FanDuel MLB: Monday Value Plays

FanDuel MLB: Monday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

Monday is a quiet day in baseball, with only seven games on the slate and all of them starting at 7:05 PM EST or later. Despite the low number of games there are still stud pitchers to choose from, with eight pitchers priced at $8,200 or higher. There isn't a game at Globe Life Park in Texas or in Coors Field and none of the games have a run total in the double digits. On to tonight's games.

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PITCHER

Masahiro Tanaka, NYY vs CWS ($10,200): This pick is all about the matchup, as the White Sox are without Jose Abreu and have struggled against right-handed pitching this season. As a team they strike out 25.6 percent of the time (second worst in baseball) against that handedness and their .308 wOBA is the eighth lowest as well. Tanaka has a 25.1 percent strikeout rate this season while holding opposing hitters to only a .230 batting average. Meanwhile Patrick Corbin is a bit pricy tonight against a Giants team that doesn't strike out much against lefties, and Gerrit Cole gets an Oakland team with the sixth-best wOBA (.327) against right-handed pitching.

GPP Fade: Stephen Strasburg, WAS at PHI ($9,400): Strasburg has no reason to be priced even close to this considering he's scored 12, 14 and three fantasy points in his last three outings. He may not be 100 percent healthy and chances are he'll be on a pitch count. Strasburg's velocity was down noticeably last start and any aggravation to his neck would mean an early exit from this game. Until he throws a decent game it'll be hard to trust him going forward.

Cheap GPP Consideration: Jon Gray, COL at LAA ($8,900): Gray has been fantastic since being recalled from Triple-A with six of his last seven games going for 38 or more fantasy points. He has at least five strikeouts in each of those games and the Angels will be without Justin Upton (DL). Los Angeles is right at league average since July 1, striking out 21.7 percent of the time, so they aren't a bad matchup.

FIRST BASE/CATCHER

Kendrys Morales, TOR at BAL ($4,100): It's tough to figure out if Morales is going to be chalky tonight considering he's homered in seven straight games but has a hefty price attached to him. He's been a completely different player since July 1, sporting a .482 wOBA (yes, that's correct) against right-handed pitching. David Hess has a 6.45 ERA against left-handed hitters this season, allowing a .359 wOBA.

SECOND BASE

Jonathan Villar, BAL vs TOR ($3,200): Villar has one of the higher upsides at the position as evidenced by scoring in the 30s three times in his last 10 games. He's one of the few Orioles worth considering and typically hits high in the batting order. Sam Gaviglio is a good matchup as he comes in with a 4.94 ERA, giving up a .353 wOBA to left-handed hitters.

THIRD BASE

Todd Frazier, NYM at CHC ($2,700): Frazier has heated up as of late with three home runs in his last six games and five total in the month of August. He's always been better against left-handed pitching with a career .346 wOBA and squares off against Jon Lester tonight. Lester has improved against right-handed hitters, seeing his wOBA drop from .344 last season to .319 this season, but that shows he still struggles against that side of the plate.

SHORTSTOP

Carlos Correa, HOU vs OAK ($3,800): This seems like a good spot to spend up tonight with Correa at home against lefty Brett Anderson. Anderson has a .351 wOBA on the road this season against right-handed hitters, and Correa's wOBA against left-handed pitching this season is at .366. An Astros stack makes a lot of sense on a night with a slate of games that feature relatively low run totals.

OUTFIELD

David Dahl, COL at LAA ($2,700): Dahl is reasonably priced for a guy who has heated up during August and he has a plus matchup, albeit one away from Coors Field. While it's a small sample, Dahl has a .363 wOBA on the road this season against right-handed pitching. Meanwhile, Odrisamer Despaigne has given up a .337 wOBA for his career to lefties despite pitching most of his games in hitter-friendly environments.

Adam Eaton, WAS at PHI ($3,000): Eaton is coming off a monster 40-point performance Sunday that included a home run and a steal. Over his last 14 games he has a .965 OPS with two steals, and Zach Eflin has always had trouble with left-handed hitters. This season Eflin has surrendered a .358 wOBA to lefties and his career mark sits at .375. Eaton's wOBA against right-handed pitching sits at .379 this season, making this a great matchup for the Nationals' leadoff hitter.

UTILITY

Luke Voit, NYY vs CHW ($2,000): Using Voit and/or Chris Davis ($2,300) helps open a lot of cap space at the other positions while using a stud pitcher. Voit has been producing for the Yankees while getting starts against left-handed pitching. He has a .336 wOBA against lefties over his career, and Carlos Rodon has allowed a career .330 wOBA to right-handed hitters. Hitting in the Yankees lineup at home is also helpful for Voit's prospects Monday night.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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