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.