MLB
3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 8/17/18
With so many good hitting matchups tonight, Lucas Duda and the Kansas City Royals could go unnoticed in a stellar spot against James Shields. Who else deserves some love in tournaments?

Lucas Duda, 1B, Kansas City Royals

FanDuel Price: $2,700

In spite of his poor peripherals and late-career track record, James Shields has denied us dingers far too many times this season, but he's starting to be far more generous with the long ball, allowing eight over his last four starts. Sitting on a 4.87 SIERA, 18.2% strikeout rate, and 35.3% ground-ball rate, we can only hope this trend continues. After all, Shields allowed 2.00 home runs per nine innings across the prior two seasons.

Given the size of the slate, the Kansas City Royals aren't likely to get much attention tonight, though, granting us plenty of incentive to go home run hunting in tournaments. Lucas Duda is one ideal candidate, putting up a robust 42.0% hard-hit rate and 44.9% fly-ball rate versus right-handed pitching this year. It's only translated to a .196 ISO in the platoon split, but keep in mind he owns a career .233 ISO when he has the platoon advantage, along with a potent 131 wRC+. He's an excellent contrarian target for some cheap pop.

Prev Next

Related News

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

Austin Swaim  --  Aug 17th, 2018

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

Thomas Vecchio  --  Aug 17th, 2018

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

Austin Swaim  --  Aug 17th, 2018