3 MLB FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Wednesday 6/22/22
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?
Trey Mancini, 1B, Orioles ($2,900)
The Orioles were shut out on Tuesday, but they're in a great spot to bounce back -- assuming the weather cooperates.
Against left-handers, Baltimore has a 114 wRC+ since May 15th, so in this clash against Patrick Corbin, this will absolutely be the best version of them you'll find. Corbin himself has struggled, too. He has a 6.32 expected ERA (xERA), and he's been clobbered for a 44.1% hard-hit rate.
The Nationals' bullpen also has the sixth-highest xFIP since May 15th (4.40), leading one to conclude the fun likely doesn't stop when Corbin is gone.
The O's are surprisingly high-salaried (likely due to this matchup), but Trey Mancini is still hanging out below $3,000 on FanDuel. He's compiled a solid .732 OPS against left-handed pitching this year.
No player is above $3,400 in their projected lineup, so this stack won't break the bank regardless, but Tyler Nevin and Adley Rutschman could also slide into quality lineup spots as value alternatives.
Gio Urshela, 3B, Twins ($2,400)
I am addicted to stacking against Triston McKenzie.
McKenzie's 2.98 ERA is sparkling, but it's masking a 4.18 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA). For a guy who will be getting All-Star votes, his 40.7% hard-hit rate and 9.5% barrel rate allowed are both nearly identical to what he posted last year when bouncing between the Guardians and the minor leagues.
Tonight, he'll have a date with the scorching Minnesota Twins. Minnesota has posted a .777 OPS against right-handed pitching since May 15th, and many of their key offseason acquisitions are finally hitting, including Carlos Correa, Gary Sanchez, and Gio Urshela.
Coming off an outlier year, Urshela's struggles were especially concerning, but in his non-preferred split against righties, Gio has turned it on for a shocking 119 wRC+ and .163 isolated power (ISO) since May 15th. Normally a good target against lefties, Urshela may slip through the cracks a bit today.
Urshela, Sanchez, Max Kepler, and Alex Kirilloff could all find decent spots in the batting order in Wednesday's lineup, and they're a supreme value stack.
Rafael Ortega, OF, Cubs ($2,200)
The Pirates --yes, those Pirates -- have bullied the Cubs in the first two games of this series. Revenge could be on the way.
Tonight, Chicago draws right-hander Jerad Eickhoff. If Eickhoff's name sounds familiar, he spent his early career as a starter with the Phillies and Mets, but he flamed out of the big leagues with two straight seasons of an xFIP over 5.15. Eickhoff has been working in Triple-A Indianapolis all season, but a 4.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP there isn't overly convincing that he's turned it around.
On top of that, the Buccos' bullpen (4.28 xFIP this season) hasn't been a strength if Eickhoff ends up struggling.
Like the Orioles, a Cubbies stack won't break the bank in any configuration, but Rafael Ortega gives you the most bang for your buck. At just $2,200, Ortega has slid from the leadoff spot to the three-hole -- likely because he's been so good against lefties (.722 OPS).
Ortega, Patrick Wisdom, and Jonathan Villar are three quality bats below $3,000 if you're targeting Shohei Ohtani as your hurler, but the quality value pitchers on this slate might also mean it could be a day to spring for Christopher Morel or Willson Contreras.
