MLB
5 Under-the-Radar Daily Fantasy Baseball Plays for 7/5/16
Brian Dozier has an excellent matchup tonight, but with so many other cheap second basemen also in good spots, he will likely go overlooked.

Taijuan Walker, P, Seattle Mariners

FanDuel Price: $7,400

Why He Will Go Overlooked:

Taijuan Walker has had an up and down season and hasn't been allowed to pitch deep into games recently. With Madison Bumgarner and Carlos Carrasco both available, it isn't likely that daily fantasy players rush to get Walker in their lineups tonight.

Why You Should Use Him:

This pick is certainly not for the faint of heart. Not only does Walker face an inconsistently explosive Astros team, but he admitted during his last start that he was pitching through a foot injury, which had caused him to sit out 10 days in between starts before that.

With a 3.29 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 22.1 percent strikeout rate, Walker profiles as one of the best pitchers on tonight's slate. Due to some bad luck with injuries and rainouts, though, Walker hasn't been able to work very deep into games a few times this year, which has driven his FanDuel average down.

You know what else it has driven down, though? His price.

Walker is way too talented to be a $7,400 pitcher, and he has shown upside similar to the best pitchers on the slate with two 11-strikeout games this season -- the first of which came against his opponent tonight.

His opponent, the Astros, rank 10th in wOBA against righties, but their 24 percent strikeout rate against them is the fourth-highest in the league. Houston also ranks third in swinging strike rate with an 11.5 percent clip. Walker has an impressive 9.5 percent mark on the year, which is up to 11.2 percent over his last four starts.

Walker could definitely get blown up tonight. His injury could act up and force an early exit. He also could post another 69 FanDuel point game like he did four starts ago against an Indians team with a higher wOBA against righties than Houston and a lower strikeout percentage. Don't use him in your cash games, but give him a long look in tournaments.

Prev Next

Related News

MLB Betting Guide for Friday 8/11/23: The Wrong Team Is Favored at Fenway Park

Austin Swaim  --  Jul 5th, 2016

3 MLB Player Prop Bets to Target on Friday 8/11/23

Thomas Vecchio  --  Jul 5th, 2016

MLB Betting Guide for Thursday 8/10/23: 3 Unders on a Slate with Dodgy Weather

Austin Swaim  --  Jul 5th, 2016