of his last four starts, showing a bit of upside at his current price point.

The matchup for him tonight is solid, since the Pirates comes in with a .171 ISO (23rd in the league), 35.1% hard-hit rate (24th), and a 31.8% fly-ball rate (29th) versus right-handed pitchers this season. Alcantara is also a decent ground ball pitcher (43.7%), which should line up nicely against a team that can't get the ball in the air or generate hard contact.

Matt Carpenter, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

FanDuel Price: $3,000

This season hasn't been kind to Matt Carpenter, but we should be able to trust him in this matchup.

Between injuries and the lack of production, 2019 has been a year to forget for Carpenter, but some of his underlying numbers are still promising. He comes in with a 42.7% hard-hit rate and a 43.3% fly-ball rate versus right-handed pitchers, which are truly strong. Those batted-ball numbers haven't equated to much on the field, though, as he has only 10 home runs and a .301 wOBA against righties this season. Carpenter is a good hitter -- he's just having a bad season -- and the matchup tonight versus Dereck Rodriguez is one to attack.

Rodriguez comes in allowing a 6.24 xFIP, 39.5% hard-hit rate, and 38.7% fly-ball rate versus lefty hitters this season. He struggles in the exact areas where Carpenter is having a bit of success -- fly balls and hard contact -- putting him in a solid spot tonight.

Cheslor Cuthbert, 1B, Kansas City Royals

FanDuel Price: $2,500

A couple of things are true: Daniel Norris isn't a good pitcher, and the Kansas City Royals aren't a good team. But who do you side with tonight?

Even with a weaker Royals offense against Norris, he is worth rostering bats against, since he is carrying a 4.58 xFIP and allowing 1.65 home runs per nine innings and a 39.8% hard-hit rate versus righty hitters this season. Regardless of the team he is facing, those are bad numbers, and you should be interested in stacking against him.

On the Royals side of things, Cheslor Cuthbert isn't a household name, and if he is going to be under-owned tonight, he is worth a shot in tournaments. He is very cheap tonight, and while he isn't anywhere near consistent, he comes in with a .265 ISO and 20.0% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio versus lefty pitchers. The power is certainly there for him, but the overall lack of consistency makes him a tournament option only.