With this a small of a slate, you have to chase upside. There’s only a handful of games from which to choose, so don’t be afraid to get creative. Is there some chalk? Sure, but not a lot, and zigging where others zag is imperative on these smaller slates. Below, I provide some of my favorite plays of the day that afford you some financial flexibility to get some of the higher-priced players on the slate.
Let’s jump on in and see what arms and bats made today’s Value Vault!
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Nicky Lopez, 2B/SS KC ($3,000 FD/$3,300 DK/$15 Yahoo) - Until his price gets higher where it should be, I’m leaving Nicky Lopez in here and not looking back. He’s hitting .500 over the past week, and a smooth .418 over the last two weeks. Sure, he’s not homering a bunch, but he’s been a consistent source of fantasy points, hitting safely in nine of his last 10.
Harold Ramirez, OF CLE ($2,400 FD/$2,100 DK/$11 Yahoo) - If Ramirez doesn’t crack the lineup tonight, you can always pivot to Oscar Mercado in this matchup. However, if Ramirez plays, he’s a guy I want in all of my lineups. He’s hitting .289 with an even .800 OPS against southpaws, and he’s posted a quality .379 with a .931 OPS in 29 at-bats against Kansas City pitching this year.
Yahoo!
Javier Báez, 2B NYM ($13) - On a small slate, you have to risk it for the biscuit. He’s hit safely in five of his last six games, and over the last two weeks, he’s hitting .267 with an .879 OPS. Yes, those numbers may not jump off the page, but the pop is there and while Zack Thompson can make for a good play tonight (see below), his strikeout numbers of late have been underwhelming. If you aren’t rostering Thompson, Baez is a solid play in terms of chasing upside.
Ryan McMahon, 3B COL ($13) - McMahon has an .827 OPS versus right-handers this year, and like most Colorado hitters, he loves hitting in his home park. He has an .860 OPS at home this year, not to mention a .502 slugging percentage. McMahon has been cold of late, but he has upside at his home park that you typically don’t get for this cheap. On a small slate, you go for upside, and McMahon’s 20 home runs and 23 doubles on the year show that he can rack up fantasy points quickly, especially against right-handers.
FanDuel
Ian Happ, 2B/OF CHC ($3,000) - Happ is 5-for-8 in his career against Mitch Keller with not one, but two home runs. Keller has routinely struggled at the big league level, especially with left-handers. Left-handed hitters are hitting .350 with a .411 wOBA against Keller in 2021, and while Happ has uninspiring numbers against right-handers this year, this particular right-hander hasn’t been much of a challenge for Happ. The switch-hitting Happ has a .310 batting average over the last two weeks to go along with a 1.046 OPS.
Oscar Mercado, OF CLE ($2,400) - Mercado has been better against southpaws this year than righties, posting a .279 batting average and .765 OPS. The Cleveland outfielder is hitting .333 over the past two weeks with a .948 OPS and just two strikeouts in 24 at-bats! Furthermore, he’s 5-for-12 with a home run and two stolen bases against Kansas City pitching this year, which is good for a .417 batting average and 1.250 OPS.
DraftKings
Sandy Alcantara, SP MIA ($8,200) - I originally had Zach Thompson here, as I thought he would start, but we are treated to Sandy Alcantara at less than $1,000 more expensive than what Thompson was! The Mets have posted the 11th-highest strikeout rate over the last two weeks and 13th-highest mark in the month of August. Alcantara has seven or more strikeouts in five of his last six outings, and and in four straight. He has at least 26 DraftKings points in his four most recent starts, and he instantly becomes my favorite arm of the day.
Bobby Dalbec, 1B BOS ($3,100) - Shane McClanahan is a tough foe, but I’ll still go with Dalbec against a lefty. Dalbec has a .267 batting average and .787 OPS against southpaws in 2021 and he’s hitting a savory .412 over the past week. If you look at the past two weeks, he’s sitting at a .321 batting average and 1.246 OPS. He has an .821 OPS against Tampa Bay pitching this season, but what I love to see is that he has just seven strikeouts over the past two weeks. If he’s not swinging and missing, watch out.
Player News
Carlos Narváez went 2-for-4 and clubbed a three-run homer on Sunday night, propelling the Red Sox to an 11-7 victory over the Yankees.
The 26-year-old backstop crushed a 372-foot (101.0 mph EV) three-run shot off of Carlos Rodón in the sixth inning that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 advantage for the Red Sox. Narváez also drew a walk and singled in the ballgame. On the season, he has slashed a respectable .282/.361/.459 with six homers and 22 RBI in his first 191 plate appearances.
Kristian Campbell launched a two-run homer on Sunday night, helping to lead the Red Sox past the Yankees in New York.
The 22-year-old rookie infielder tagged Yankees’ starter Carlos Rodón for a 349-foot (99.0 mph EV) two-run shot in the fifth inning that tied the game at two runs apiece. It was just his second home run since April 29 and first since May 13. Campbell also drew a walk and singled in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-3. On the season, he’s now slashing .233/.323/.364 with five long balls, 20 RBI and two stolen bases in 234 plate appearances.
Rafael Devers went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and a pair of runs scored on Sunday night as the Red Sox bested the Yankees in New York.
Devers did his damage in the ninth inning, crushing a leadoff 393-foot (111.2 mph EV) solo shot off of Brent Headrick that extended the Red Sox’ advantage to 10-5. He was also hit by a pitch in the sixth inning and rode home on a three-run shot by Carlos Narvaez. The 28-year-old slugger is now slashing a healthy .283/.407/.522 with 14 homers and 57 RBI on the season.
Aroldis Chapman picked up his easiest save of the season on Sunday, recording the final out against the Yankees to protect a four-run advantage.
That out came after Robert Stock had given up a couple of runs at put another couple of runners on with two outs, putting the tying run in the on-deck circle. That’s when Red Sox’ skipper Alex Cora turned to Chapman to end the threat. The 37-year-old southpaw needed just three pitches to strike out Anthony Volpe to end it. On the season, he sports a brilliant 1.71 ERA to go with a 35/9 K/BB ratio over 26 1/3 innings and 11 saves in his first 12 chances.
Hunter Dobbins picked up his third victory of the season on Sunday evening, limiting the Yankees to three runs on four hits over his five innings of work.
The 25-year-old right-hander surprisingly did not walk or strike out a batter in the ballgame. He served up a mammoth two-run homer to Aaron Judge before he had even recorded an out in the contest, but settled in nicely afterwards and allowed just a solo shot to DJ LeMahieu in the fifth the rest of the way. Dobbins got four whiffs on 64 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 28 percent. Now 3-1 on the season, he’ll tote a 4.20 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 37/10 K/BB ratio (49 1/3 innings) into a rematch against the Yankees on Saturday evening at Fenway Park.
Aaron Judge went 3-for-4 and clobbered his 22nd and 23rd home runs of the season on Sunday night, but it wasn’t enough to power the Yankees past the Red Sox.
Judge absolutely demolished a first-pitch fastball from Hunter Dobbins for a 436-foot (108.6 mph EV) opposite-field two-run shot that gave the Yankees an early 2-0 advantage. He also drew a one-out walk in the sixth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jazz Chisholm Jr. Jude also pulverized a 1-2 fastball from Robert Stock for a 398-foot (108.9 mph EV) two-run shot in the ninth inning. The 33-year-old outfielder is having a season for the ages, slashing an utterly ridiculous .396/.493/.771 with 23 homers, 55 RBI and five stolen bases through his first 64 games.