A full slate of games throughout Saturday provides daily fantasy baseball competitors with plenty of high-profile choices no matter what contests they enter. However, you often need some bargain picks to really help separate you from the pack.
If you want to draft guys like Noah Syndergaard or Paul Goldschmidt, you better be set to counter it with one of these value plays.
Afternoon Contests
Mat Latos, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers ($7,500)
There aren’t many great options available at this time, but Mat Latos represents solid upside in his second game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 27-year-old veteran allowed just one run in six innings in his debut after being traded from the Miami Marlins, marking five quality starts in a row.
He has the ability to keep this up against a Pittsburgh Pirates lineup dealing with injuries.
Mark Trumbo, OF, Seattle Mariners ($3,500)
While more has been expected of Mark Trumbo, the powerful right-handed hitter has been heating up lately, via Greg Johns of MLB.com:
The recent surge should continue against left-handed starter Martin Perez of the Texas Rangers. The young pitcher has a 6.64 ERA this season and has allowed a .350 batting average to righties, which makes Trumbo (as well as Nelson Cruz) a good pick on Saturday.
Ruben Tejada, SS, New York Mets ($2,600)
His glove has earned him more playing time at shortstop, but Ruben Tejada has also come through at the plate in recent games. Interestingly, he has also been much better on the road this year (.323 batting average compared to .198 at Citi Field).
After totaling five hits in his past two starts (both on the road), he is a good value bet to continue this trend in Tampa Bay.
Night Contests
Jeremy Guthrie, SP, Kansas City Royals ($4,900)
You are probably skeptical about using a starting pitcher who has a 5.65 ERA, especially after he allowed seven earned runs in his last start. However, Jeremy Guthrie has been a completely different pitcher at home, totaling a respectable 3.96 ERA at Kauffman Stadium compared to 7.66 on the road.
Considering the Royals always give him a good chance of earning a win, Guthrie could be a reasonable pitching option for extremely cheap.
Chris Davis, 1B, Baltimore Orioles ($4,200)
After some time out of the spotlight, Chris Davis is once again showing the skills that helped him lead the majors in home runs just two years ago.
The Baltimore Orioles first baseman has been on a tear lately, hitting a home run seemingly every other game while driving in plenty of runners in the process. If he can keep this up, you will certainly get your money’s worth at this price.
Jose Reyes, SS, Colorado Rockies ($3,700)
It’s usually smart to avoid picking Rockies hitters on the road, but Jose Reyes hasn’t gotten too acclimated to his new environment for this to matter. However, he does know how to beat Stephen Strasburg with five hits in 14 at-bats (.357) against him, via ESPN.
With Strasburg a question mark while returning from the disabled list and Reyes capable of producing points with his bat and his speed, this is a smart value bet.
Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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