MLB

4 Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Plays for 5/2/16

Jason Schandl  —  @JasonSchandl May 2nd, 2016
Despite a slow start to the year, Prince Fielder has huge upside tonight. Who else should you target for big-time fantasy value?

Building daily fantasy baseball lineups can be intimidating. On any given slate, you have a massive number of options in front of you and a ton of factors to consider.

We're here to help take some of that burden off and break down some hitters who you can slot into your lineup for nice and cheap, while still being well-positioned to provide your lineup with solid fantasy production.

Let's take a look at where we can find value on today's slate.

Prince Fielder, 1B, Texas Rangers

FanDuel Price: $3,100

Prince Fielder has been lackluster to start the season, but with a .297 BBAIP and 7.1 percent home run-to-fly ball rate that are both well below his career averages, there's plenty of reason to believe things will turn around.

He's up against R.A. Dickey tonight, who has a 4.41 xFIP and 1.17 home runs per nine against lefties over his career and who's coming off of a 2015 season in which he posted a 4.76 SIERA.

Fielder has had huge success against righties over his career, with a .401 wOBA and .249 ISO, and while his best years may be behind him, he's due for positive regression, and this matchup with Dickey is a good spot to showcase that.

Mitch Moreland, OF, Texas Rangers

FanDuel Price: $3,300

Once again targeting R.A. Dickey and his shaky numbers against lefties, Mitch Moreland is a great value tonight.

As I mentioned, Dickey is coming off of a very unimpressive 2015 and has a career 4.41 xFIP against left-handed hitters, and Moreland excels against righties.

Over his career, Moreland has a .342 wOBA and a .204 ISO against right-handed pitchers, with a 35.4 percent hard-hit rate. The Rangers' offense hasn't been anything to write home about this year, but this is a great matchup, and Moreland has big upside tonight.

Randal Grichuk, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

FanDuel Price: $2,800

The right-handed Randal Grichuk has posted reverse splits through his first few seasons, hitting an impressive .357 wOBA and .246 ISO in 350 plate appearances against righties. He strikes out a lot, but with the high ISO and a 38.7 percent hard-hit rate, there's a lot more "boom" than "bust" potential there.

He's also not exactly up against a killer tonight in Jeremy Hellickson, who sports a 4.27 SIERA and 17.9 percent strikeout rate over his career, while giving up 1.23 home runs per nine against righties.

While his floor is low, Grichuk can offer huge upside at a really low price point tonight.

Preston Tucker, OF, Houston Astros

FanDuel Price: $2,000

Keep an eye on whether Preston Tucker is in the starting lineup for the Astros today because, if he is, then he offers huge fantasy value while priced at the minimum salary.

The Astros have the second-highest implied total of the day against Jose Berrios and the Twins. Berrios is a promising prospect, but he struggled in his first Major League start, and Preston Tucker has been exceptional against right-handed pitching.

In 304 plate appearances against righties, Tucker has a .340 wOBA and a .235 ISO. At his rock-bottom salary and the Astros' solid implied total, he's in a great spot tonight.