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There are plenty of ways to spend up today in the early slate on FanDuel, but if you’re going to pay up for Max Scherzer, or have exposure to the Brewers and Rockies at Coors Field, then you’ll need to find some high-upside DFS options on the cheap. Let’s take a look.
Adam LaRoche (Getty Images)READ MORE: SN Fantasy | Today’s SP rankings | Daily hitter matchups | DFS Playbook
STARTING PITCHER: Trevor May, Twins vs. Cubs @ Minnesota ($6,800)
I don’t think Trevor May is a top-of-the-rotation starter on a good team or is the next big thing, but I think he can be slightly better than average from here on out. His 3.16 FIP is more than a run lower than his 4.26 ERA, and he’s been able to limit the damage against lefthanded hitters (2.84 FIP), something that young righthanded pitchers often struggle with. He’s league-average in terms of strikeout rate and walks, but his 9.2-percent swinging-strike rate leads me to believe he can be a tick better than average with strikeouts. The Cubs are worth attacking when you have a pitcher on the mound that can generate Ks, due to their hefty 25.3-percent whiff rate.
FIRST BASE: Adam LaRoche, White Sox vs. Nick Martinez @ Chicago ($2,400)
Nick Martinez has somehow managed to carry a 2.76 ERA in to late June, but his 4.80 xFIP tells a very different story. Looking at ZIPS and Steamer projections for him from here on out, and we’re looking at nearly a 5.00 ERA pitcher. Even if you aren’t buying a complete regression like the projections sites do, it’s clear that Martinez doesn’t have sub-3.00 ERA stuff. LaRoche is dirt-cheap and gets a solid ISO bump against Martinez in a plus run-scoring environment in Chicago.
SECOND BASE: Scooter Gennett, Brewers vs. Chad Bettis @ Colorado ($3,000)
We can still get exposure to the game with the highest projected total (10.5 runs) in Colorado if you’re smart about it. Scooter Gennett had Friday night off with the lefthanded Jorge de la Rosa on the mound, but you can expect to see Scooter in the lineup here today against Chad Bettis. With Carlos Gomez’s (hip) status up in the air, there’s a chance that Gennett hits near the top of the order today.
THIRD BASE: Trevor Plouffe, Twins vs. Jon Lester @ Minnesota ($2,700)
We often see Trevor Plouffe in the No. 3 spot when the Twins face a lefthander, which is a huge boost to his value. Plouffe is one of the top slugging third baseman, and feasts on lefties (.462 SLG). In tournaments, you want power upside and players who aren’t highly owned. The added benefit of rostering Plouffe is that he’ll be under 10-percent owned with Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant on the board.
SHORTSTOP: Marcus Semien, A’s vs. Jered Weaver @ Oakland ($2,400)
At first glance you might pass on Marcus Semien because he doesn’t have the handedness advantage against Jered Weaver, but Semien has reverse splits this season, hitting better against righthanded pitching than he is against lefties. He’s about league average (99 wRC+) against southpaws, but he enters play on Saturday with a 112 wRC+ against RHPs. If you aren’t familiar with wRC+, it means he’s been 12 percent better than the average hitter when facing RHPs. His spot in the lineup is fluid depending on who’s in the lineup, making him a great Tulowitzki fade if he’s hitting near the top.
OUTFIELD: Gerardo Parra, Brewers vs. Chad Bettis @ Colorado ($2,600)
This is perhaps the best play of the bunch. Gerardo Parra has had a strong June (.336 wOBA. 110 wRC+) and lately, the Brewers have been hitting him leadoff against righthanded pitching. I’m always a fan of top-of-the-order road bats, since they’re guaranteed to get nine innings of at-bats and volume helps. Vegas has the Brewers at 4.9 runs here, the second highest mark on the slate. Parra frees up a lot of cash for bigger bats, and offers upside as well.
Ryan Noonan is a daily fantasy contributor here at the Sporting News for both MLB and NFL. His work can also be found at TheFantasyFix.com and DraftKings.com. His ‘Baseball Fix’ podcast can be found on ITunes and YouTube by searching ‘TheFantasyFix’. Find Ryan on Twitter @RyNoonan.
