MLB DFS Value Vault July 5: Darick Hall faces Paolo Espino
It’s another Tuesday chock full of MLB action for us tonight and three sites are uniform with a 12 game MLB DFS slate to work with on July 5th. While on the surface that means we have a plethora of options, finding pitching will be difficult (and risky) and there are also few games with legitimate weather risk. Following along with the latest MLB weather, MLB lineups, and MLB news is very critical tonight. Now, let’s highlight some MLB DFS value options to target for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo! Fantasy!
DFS Value Pitchers
Yusei Kikuchi (TOR); DraftKings - $7,800; FanDuel - $7,900; Yahoo - $36
Oakland’s offense is always going to be one to target from a pitching perspective, and getting them at home makes it that much more appealing. The southpaw is coming off his best start of the season with six innings of one run ball against Tampa Bay in which he picked up his third victory of the season while striking out eight batters and generating seven outs on the ground. Walks have been the biggest problem for Kikuchi this season, 5.17 per nine innings, right alongside the long ball with 2.01 per nine innings. We get the strikeout upside, over 10 per innings, but facing Oakland also works here as they have hit the second fewest home runs in the league so far this year with less than one per game as well as a wRC+ of just 77 for the worst mark in the league.
Cal Quantrill (CLE); DraftKings - $8,300; FanDuel - $8,200; Yahoo - $37
Let’s stick with a theme here in targeting weak hitting opponents as the Tigers have hit just 47 home runs on the season and their wRC+ is barely better than Oakland’s checking in at 78. With a 3.72 ERA on the season, Quantrill has generally been a pretty solid option even if we have to get past the lack of upside given by the 5.66 strikeouts per nine innings, he has generated so far this season. Opposing hitters have a modest 7.4% barrel-rate against Quantrill along with a hard-hit rate of 36.7% and the right-hander should be able to keep the success going tonight.
DFS Value Hitters
Darick Hall, 1B (PHI); DraftKings - $2,700; FanDuel - $2,900; Yahoo - $15
Hall has emerged on the scene in his five games with Philadelphia since being promoted from the minor leagues with hits in three of them which includes three home runs. While his opponent tonight, Paolo Espino, has had success so far this year, he isn’t too imposing and Hall has a good chance to go deep tonight. In 72 games prior to his promotion, Hall went deep 20 times while driving in 67 runs and posting a .280 ISO, and it’s hard to ignore him at tonight’s price with Philadelphia expected to score over five runs as a team.
Eddie Rosario, OF (ATL); DraftKings - $3,500; FanDuel - $2,000; Yahoo - $11
Given Rosario was just activated off the Injured List with an eye injury, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the outfielder struggled earlier this season. Rosario hit .273 in eight minor leagues games as part of his rehab stint prior to returning, and it is very curious at FD let his price drop all the down to the minimum. I keep waiting for Andre Pallante to struggle, he does have a 4.10 FIP and doesn’t strike any one out, and Rosario is not a minimum priced player.
Jake Meyers, OF (HOU); DraftKings - $2,100; FanDuel - $2,900; Yahoo - $10
Getting a very affordable piece of Houston tonight against Zack Greinke certainly is appealing as the Astros are expected to break the five-run mark tonight. After going hitless in his debut, Meyers has hits in six of his first nine games to begin the season and is hitting a solid .273 with six RBI and four runs scored. Based on Houston’s lineup, Meyers generally comes up with guys on base and he has shown the ability to produce.
Jake Lamb, 3B/1B/OF (LAD); DraftKings - $2,200; FanDuel - $2,000; Yahoo - $9
Lamb checks a lot of boxes for us tonight. We don’t have to worry about weather, he faces a struggling pitcher in Germán Márquez, has the platoon advantage, bats in a strong lineup, has the potential to go deep, and is close to minimum price. As an added bonus, you can fit Lamb into your lineup at multiple positions depending on the site so you get some flexibility as well. Lamb has a hit in each of his last three games and for his career hits .253 against right-handed pitching with 77 home runs compared to .171 and 14 home runs against southpaws. Marquez has allowed 1.61 home runs per nine innings so far this year so a Dodgers’ stack could be one of many directions to go in tonight.
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Player News
Max Scherzer (thumb) is scheduled to make a minor league rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Buffalo.
Scherzer completed a simulated game on Sunday without any issues and will throw another bullpen session this week before making his first rehab start. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer is likely to require at least one additional tune-up outings before he’s ready to return to Toronto’s rotation mix, according to manager John Schneider. He’s been on the shelf since late March recovering from a lingering thumb issue. Barring any setbacks, he should be ready by the end of June.
Ryan Weathers is undergoing further evaluation for left shoulder discomfort.
It’s certainly not what fantasy managers want to hear. The positive update is that Weathers checked out fine after being struck in the head by an errant throw to second base during Saturday’s start against the Rays. He experienced diminished velocity during that outing, which led to his removal for precautionary reasons. Shoulder issues are obviously a major concern for any pitcher since they typically lead to extended absences. The 25-year-old southpaw appears highly unlikely to make his next start on Saturday against the Nationals. There should be an update on his status at some point this week, but it certainly sounds like he’ll require a trip to the injured list.
Red Sox selected the contract of OF Roman Anthony from Triple-A Worcester.
The move is official. Anthony arrives in the majors for Monday’s series opener against the division-rival Rays at Fenway Park. He’s in right field and batting fifth in his highly-anticipated major-league debut. The 21-year-old prodigy’s combination of athleticism and consistent hard contact make it relatively easy to envision him making an instant five-category contributor for fantasy purposes. He’s checked every metaphorical box this season at Triple-A Worcester, slashing .288/.423/.491 with 10 homers and three steals across 265 plate appearances over 58 games. He possesses the astronomical upside to be a potential game-changer for fantasy managers over the remainder of the season.
Red Sox placed OF Wilyer Abreu on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain.
It certainly explains why Abreu has been held out of the lineup for the last few games. The 25-year-old corner outfielder could use some extra time off to reset since he’s been mired in an extended slump at the dish, hitting just .206 (20-for-97) with six homers and 24 strikeouts over his last 30 games. The big question for fantasy purposes is how the outfield rotation shakes out in a couple weeks once Abreu is ready to return now that top prospect Roman Anthony has arrived in the big leagues.
Red Sox designated 1B/OF Ryan Noda for assignment.
Noda loses his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster with top prospect Roman Anthony arriving in the big leagues ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Rays. The 29-year-old figures to pass through waivers and remain at Triple-A Worcester.
Braves RHP Craig Kimbrel has elected free agency.
It’s possible this is the end of the road for Kimbrel after Atlanta decides to move on after just one relief appearance where he was sitting in the 92-mph range with his fastball. The 37-year-old, who is sitting on 440 career saves since 2010, was the most dominant closer in the game at his apex with Atlanta last decade. Things completely unraveled last year in Baltimore and he’s never quite bounced back. He’s back on the open market again after going unclaimed on waivers and refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett.