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 who 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.
Tyler Anderson, P, Pittsburgh Pirates ($7,200)
Breaking news, the Miami Marlins aren't a powerful offensive team.
I know, crazy to say it, but the Marlins aren't a team you should be worried about and are one you should be actively looking to target. They come in with a 91 wRC+ (22nd in the league), .157 ISO (18th), 28.5% strikeout rate (4th), 30.7% hard-contact rate (15th), and 34.6% fly-ball rate (17th) versus left-handed pitchers. They are in the bottom half of the league or worse in all categories and truly present one of the best matchups on the slate.
They will be going up against Tyler Anderson, who is the eighth-most expensive pitcher tonight. This means we shouldn't see him as a popular pitching option tonight because there are two clear aces at the top of the slate and no Coors Field in action.
Anderson comes in with a 4.14 xFIP, 23.3% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate, and a 53.0% medium-contact rate. Anderson isn't an amazing pitcher by really any measure, but he's also not awful. A middle-of-the-road pitcher who has a fantastic matchup tonight is worth considering.
Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals ($2,900)
The Kansas City Royals aren't viewed as an elite offense, but they have a solid matchup tonight.
J.A. Happ is going to be on the mound for the Minnesota Twins, and that means we should be looking to some of the Royals' hitters for a bit of upside tonight. Happ comes in with a .351 wOBA, 1.16 HR/9, an 18.0% strikeout rate, a 48.3% fly-ball rate, and a 33.6% hard-contact rate versus right-handed hitters. Those are very average to bad numbers across the board, and he's not a pitcher you should be worried about.
This is where Salvador Perez comes into the picture as a great option for tournaments. He's also a catcher, which can help keep his popularity down, an added bonus to an already great matchup. Perez has a .218 ISO, 111 wRC+, 37.2% fly-ball rate, 37.2% hard-contact rate, and 25.0% HR/FB rate versus left-handed pitchers this season.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B/SS, Cincinnati Reds ($3,300)
The Cincinnati Reds have plenty of power in their lineup and shouldn't be too popular tonight.
With a 3.87 implied run total, the Reds aren't jumping off the page at anyone and will likely be a vastly unpopular stacking option tonight. If you are aiming to get away from the crowd tonight, they should be a team you are considering.
They will be going up against Adam Wainwright, who comes in with some reverse splits this season. By reverse splits, I mean he is worse against right-handed hitters despite being a right-handed pitcher. He comes in allowing a .344 wOBA, 2.12 HR/9, a modest 33.3% hard-contact rate, and a 25.9% HR/FB rate.
If he is giving up a ton of home runs to right-handed hitters, we want to find a righty hitter from the Reds who has power in that matchup. Eugenio Suarez could be the answer with his .227 ISO, 46.4% fly-ball rate, and 21.6% HR/FB ratio. Sure, he has a 30.1% strikeout rate, but the power upside is clear with Suarez in this matchup.