MLB

5 Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Plays for 9/4/19

Jt Kohout  —  @@_JamesKohout_ Sep 4th, 2019
Gavin Lux and Matt Beaty are once again great values in a good matchup against Antonio Senzatela.

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-priced slugger is a lot more common than a total dud from a top-priced 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-priced play completely is somewhat unique.

Let's get right into it and take a look at the top value options on today's slate.

Gavin Lux, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,500)

As I said yesterday, Gavin Lux is one of the best prospects in baseball and is immediately one of the best bats in a loaded Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, it’s extremely chalky, but until Fanduel raises his price he will be in this article everyday. Lux hit lead-off last night, and with Joc Pederson’s recent struggles, Lux has a chance to stick as the lead-off hitter.

Tonight, Lux faces Colorado Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela. Senzatela has awful control and is a big reason I love a Dodgers stack tonight. On the season Senzatela has a 6.95 ERA in 99 ⅔ innings and combines awful control (1.79 WHIP, 4.3 BB/9) with a very hittable repertoire as shown by his awful 5.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

Matt Beaty, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,900)

Matt Beaty was once again productive against a right-handed starter last night. His .929 OPS against righties is keeping him in the lineup, and he remains a value given how good his matchup is tonight.

Beaty will also be facing Antonio Senzatela. In 226 plate appearances against left-handed hitting, Senzatela has allowed a .990 OPS, eight home runs, and more walks than strikeouts. It’s a great matchup and because of it and Beaty is one of my favorite first basemen on tonight's slate.

Sheldon Neuse, 3B, Oakland Athletics ($2,300)

Sheldon Neuse upon his call-up is a very interesting option whenever the A’s face a left-handed pitcher. In Triple-A this season Neuse had a .380/.459/.664 slash line with ten home runs in 299 plate appearances with a 21.4% strikeout rate, compared to a 24.9% strikeout rate against righties.

Tonight Neuse faces Patrick Sandoval. Since his call-up, Sandoval has been pretty good. His 5.24 ERA is disappointing, but it’s been a bit unlucky as shown by his 3.31 FIP and 10.9 K/9. Sandoval has still struggled in his second time around against lineups, and with how good Neuse showed himself to be against lefties, I feel comfortable with him at his dirt-cheap price tonight.

Shohei Ohtani, OF, Los Angeles Angels ($3,100)

Shohei Ohtani's price has dropped due to a recent cold stretch, but I’m ultimately not worried about it. His numbers for the season against right-handed pitching remain very good with a .852 OPS in 283 plate appearances.

Tonight, Ohtani will face Oakland Athletics starter, Tanner Roark. Roark has been quite lucky since joining Oakland. In five starts his 3.30 ERA looks good, but when combined with a 4.48 FIP, 83.2% left on base rate, and five home runs allowed, it makes me believe he’s due for some regression. With Ohtani in the middle of the Angels order, he should be able to take advantage.

Ryan McBroom, 1B, Kansas City Royals ($2,000)

This is a pick I’m only using if I decide to go very stud heavy and need a super deep option.

Ryan McBroom made his MLB debut last night, he’s expected to play first base against righties for the rest of the season in the Kansas City Royals lineup. McBroom posted impressive numbers in the minors this season. His .975 OPS is extremely impressive, as is the 12.1% walk rate.

The reason I’m okay with playing McBroom tonight is his matchup. Edwin Jackson is on the mound for the Detroit Tigers tonight. Jackson has been incredibly bad in 2019. It’s hard to say much more than he has a 9.35 ERA/7.52 FIP in 52 innings. If the Royals have a huge night tonight, McBroom could be in a position to take advantage of the pristine matchup.

James Kohout is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, James Kohout also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username jt2115. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.