4 Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Plays for Wednesday 5/19/21
With production being highly variable on a night-to-night basis, daily fantasy baseball plays a bit differently than other sports.
An 0-for-4 dud from a chalky high-salaried slugger is a lot more common than a total dud from a top-salaried NBA player or even than a stinker from a top quarterback or running back.
That means that it's not uncommon for value plays to end up doing the heavy lifting in carrying your lineup. The fact that they can be the difference between a good and a great lineup isn't much different than other sports, but value plays being able to make up for a whiff on a high-salaried play completely is somewhat unique.
Let's get right into it and take a look at the top value options on today's slate.
Corey Kluber, SP, New York Yankees ($7,800)
After essentially not having pitched since May of 2019, it took Corey Kluber a couple of starts to shake off the rust, but you can consider that rust shaken.
Over his last four starts, the two-time Cy Young Award winner has pitched to a perfect 4-0 record while posting a 25.7% strikeout rate and a 7.6% walk rate during that stretch. The New York Yankees have allowed the veteran to top 90 pitches in all but one of his last five outings, and he has finished at least six innings in three of his last four. Sure, the sample is small, but that's why his salary comes in under $8,000.
Kluber's upside was on full display in his first start in May, when he struck out 10 Detroit Tigers hitters en route to a 64-point fantasy outing. Another big strikeout performance could be in the cards here, as the Texas Rangers have been punching out at the third-highest rate against righties this season (27.0%).
With 10 pitchers coming in with higher salaries tonight -- including five with salaries in the five figures -- we can save some buck and perhaps differentiate our lineups by rostering Kluber.
Dylan Moore, 2B/OF, Seattle Mariners ($2,800)
You shouldn't need a no-hitter by Spencer Turnbull to tell you that the Seattle Mariners are one of the worst (if not the worst) offensive teams in the league, but they get a mouth-watering matchup tonight.
On the mound for the Detroit Tigers will be Tarik Skubal, who has been awful in 2021. Among the starters tonight, Skubal's 11.2% walk rate and 3.0 home runs per 9 innings rank second-worst and dead last, respectively. His 5.11 SIERA is also worst among the starters on the main slate. He definitely seems like a pitcher worth attacking, and Dylan Moore might just be the guy to attack him with.
Since the start of 2020, Moore has a rock-solid .225 ISO versus southpaws. The 28-year-old's form has also looked better as of late, as he has three homers, eight RBI, and two steals over his last 10 games.
Miguel Andujar, 3B/OF, New York Yankees ($2,200)
A Yankees stack is far from the worst idea, and including the low salary of Miguel Andujar is an intriguing way to go.
New York will be going up against Hyeon-jong Yang, a 33-year-old left-hander with only 16 innings of major league experience. Those 16 innings haven't been anything to write home about, as indicated by Yang's 5.35 xERA and three dingers surrendered. In all fairness, the South Korean has gone up against some potent offenses, though things aren't about to get easier with the Yankees coming to town.
Per numberFire's Matchup Heat Map, New York has the main slate's highest implied total at 4.95.
Andujar has only made eight appearances so far in 2021, but his bat has finally shown some signs of life, as he has at least one hit and a run in four straight outings. His career .205 ISO versus lefties puts him in a good spot against Yang.
Cavan Biggio, 2B/3B, Toronto Blue Jays ($2,700)
Tied with the Yankees for the highest implied total on tonight's slate are the Toronto Blue Jays, who are squaring off against Garrett Richards and the Boston Red Sox.
While Richards does have a respectable 3.89 ERA for Boston, his 4.50 SIERA tells a slightly different story. This is certainly a spot we can focus on tonight.
Richards has only ceded four home runs through 41.2 innings, which is consistent with his career average. As a result, chasing dingers isn't necessarily the way to go. Cavan Biggio is a guy who can produce plenty of fantasy points without the benefit of a home run.
Throughout his career, Biggio has a .349 on-base percentage against righties, which certainly helps his outlook tonight. In three of his last five games, Biggio has produced FanDuel outputs of 12.2, 15.2 and 28.2 points, all without swatting one out of the park.
