Happy Wednesday, folks! After taking a look at the slate today, there’s some solid options that you can slot into your lineups so you can go after that big bat that you want, or perhaps a big arm! Below you’ll find some players that should provide a solid return on investment, as well as allow you some financial flexibility for the main slate. There are a few guys below that I love as value options in potential stacks, taking advantage of another team, pitcher, etc. Without further ado, let’s head on into the Value Vault for this fine Wednesday!
Both Sites:
Victor Robles , OF WAS ($2,100 FD/$2,400 DK) - Robles isn’t having the best start to the 2021 season, but he’s hit safely in three of his last five games and he’s been far better against southpaws than righties. He gets Max Fried in this one, and he has four hits in eight at-bats against the Atlanta lefty. Furthermore, Fried has allowed righties to hit .477 and post an absurd .560 wOBA. All Washington righties are in play, including Josh Harrison and Starlin Castro (also solid value plays), but not all are as cheap as Robles.
FanDuel:
Matt Chapman , 3B OAK ($3,000) - Admittedly, Robbie Ray has been more generous to lefties this year in terms of batting average, however, in terms of OPS and wOBA, it’s right-handed hitters that have posted better marks. Righties have slugged .438 against Ray, and hit all four of the homers that he’s served up this year. So, here comes Chapman, rocking a seven-game hit streak and a .869 OPS against southpaws in 2021. Chapman and Ramón Laureano pose an interesting mini-stack against Ray this evening.
Alex Verdugo , OF BOS ($3,100) - Lefties against Casey Mize ! That’s the play. Mize has allowed a .311 batting average and .422 wOBA to lefties this year, and Verdugo has punished right-handed pitching, to the tune of three home runs and a .357 batting average. The Boston outfielder has consecutive multi-hit efforts, including a home run yesterday, and has hit safely in four of his last five. Also, he’s averaging over 11 FanDuel points per game during that five game stretch. Mize hasn’t notched a win since April 12th, and since that win, he’s allowed 14 earned runs in 15.2 innings of work. UPDATE: Verdugo was scratched.
Austin Riley , 3B ATL ($2,400) - Riley against righties is something we love to attack in DFS this year. He’s posted a .347 batting average and .937 OPS against righties this year, which is excellent. Washington’s Erick Fedde has been good against righties this year, but I’ll buy into Riley’s success more so than Fedde’s. Riley is also 3-for-7 against Fedde for his career, so he has that going for him as well. The higher up in the order he is the better, but this is a great spot for the young slugger.
DraftKings:
Brady Singer , SP KC ($5,500) - Singer has been better on the road than at home, but this is a great matchup against a Cleveland offense that has a team batting average below .220 against right-handed pitchers. They strike out at a 25.7 percent clip, and Singer is enjoying a 10.03 K/9 to begin the 2021 season. I’m not sure if I’m pulling the trigger on FanDuel, but at his price point, I love his upside as a second starter on DraftKings. Going against Shane Bieber isn’t ideal, but Kansas City does have the 10th-best batting average as a team against righties. So, there’s some optimism!
Albert Pujols , 1B LAA ($2,700) - If you’re going to play Pujols in DFS, do it against a left-hander. His .169 batting average and .505 OPS against righties pale in comparison to his .259 average and .879 OPS against southpaws. Tampa Bay is sending out Andrew Kittredge first, but will let Ryan Yarbrough work behind the opener, whom Pujols is 4-for-6 with a home run and three RBI against, so that’s solid. Yarbrough has a 4.86 ERA on the season, and has allowed 24 hits in his last 22.2 innings of work. Pujols is a sneaky play here. UPDATE: Pujols is not in starting lineup.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.