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-salaried slugger is a lot more common than a total dud from a top-salaried 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-salaried play completely is somewhat unique.
Let's get right into it and take a look at the top value options on today's loaded 14-game main slate.
Anthony DeSclafani, SP, San Francisco Giants
FanDuel Salary: $8,400
Those that took advantage of the delicious Rocky Road matchup last night with Logan Webb were rewarded handsomely by him racking up 52 FanDuel points. Let's go right back to targeting the Colorado Rockies on the road, this time with Anthony DeSclafani.
I covered the extent of Colorado's woes away from Coors Field yesterday, but those numbers have gotten a tad worse after they were shut out last night, so let's revisit it. On the season, the Rockies' 65 wRC+ on the road is -- by far -- the worst in the league, and their 26.1% strikeout rate in that split is good for fourth-worst, per FanGraphs. In fact, as a team, the Rockies are dead last in OPS, ISO, and wOBA on the road.
Meanwhile, DeSclafani is having a solid season, boasting a 3.28 ERA, 3.78 xERA, and 23.3% strikeout rate. The right-hander has racked up 46 or more FanDuel points seven times this season, including outputs of 52 and 64 in two home starts against Colorado. That'll play.
Patrick Wisdom, 3B, Chicago Cubs
FanDuel Salary: $2,900
There haven't been many bright spots for the Chicago Cubs this season, but Patrick Wisdom has certainly been an exception to that.
On the season, Wisdom has smacked 18 dingers in just 221 plate appearances, and he's also tacked on a .379 wOBA. Among all hitters with at least 200 trips to the plate in 2021, the 29-year-old's .305 ISO ranks eighth. Not too shabby.
Luckily for Wisdom, he gets to face a pitcher today who's been Oprah-like in his generosity to right-handed hitters. The 160 opposite-handed hitters to face Jesus Luzardo this year have amassed a .312 average, .959 OPS, .404 wOBA, and 2.57 dongs per nine. Sheesh.
Wisdom is one of the top low-salary power bats to target.
Lourdes Gurriel, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
FanDuel Salary: $2,700
The powerful Toronto Blue Jays will be going up against Seattle Mariners right-hander Chris Flexen.
Flexen's 3.81 ERA is solid, but the rest of his profile is underwhelming. The 27-year-old has accrued a 4.46 xFIP and 4.63 SIERA, and his 16.5% strikeout rate is a real stinker.
The right-hander's metrics are not helped by his struggles against same-sided hitters. The 273 right-handed bats to square off against him this campaign have garnered a .308 average, .826 OPS, and a tad more than a homer per nine innings (1.01, to be exact).
Lourdes Gurriel got off to a slow start this season, but over his last 68 games (254 plate appearances), he's hitting .304 to go with a .870 OPS, 29 extra-base hits (12 home runs), 34 runs, and 39 RBI. Fire him up in any Toronto stacks you build.