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It doesn't take an expert to tell you to play Bryce Harper against right-handed pitching. It is much more difficult, however, to sift through the cheap DFS options for the right value plays that can help you fit in the studs you want and put your lineup over the top.
That is the purpose of this article -- to provide you with the best DFS value hitters available each day. Consider this your MLB hitters cheat sheet for sneaky DFS lineup picks.
Today I'll be bringing you five value hitters for daily fantasy baseball games on FanDuel and DraftKings for April 22nd, 2016. Let's get started!
DFS Hitters - Lineup Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings
1. Yasmani Grandal, C, Los Angeles Dodgers
FanDuel Price: $3,700; DraftKings Price: $3,700
Even when he's not starting, Grandal still finds a way to be productive! Last night, Grandal posted 12 FanDuel points with just one at bat, and has now reached double digit FanDuel points in four of his past five games.
He may be the chalkiest play of the day tonight, as he not only is on a hot streak, but draws a favorable matchup against rookie Jon Gray. Oh yeah, and this game is being played at Coors Field, which I hear helps hitters.
Grandal, a switch hitter, has also performed better against righties than lefties in his career, posting an improved slugging percentage, ISO, wOBA, hard-hit rate, and fly-ball rate.
Considering Grandal is hitting outside of the top five in Los Angeles' lineup and is likely to be the chalk of all chalk tonight, it's worth considering fading him in tournaments, strictly from a game theory perspective. He should be a lock to make your cash game rosters, though, and I wouldn't advise a complete fade in tournaments if making multiple lineups. There will be fireworks tonight in Coors and there's a good chance the powerful backstop finds himself right in the middle of it.
2. Colby Rasmus, OF, Houston Astros Notebook" href="http://www.rotoballer.com/mlb-fantasy-news/?team=HOU">Astros
FanDuel Price: $3,500, DraftKings Price: $4,000
After Rasmus put up a double-dong performance for us last night, you better believe he is going to be featured again in today's article.
Rasmus gets another weak right-handed opponent tonight in the form of Steven Wright. Wright posted a 4.60 SIERA last season and gave up a 46.5 percent fly-ball rate to left-handed batters.
Rasmus sports a career .338 wOBA and .212 ISO against right-handed pitchers and is coming off a 2015 season in which he posted a .339 wOBA (the third-best of his career) and a career-high .236 ISO. He has a 46.0 percent fly ball rate through his career, and with this favorable matchup, Rasmus again offers strong home run upside.
He will again hit cleanup for an Astros lineup projected for nearly five runs. Target him liberally in tournaments tonight, especially if stacking Houston's lineup.
3. Neil Walker, 2B, New York Mets
FanDuel Price: $3,300, DraftKings Price: $3,900
Walker just keeps on raking and keeps on being underpriced, especially on FanDuel. He now has hit safely in eight of his past nine games, including a four-hit performance in his most recent contest. He also has five homers in his past six games.
Walker has a chance to keep the good times rolling tonight against right-hander Bud Norris. Norris struggled against lefties last year, allowing higher numbers across the board. Most exciting for Walker's potential, though, is Norris' splits against lefties in the power department. Last season, Norris gave up a .537 slugging percentage to lefties, while also allowing them to loft fly-balls against him 35.7 percent of the time.
Walker's career slugging percentage and ISO have both jumped by over 100 points against righties, and he should feast on Norris tonight. He's in fade-at-your-own-risk territory at this price.
4. Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
FanDuel Price: $2,900, DraftKings Price: $4,600
Longoria has been heating up at the plate recently, with a hit in four of his past five games and a home run last night. His recent success is just part of the reason to love Longo tonight, though. The main reason is the man on the mound, CC Sabathia.
Sabathia still looks like a respectable pitcher when facing left-handed batters, but it is a much different story against righties. For some context, check out his splits chart below. Fair warning, though, it's not pretty.
| Name | SLG (L) | SLG (R) | wOBA (L) | wOBA (R) | K% (L) | K% (R) | BB% (L) | BB% (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC Sabathia | 0.279 | 0.502 | 0.231 | 0.37 | 30.00% | 16.20% | 4.30% | 7.50% |
I should have clarified -- not pretty unless you are Evan Longoria, or anyone rostering Longoria tonight. It's unlikely the first applies (If so, I'm honored Evan, but you probably shouldn't be playing DFS. Sounds like some Pete Rose stuff.) But, hopefully after reading, the second will. If so, those splits are likely the prettiest thing you'll see until you see Longo take Sabathia yard for the seventh time in his career tonight.
Longoria has some pretty nifty splits himself, which you can see for yourself below.
| Evan Longoria | SLG | ISO | Hard% | wOBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Righties | 0.464 | 0.202 | 34.2% | 0.346 |
| vs Lefties | 0.538 | 0.245 | 34.7% | 0.383 |
This game is also being played at Yankees Stadium, which is home to the second-highest HR-Park Factor over the past three seasons. Longoria has been successful playing in New York, too, with a career .288 batting average and .545 slugging percentage.
Longoria has similar upside as the top third base options available and comes at a considerable discount on FanDuel. Get him in those lineups!
5. Victor Martinez, C/1B, Detroit Tigers
FanDuel Price: $2,900, DraftKings Price: $3,400
I'll denote this by saying that Martinez is only in play on FanDuel, where he is cheaper and eligible at catcher.
With a matchup against Josh Tomlin, who boasts a career 4.08 SIERA and 40.8 percent fly-ball rate, it's no surprise that Martinez and the Tigers are projected for 4.44 runs tonight
Martin has hit safely in five straight games for Detroit and will be hitting in the heart of their lineup once again tonight. FanDuel is just begging us to roster him, as he is not only eligible at catcher, but priced as just the 13th-most expensive catcher. He is an excellent contrarian value pivot off of Grandal tonight.
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