MLB

3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 5/21/18

Kenyatta Storin  —  @KenyattaStorin May 21st, 2018
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Masahiro Tanaka, SP, New York Yankees

FanDuel Price: $8,100

Even on a slate without many elite arms on the mound, Masahiro Tanaka figures to go low-owned against the Texas Rangers after a shaky beginning to his season.

We know Tanaka is about as inconsistent as they come, but he's been more bust than boom through nine starts, surpassing 40 FanDuel points just three times. His strikeout rate is down to 22.5%, which doesn't exactly scream upside.

But he's still carrying a solid 3.68 SIERA, and his 13.8% swinging-strike rate is top-10 among qualified starters, so those punchouts should come around. Playing under the Texas heat in Arlington will do Tanaka no favors, but this Rangers team strikes out 26.0% of the time against right-handed pitching. The New York Yankees also have the highest implied team total on the board against Bartolo Colon, so a win could be in the cards for Tanaka.

Riding with Tanaka always comes with some risk, but he's at his lowest price of 2018 and should still have the ceiling we saw last year hiding in there somewhere.

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