Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up (to the tune of cold hard cash) to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.
Utilizing our projections as a guide and looking at the odds provided at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are some spots where you can find value today in the prop-betting market.
Here are some MLB player prop bets to make tonight.
Please note that betting lines and our game projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. Also, the weather may be an issue in some locations.
Matt Olson To Hit a Home Run (+280)
The Atlanta Braves have a sky-high 5.47 implied run total tonight and a great matchup.
When it comes to searching for home runs, the Braves lineup offers plenty of great options. They have power on both sides of the plate, and when they have a favorable matchup, we often see the home runs early and often. That is what we could be seeing tonight with their matchup against Jose Urena of the Colorado Rockies.
This season, Urena is allowing a .480 SLG, a .400 wOBA, a 5.50 xFIP, 1.26 HR/9, and a 34.6% hard-contact rate versus left-handed hitters. Not good at all! Those are some of the worst numbers on the slate and it puts the Braves' sluggers in a great spot.
That leads us to Matt Olson, who is rocking a 129 wRC+, a .360 wOBA, a .269 ISO, a 42.3% fly-ball rate, and a 43.7% hard-contact rate versus right-handed pitchers this season.
Olson is hot at the plate right now with three multi-hit games over his last four outings. We should also look to add Olson To Record an RBI (+100).
Aaron Nola Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-124)
For a strikeout prop, Aaron Nola is a pitcher to trust tonight.
To put things simply, the Philadelphia Phillies are coming off of two bad losses, and it's time for their ace to get things back on track. Getting shutout by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday and blowing a 7-0 lead last night to the Arizona Diamondbacks is a rough look for a team aiming for the postseason.
Nola is in a spot to stop the bleeding and continue showing his elite skillset. Overall on the season, Nola is carrying a 28.5% strikeout rate and an 11.8% swinging-strike rate -- both of which are in the top 20 of the league overall.
Since the All-Star break, Nola has six starts under his belt and has posted a 32% strikeout rate or higher three times. On top of that, we have seen Nola go for at least 91 pitches in all six of these recent starts, where the last two were both over 100 pitches. This is a great sign he won't be pulled early.
Nola has seven-plus strikeouts or more in five of his last six starts, and he posted 9 and 11 strikeouts, respectively, in the two most recent outings. He will be taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks, who come in with a 20.8% strikeout rate versus right-handed pitchers (20th in the league).
While that isn't insanely high, Nola is performing at an elite level and will go deep into the game, allowing him plenty of chances to punch hitters out. Considering his strong consistency, it's reasonable to add Nola 8+ Strikeouts (+162).
Kyle Tucker To Record an RBI (+115)
The Houston Astros have a 4.15 implied run total tonight and should be able to pour on the offense.
The Astros are taking on Dane Dunning, a pitcher who is rather uninspiring overall. This season, Dunning is allowing a .470 SLG, a .366 wOBA, a 4.71 xFIP, a 16.5% strikeout rate, 0.97 HR/9, a 29.9% fly-ball rate, and a 31.6% hard-contact rate to lefties this season.
It's a mixed bag for Dunning, who doesn't allow a ton of flyballs or home runs but does have a .322 Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP). This means that Dunning is a pitcher who gets hit around a lot, and combined with the fact he isn't a big strikeout pitcher, it puts opposing teams in a favorable spot.
Kyle Tucker stands out in this matchup with his 154 wRC+, .382 wOBA, .238 ISO, 46.6% fly-ball rate, and 37.1% hard-contact rate versus right-handed pitchers. Tucker also carries a low 16.9% strikeout rate, showing that he doesn't waste chances at the plate.
All of this puts him in a great spot to contribute at the plate tonight.