MLB

3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 8/29/19

When being contrarian in daily fantasy sports, there's a fine line between taking a calculated risk and being reckless. But differentiating your lineups from everyone else is the name of the game if you plan on taking down one of those highly lucrative DFS tournaments. Whether it's because of Vegas totals, other options at a given position, or some gem you've found that everyone is overlooking, we can always find potential under-owned plays if we look hard enough.

Here are three such players to consider branching out for on FanDuel's main slate.

Chris Paddack, P, San Diego Padres

FanDuel Price: $7,000

A small six-game slate gives us limited options at every position, but there are a few spots to attack tonight where we could get some solid plays at lower ownership.

Of the six games in action tonight, we have one game at Coors Field, one in Texas, one in a somewhat neutral park, and three games in strong pitcher's parks. A truly interesting slate gives us three top-tier pitchers and then everyone else, as the drop-off is relatively dramatic in skill. But in that second-tier, we find Chris Paddack, who is worth considering tonight despite his up-and-down season.

Paddack was priced at and over $10,000 earlier this season, yet now we find him at a very modest $7,000 price tag against a weak San Francisco Giants lineup. Paddack enters tonight with a 25.2% strikeout rate, 4.22 xFIP, and a solid 5.6% walk rate. His ups and downs have come due to allowing 43.1% hard-hit rate and 40.9% fly-ball rate, which gets him into some trouble.

He should be able to minimize those issues tonight against the Giants, who come in with an 86 wRC+ (24th in the league), .168 ISO (24th), and a 36.0% fly-ball rate (16th) versus right-handed pitchers this season. The Giants' lineup doesn't pose too much of a threat against Paddack in the areas in which he struggles, and Oracle Park should aid Paddack, as well. All in all, this is a great spot for him to get back on track.

Garrett Cooper, 1B, Miami Marlins

FanDuel Price: $2,400

Are the Miami Marlins a viable team to stack tonight? It's never pretty, but I think tonight could be their night.

Rostering the Marlins is never the safest option, but with only one player above $3,000, they offer plenty of salary relief and can help you jam in some hitters from Coors. One player to look at specifically is Garrett Cooper, who has some decent power in this matchup. He comes in with a .183 ISO, 37.5% hard-hit rate, and a 31.3% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio versus lefty pitchers this season. Those are relatively modest numbers, but he is only $400 above the minimum, so you aren't risking too much in this spot.

He is up against Alex Wood. The lefty doesn't have the biggest sample size from this season, but if we look back to last year, he allowed 1.15 home runs per nine innings to righty hitters off a 41.4% hard-hit rate and 32.1% fly-ball rate. Wood doesn't give up a ton of fly balls, but the hard contact is there, and with Cooper's ability to elevate the ball, there is some home run potential here.

Matt Beaty, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

FanDuel Price: $2,800

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a bit of value in their lineup tonight, and we want to embrace that on a smaller slate.

The Dodgers are dealing with some players going on and off the IL right now, which should have Matt Beaty getting a spot in the lineup tonight. He is under $3,000 and will likely be hitting near the bottom of the lineup, but he shouldn't be passed up today. He comes in with a very solid .241 ISO, 42.3% hard-hit rate, and a 33.8% fly-ball ratio this season. He has only played 73 games this year -- which is his first year in the Majors -- so take it with a grain of salt.

He is up against Merrill Kelly, who is also in his first year in the Majors and is allowing 1.23 home runs per nine innings to lefty hitters, along with a .343 wOBA, low 16.0% strikeout rate, and a 46.0% hard-hit rate in the split. Getting cheaper exposure to the Dodgers' lineup is never a bad thing, especially if that player is going to be lower owned.