3 MLB FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Tuesday 6/21/22

With production being highly variable on a night-to-night basis, daily fantasy baseball plays a bit differently than other sports.

As a result of this, the primary method of selecting hitters is to "stack" certain teams in good spots to produce. Most of the top stacks on a given day come with hefty salaries. In addition to that, a vast majority of pitchers with the upside to win tournaments are high-salaried hurlers.

Therefore, crushing your value plays can be the secret sauce to taking down a tournament. That could be a low-salaried pitcher piling up strikeouts or a low-salaried hitter swatting a long ball.

Which budget options stand out today on FanDuel?

Taylor Ward, OF, Angels ($2,900)

It's kind of hard to fathom what's happened to the Los Angeles Angels.

A 14-game losing streak led to Joe Maddon's firing, and this star-studded offense just simply can't put runs on the board at present. Yet, somehow, FanDuel Sportsbook is forecasting them for 5.07 implied runs tonight. It's because of their date with Kansas City.

The Royals with start with Jon Heasley, whose 3.72 ERA is masking an ugly 5.43 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA). Heasley has largely been lucky to avoid the consequences of his 44.5% flyball rate and 44.1% hard-hit rate allowed. Once he's gone, he'll hand it over to a bullpen with the worst xFIP in baseball since May 15th (5.09).

It's not often you'll find a potential All-Star in the bargain bin, but Taylor Ward is. While he has cooled down a bit recently, Ward still has a .990 OPS and 185 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, and the righty can mash lefties (178 wRC+) from the 'pen as well.

Ward headlines a slew of quality value bats around Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, including Max Stassi, Jared Walsh, and Brandon Marsh at or below the $3,000 mark on FanDuel.

Rougned Odor, 2B, Orioles ($2,200)

The Beltway Series begins Tuesday, and the Orioles and Nationals' pitching staffs always have the potential to allow an avalanche of offense to their opponent.

I'd rather take a swipe at Baltimore today. Washington right-hander Erick Fedde has a higher SIERA (4.81) and hard-hit rate (42.3%) than Orioles' starter Jordan Lyles, and he's also got a lower strikeout rate (18.3%). Plus, in terms of xFIP since May 15th, Baltimore's bullpen (4.10) has been in much better form recently than Washington's (4.51; third-worst in MLB).

With a righty on the bump, Rougned Odor is on the menu. Odor's overall output against righties hasn't been world-class (77 wRC+), but the .194 isolated power (ISO) he's posted is the single-game upside you're hoping for in a great matchup.

Surprisingly, Odor and Adley Rutschman are the only pair of O's bats under $3,000 across the heart of their order. With slightly higher salaries, they could go largely ignored in this phenomenal matchup.

Oneil Cruz, SS, Pirates ($2,000)

If you haven't heard the name Oneil Cruz yet, this is your official warning signal.

Cruz is a dynamic prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and it took him precisely one game to make an imprint in the big leagues. He posted Pittsburgh's hardest-hit ball, fastest throw from the infield, and fastest sprint speed this season -- all in his very first outing. He looks like every bit of a five-tool star.

Importantly, the Buccos finally managed some offense in his debut. They posted 12 on the Cubs Monday, and Matthew Swarmer isn't an overpowering assignment for Tuesday. Swarmer has scuffled to an 8.74 FIP with a 45.9% hard-hit rate allowed in four MLB appearances this season.

The Cubbies' bullpen is also scuffling, posting the third-highest FIP in baseball since May 15th (4.65).

There are some legitimately fun bats to attack Swarmer in this stack. In addition to Cruz, Jack Suwinski has been on a power binge (.361 ISO versus righties) since his call-up. Ke'Bryan Hayes (50.0% hard-hit rate) should see his luck turnaround soon, and Bryan Reynolds and Dan Vogelbach are reliable veterans with pop in this platoon.

This might be the best place to spend down if Nestor Cortes or Kevin Gausman are your preferred options at pitcher.