The slates are a little odd today to say the least, so we are just focusing on the 1:00 and 4:00 games for the Value Vault. For those playing in the evening, there will be a Core Plays article to help you build your lineups! There’s a couple solid games for us value seekers out there, and quite a few bats that caught my eye. There’s even an arm that I find intriguing due to the matchup, despite two rough outings his last two times out on the bump.

Without further ado, let’s jump in and take a look at the best value options on the afternoon slate!

DraftKings

Hyun Jin Ryu, SP TOR ($8,000 DK) - Over the last two weeks, the Detroit Tigers have the third-highest strikeout rate (26.1%) and the eighth-lowest team OPS (.677). In this two week stretch, only the Cubs and Tigers have a strikeout rate north of 26 percent a team OPS below .700. Ryu has been better on the road this year compared to at home, and while he has struggled in his last two outings, he was excellent back in July, posting a 2.73 ERA across 26.1 innings. I don’t like his price point on FanDuel and the fact that you can only play one pitcher, but I’ll take the dive with him as one of my two starters on DraftKings at this price point in a GPP.

Mike Zunino, C TB ($3,700 DK) - Zunino is a bit more expensive than someone I typically include here, but I had to. I had to! He’s 7-for-27 with two home runs in his career off Dallas Keuchel and the Tampa Bay backstop has a 1.258 OPS against southpaws in 2021. Over his last 32 at-bats, Zunino has homered five times, and posted a .344 batting average and 1.219 OPS.

Frank Schwindel, 1B CHC ($2,600 DK) - Schwindel is hitting .333 with a 1.194 OPS against lefties in 2021 and he’s swinging a hot bat at the moment, hitting safely in eight of his last 10 games with five multi-hit efforts. In August, he’s hitting .371 with a 1.103 OPS and over the last week, he’s hitting .320 with one home run, six RBI and two runs scored. Kansas City’s Kris Bubic has allowed a .272 batting average to right-handers this year, not to mention a .366 wOBA.

Yahoo

Kolten Wong, 2B MIL ($14) - I love this price point for Wong today on Yahoo. He’s hitting .265 with a .332 wOBA against right-handers this year, and Washington’s Paolo Espino has surrendered a .260 batting average to left-handed hitters this year. Over the last week, Wong is hitting .269 with a .783 OPS, and not to mention one home run, four RBI, two runs scored and one stolen base.

Patrick Wisdom, 3B CHC ($11) - Wisdom has an .820 OPS against southpaws in 2021, and at home this year, he has a solid .920 OPS. It’s been a cold month of August for Wisdom, but he loves southpaws, and Kansas City’s Kris Bubic has allowed a 6.10 ERA on the road and 14 home runs in just 38.1 innings this year. Wisdom is my sneaky choice to hit a round-tripper this afternoon.

FanDuel

Corey Dickerson, OF TOR ($2,600) - Holy BvP numbers! The Toronto lineup is fearsome enough, but poor Wily Peralta can’t catch a break, as Corey Dickerson is 6-for-10 with two home runs against him for his career. Dickerson has a .265 batting average and .736 OPS against right-handers this year, and since coming to Toronto, Dickerson is hitting .282 with an .872 OPS and an average exit velocity (92.1 mph) that is nearly six miles per hour faster than his time in Miami (86.5 mph) this year.

Abraham Toro, 2B/3B SEA ($2,800) - Toro is 1-for-3 with a home run against Jake Odorizzi and the Seattle infielder has a .756 OPS against righties. Since being traded to the Mariners, Toro is hitting .309 with an .879 OPS, while cutting his strikeout rate nearly in half. Toro is firmly in cash game consideration today, especially at this price.