MLB

5 Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Plays for 3/28/19

Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow

Brett Gardner, OF, New York Yankees

Price: $2,700

The New York Yankees have been batting Brett Gardner leadoff against right-handed pitching this spring, and that looks likely to continue until Aaron Hicks (back) returns to action. Gardner is coming off a down year, struggling to the tune of a his worst wOBA (.305) since his 2008 rookie season, but simply being the Yankees' leadoff hitter in Thursday's matchup puts him in play at this price point, especially while he draws the platoon advantage.

The Yanks will go up against Andrew Cashner and the Baltimore Orioles, and the O's starting Cashner on Opening Day tells you pretty much all you need to know about their outlook for 2019. The righty posted a 5.33 SIERA in 2018 after struggling to the tune of a 5.52 mark in 2017 and 4.72 in 2016, and there's no reason to believe he bounces back this year.

The Yanks should absolutely light Cashner up, upping the value of batting leadoff, thanks to the increased opportunity for runs and RBI, making Gardner far more valuable than his own hitting numbers would typically warrant.