3 MLB FanDuel Value Plays for Thursday 8/3/23
Finding low-salary production is one way to get a leg up on the competition in MLB DFS.
Here are some value plays to target on FanDuel for today's main slate.
Advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.
Julio Urias, Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers ($8,800)
Julio Urias isn't having nearly as good of a season as he had in the past two years. This has caused his salary to drop all the way to $8,800, even in a great matchup.
Urias' ERA has ballooned to 4.98, but his expected ERA (xERA) of 4.16 suggests he should regress a bit. His expected FIP (xFIP) of 4.38 and SIERA of 4.15 suggest he's a better pitcher than he's shown this season. He still has a 22.6% strikeout rate and a swinging-strike rate of 10.2%, which are both solid numbers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will play the last-placed Oakland Athletics at home tonight. Oakland has the third-lowest wOBA (.285) and third-lowest wRC+ (85) against lefties with their active lineup. They also strike out at a 24.2% clip.
According to the MLB odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, the Dodgers are the biggest favorite on this slate. Urias is pretty likely to pick up a win, and he's the best value pitcher in numberFire's model. This makes him a fine option to use at pitcher tonight.
Mike Moustakas, 1B/3B, Los Angeles Angels ($2,700)
The Los Angeles Angels made a trade to acquire Mike Moustakas in June, and with their decision to compete for a wild card spot, he becomes a key bat in their lineup.
Moustakas isn't the hitter he once was, but he still is a useful DFS hitter. That's especially true against righties, as he has a .346 wOBA and 110 wRC+ against them. He also hits fly balls at a 46.0% rate, which will come in handy in this particular matchup.
He will face Bryan Woo of the Seattle Mariners, who is having a strong rookie season. However, he does tend to get smacked around by left-handed hitters. In a small sample, he's allowed a whopping .503 wOBA and a .385 ISO to lefties.
The Angels have a healthy implied team total of 4.63 runs in this game. Moustakas is a sneaky candidate to go deep in this game, and with Shohei Ohtani not being rosterable as a hitter, he's one of the best Angels' bats available.
Chris Taylor, OF/3B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,800)
When teams like the Dodgers and A's meet, it makes sense that multiple Dodgers will be values.
Chris Taylor might be the best value hitter on the team. Some of his numbers have declined, but he does have a career-best .223 ISO. Against lefties, that number shoots up to .313, and he also has a .343 wOBA and 117 wRC+ against southpaws.
Taylor will face a lefty who won't scare many people in JP Sears. Sears has a 5.01 xFIP and a 56.7% fly-ball rate. Taylor hits fly balls 57.4% of the time against lefties this season, making a homer a distinct possibility.
The Dodgers will be a popular team to stack on this slate, but Taylor might not be the most popular option in that stack depending on his lineup spot. His platoon advantage makes him a really nice value play, and his positional eligibility makes him fairly easy to plug into any lineup.
The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.