3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for Thursday 4/29/21

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's is the name of the game if you plan on taking down one of those highly lucrative DFS tournaments. Whether it's because of bookmaker totals, other options at a given position, or some gem you've found that everyone is overlooking, we can always find potential under-rostered plays if we look hard enough.

Here are three such players to consider branching out for on FanDuel's main slate.

Ryan McMahon, 2B/3B, Colorado Rockies ($3,400)

The Colorado Rockies shouldn't be popular tonight, making them an intriguing option for tournaments.

We have a small four-game MLB slate tonight, and it should present us with a few very chalky options. If you choose to fade the chalk, you'll have plenty of leverage in tournaments and a clear path to the top of the leaderboards. The Rockies come in with a 3.85 implied run total, which is the second-lowest on the slate. While that isn't amazing, their matchup versus Luke Weaver isn't one you should be shying away from. In fact, you may want to stack the Rockies.

Since the start of last season, Weaver is allowing a .379 wOBA, 4.68 xFIP, 2.70 HR/9, 42.2% fly-ball rate, and a 38.8% hard-contact rate to left-handed hitters. None of those numbers inspiring confidence and should lead you to the Rockies' lefty hitters -- namely, Ryan McMahon, who is off to a blazing hot start this season.

McMahon comes in with a .309 ISO, 41.5% hard-contact rate, and a 40.4% fly-ball rate versus right-handed pitchers. With numbers like that, McMahon brings the power to any matchup and should make a Rockies' stack an ideal tournament option tonight.

Chris Taylor, 2B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,600)

There are four teams with higher implied run totals compared to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Will this cause them to be overlooked?

It's not too often we see multiple teams ahead of the Dodgers in implied run totals, but since this is the case tonight, we may see them be less rostered compared to other teams.

They are on the road to take on the Milwaukee Brewers, who will have Eric Lauer on the mound tonight. Lauer has been in the Majors for three seasons, and in that time, he has allowed 1.15 HR/9 to right-handed hitters, a 4.60 xFIP, a 40.8% hard-contact rate, and a 38.6% fly-ball rate. He's a very average MLB pitcher, and when push comes to shove, I'll be siding with the Dodgers' hitters.

While Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, and Corey Seager could be popular, Chris Taylor could fly under the radar and present an awesome tournament target. He has a surprising amount of power versus left-handed pitchers in his career (.202 ISO) while providing plenty of consistency via a 115 wRC+. He gets on base and can provide solid exposure to the Dodgers' offense, all while not being as popular as the other hitters.

Christian Vazquez, C, Boston Red Sox ($2,200)

Taking a catcher in MLB DFS is always a way to find players who are less rostered.

Considering you don't actually have to roster a catcher on FanDuel, deciding to go to one can immediately make your lineups different. Christian Vazquez and the Boston Red Sox are at home and have a 4.54 implied total, which is the third-highest on the slate. If they are popular, it won't be a surprise, as they have a solid offense and are at home in a great hitter's park. The question is, will Vazquez be among their popular hitters tonight? If this is going to be the case, Vazquez makes not only a great tournament option overall but also leverage within Red Sox stacks.

Since the start of last season, Vazquez has a solid 118 wRC+, .346 wOBA, and modest .139 ISO versus right-handed pitchers. While his power may not be immense, Vazquez is a player who should go overlooked on most Red Sox stacks and will benefit from that in tournaments.