While the results for the Value Vault yesterday weren’t as fruitful as I would have hoped, today presents a lot of value! Sure, some of the guys here have been slumping of late, but there’s some strong BvP data at very reasonable prices on today’s main slate! FanDuel specifically has a lot of great value today, especially in the outfield, so continue reading to find out what value plays will allow you to get more studs in your lineup!
Without further ado, here are the plays of the day in the Value Vault!
Both Sites:
Paul DeJong , SS STL ($4,000 DK/$3,200 FD) -- BvP! BvP! DeJong is 3-for-6 in his career off Wheeler with two home runs, one double, three RBI and a 2.238 OPS. DeJong hasn’t been great to begin the year, but Wheeler’s struggles on the road are well-documented. This year, he’s posted a 4.91 ERA on the road and since the start of the 2020 season, his 4.01 ERA is nothing compared to his 2.42 ERA in home contests. DeJong is slugging .500 with a .365 wOBA in his last 10 games, hitting safely in seven of them. Things are slowly turning around for the power-hitting shortstop, and there’s a lot of data that points to a big game for him in this one.
Raimel Tapia , OF COL ($3,600 DK/$2,800 FD) -- He’s hitting the ball slightly harder than 2020, which is good, because he needs any possible increase in that category. However, Tapia is in a good spot today against Anthony DeSclafani , who is in a good spot himself today. Tapia is hitting .316 with three home runs and eight RBI against righties, while DeSclafani has allowed a .317 average against left-handed hitters. Furthermore, Tapia isn’t afraid to run, and through 21 innings of work, there have already been three stolen bases against DeSclafani. Tapia could notch a couple of hits, a stolen base and a run or two. Yes please!
DraftKings:
Nick Maton, 2B PHI ($2,800) - Maton is white hot and cheap and Philadelphia is going to have a hard time taking him out of the lineup. He’s benefitted from some injuries in the infield, which has opened up opportunities for him, but he’s more than taken advantage of it. He has four straight multi-hit games, and has hit safely in all six of his appearances this year. Maton hasn’t walked much or hit with much juice (8 singles, 3 doubles), but he’s getting on base plenty. He isn’t guaranteed to play today, considering Brad Miller might be back (and he’s a fine swap for Maton), but if Maton finds himself in the lineup, he should benefit from Wainwright’s struggles against lefties (.306 BAA) in 2021.
FanDuel:
Kyle Tucker , OF HOU ($2,800 FD) - Tucker may only be hitting .181 on the year, but he has the eighth largest gap between his batting average (.181) and xBA (.292) in all of baseball. Furthermore, his slugging percentage (.398) is a far cry from his xSLG (.564), but the stars are aligning for today’s contest. He hasn’t been great against lefties this year, but he did homer once every 17.25 at-bats against southpaws in 2020. Furthermore, he’s hit safely in three of his last four games, and he’s making loud contact. In his last six games, his average exit velocity is 93.8 miles per hour, which for the year as a whole would be tied for sixth-highest. Also, Sheffield allows loud contact on fly balls and line drives, so if Tucker can get one lofted, he’s leaving the yard. Tucker comes at a great value today and he’s someone I’ll be rostering everywhere.
Ramón Laureano , OF OAK ($3,200 FD) - Rich Hill has not been good this year and his splits are noteworthy here, as righties have hit .321 against him in 2021. The 100-year-old southpaw has thrown his curveball over 45 percent of the time this year, and needs that pitch to be effective, considering his fastball has allowed a .320 batting average. Laureano is hitting .273 against curveballs with all three of his base hits going for extra bases (one HR). He’s also punished fastballs this year, so if we restrict it to just fastballs and curveballs (~90% of Hill’s pitches), Laureano is .306 with two home runs, two doubles and two triples. I like a lot of Oakland right-handed bats tonight, but it starts with Laureano
DJ LeMahieu , 1B NYY ($2,900 FD) - It hasn’t been the strongest of starts for LeMahieu but this is a get right game for him, and many other Yankee sluggers, against Matt Harvey . While Harvey is having somewhat of a resurgence, righties have been his kryptonite this year, posting a .346 average and OPS above .870. If you look specifically at road contests against righties, whileLeMahieu has only posted a .250 average, four of his five hits have gone for extra bases. The Yankees will likely be a popular stack today, so why not get the guy at the top of the lineup?