3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 6/27/19
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
Alex Young, P, Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Price: $5,500
A four-game slate with Coors Field should have very condensed ownership, potentially leaving a bunch of players under-owned.
One player who could go overlooked tonight is Alex Young, who is making his first ever Major League start against the San Francisco Giants. This is always an interesting situation to approach in DFS since we don't know how long he will pitch or how competent he will be at this level. What we do know is that he has average numbers in the minor leagues this season with a 4.33 xFIP, 24.8% strikeout rate, and a 10.1% walk rate over 54.2 innings pitched. Average numbers, as you can see, but he is the absolute minimum salary on FanDuel tonight, allowing you to fully stack up Coors Field.
The reason Young is viable is due to his matchup, which is as soft of a landing spot as you can get coming to the Majors. He is up against the Giants, who have a 63 wRC+ (30th in the league), .112 ISO (30th), and a 24.5% strikeout rate (11th-worst) versus left-handed pitchers. The Giants are one of the worst offenses in the league, and Young might be able to provide enough fantasy value at his super low price tonight, all while going under-owned.
Matt Adams, 1B, Washington Nationals
FanDuel Price: $2,700
The platoon advantage but a negative park factor should see Matt Adams as an interesting tournament play tonight.
The Washington Nationals are on the road to take on the Miami Marlins and Sandy Alcantara, who isn't a pitcher to be afraid of, as he holds only a 13.8% strikeout rate versus lefty hitters this season on top of a 5.39 xFIP. Adams has always been known for his power, and that is shown with his .277 ISO and 43.4% hard-hit rate versus right-handed pitchers this year.
At face value, Adams has average numbers, but if we look a bit deeper, we see that his xSLG has gone up since May from .426 to .545. That has seen him hit two home runs in all of May and six home runs so far in June. More power, more home runs, lower strikeout rate, and his salary is still under $3,000. Don't let the park factor get in the way of Adams' upside potential tonight.
Ramon Laureano, OF, Oakland Athletics
FanDuel Price: $3,000
Ramon Laureano might be known for his highlight defensive plays, but he can also get it done at the dish.
The Oakland Athletics come in with a decent 4.37 implied run total tonight and make an interesting team to stack if you are looking for some lower-owned tournament options. Coors Field should dominate ownership tonight, with the Los Angeles Angels not too far behind them. Speaking of the Angels, that is who Laureano is up against, and they will have Griffin Canning on the mound. Canning is allowing a 4.75 xFIP, 1.87 homers per nine innings, 41.9% hard-hit rate, and a 48.2% fly-ball rate against righty hitters. Those are some troubling numbers for a pitcher, leaving plenty of upside if Oakland can get the long-ball going.
Laureano usually hits in the middle to lower part of the lineup and doesn't carry the name value some of the other Athletics do, which is why he is a great tournament option. In his two seasons in the Majors, he has shown to be a reverse-splits hitter, being better against righty pitchers than he is versus lefties. This season, he has a .321 wOBA, .186 ISO, and 39.2% fly-ball rate against righty pitchers, which are solid numbers, and Canning's tendency to give up hard contact makes Laureano intriguing today.
