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.
Reynaldo Lopez, P, Chicago White Sox
FanDuel Price: $8,000
Since the All-Star break, Reynaldo Lopez has looked like a new pitcher. Can he keep this strong stretch of starts going?
Lopez has six starts since the break for a total of 38 innings pitched, a span in which he has posted 37 strikeouts and allowed just nine earned runs. The first half of the season wasn't too kind to him, but we have seen an improved pitcher in this half -- with his xFIP going from 5.74 to 4.47 and his wOBA allowed dropping from .376 to .270. It's truly a night-and-day difference for the young pitcher. He has picked up a quality start in four of his last six starts, notching a win in three of them, and allowed three or fewer earned runs in each game in this six-start stretch.
Lopez is also limiting the hard-contact in a big way, as his hard-hit rate is down at 28.3% since the break, which is truly remarkable, along with a 35.2% fly-ball rate. Now, not all of his stats will stay this way and he is due for some regression, but the matchup tonight isn't too difficult so he should be able to keep the streak going. He is up against the Los Angeles Angels, who come in with a 34.7% fly-ball rate (22nd in the league) and a .185 ISO (16th in the league) versus right-handed pitchers this season. There is some pop for the Halos, but not a whole lot of it.
Cameron Maybin, OF, New York Yankees
FanDuel Price: $3,100
The New York Yankees boast an implied team total at nearly 6.00 tonight. Will any of their hitters come in at lower ownership?
The top of the Yankees' lineup has plenty of power but is also very expensive on a nightly basis. Today, fitting the high-priced sticks in to your lineup tonight shouldn't be too much of an issue, though, since there is no pitcher over $10,000 and we don't have to worry about Coors Field.
But what if you want to fade their top hitters due to ownership and go for a lower-owned player? Who would that be? Cameron Maybin is a player to look at tonight since he is showing to be a reverse-splits hitter and is up against a pitcher who struggles with everyone.
Maybin has a surprising .254 ISO and 39.3% fly-ball rate versus right-handed pitchers, and that is great for a hitter who might be hitting in the eighth spot tonight. He is facing off against Cleveland Indians pitcher Adam Plutko, who seemingly allows home runs to everyone he faces. Plutko is giving up 2.73 home runs per nine innings to righty hitters this season, along with a truly terrible 51.0% fly-ball rate in the split, which won't end well for him at Yankee Stadium.
Michael Conforto, OF, New York Mets
FanDuel Price: $3,400
A positive park shift for the New York Mets looked good last night, but they couldn't come away with the win. Will tonight be different for them?
Visiting the Atlanta Braves can always prove to be beneficial for teams since we get a good hitter's park and some warmer weather -- a nice combination for scoring some runs. The Braves will have Julio Teheran on the mound. Teheran is having a "good" year, but there are some concerning numbers for him. On the surface, a 3.35 ERA looks good, but we all know that doesn't tell the whole story. He is carrying a 5.21 xFIP and 5.07 SIERA while allowing a 39.0% hard-hit rate and 40.2% fly-ball rate. The latter two can be dangerous against the right hitter, and Michael Conforto looks to be that guy tonight.
Conforto comes in with a .273 ISO, 44.3% fly-ball rate, and a 21.3% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio versus right-handed pitchers this season. He has the power to do damage in this spot. The Mets have an implied run total set at 4.81, which is the 10th-highest on the slate, putting them in a great spot to go overlooked.