Happy Easter, FANation! We have a full day of MLB DFS action. Draftings and FanDuel bring you a Main 11-game slate while Yahoo covers the entire day of 15 games. So, plenty of options to build your favorite lineup but you won’t have a big day without finding a few value plays to slide in alongside the big stars. I’m here to help you find those high point per dollar plays to get you over the hump- so let’s open todays MLB DFS Value Vault.

PITCHERS

 

David Peterson (NYM) $29 Yahoo

With a possible long absence on the horizon for all-star starter Taijuan Walker, the Mets may have to rely on young David Peterson in the rotation for a while. In the shortened 2020 season, Peterson debuted and threw four straight quality starts to begin his pitching career. Last year Peterson seemed to lose command on his fastball and slider after injuries to his oblique and right foot and ended 2-6 with a 5.54 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Peterson gets the nod today against the weak-hitting Arizona Diamondbacks. If he can maintain command and mix up pitches we may see a sneaky GPP play here. The left-hander already pitched four innings of scoreless relief when Walker exited with the injury last week so there are no issues about him being stretched out. The Diamondbacks are the absolute worst hitting team against left-handed pitching in all of baseball - they come into today’s game ranked 30th in batting average (.130); slugging % (.130); OPS (.372); ISO (.000); wOBA (.191) and wRC+ (18). You can’t ask for a better spot to be in for a young pitcher looking to prove himself.

 

Aaron Ashby (MIL) $28 Yahoo

With the Brewers going with a six-man rotation Aaron Ashby draws today’s start. He has pitched twice this season out of the bullpen with his last game coming on Monday when he threw 68 pitches and 3.1 scoreless innings against the Orioles- so there should be no pitch count issues. This is a highly skilled strikeout and groundball-inducing pitcher with a career 28.4% strikeout rate. He may have a career ERA of 4.55 (small sample) but his 3.05 xFIP and 3.03 ERA tell more of the story of his talent.

Ashby is in the exact opposite situation of Peterson as he is set to face the best hitting team in MLB against left-handed pitching as the Cardinals lead the league in wOBA (.469);wRC+ (208); ISO (.404) and OPS (1.105). With Ashby’s high strikeout ability, he is still worth a shot as a GPP pitcher in large-scale contests.

 

HITTERS

 

Lourdes Gurriel (TOR) $3.9K DK/$3.2K FD/$15 Yahoo

With Teo Hernandez injured, Lourdes Gurriel is holding down the clean-up spot in the potent Blue Jays batting lineup. What a spot to be in – hitting right after George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vlad Guerrero Jr. scream RBIs. The Jays face Adam Oller and Oakland in the series finale. Oller is a right-hander that has only pitched 1.1 major league innings in his career, but a lot happened in that inning and a third – two home runs, three walks, five hits and five earned runs!

Gurriel is also heating up with at least a hit in six of his last seven games and two straight multi-hit games. He has a .190 ISO with a 40% hard contact rate against right-handed pitching and with Oller on the mound he is set up as one of the top values of the slate. \\

 


Aaron Hicks (NYY) $3.1K DK/@2.5K FD/$9 Yahoo

Aaron Hicks made his start in the leadoff spot last night and proceeded to reach base four times in five at-bats in the Yankees 5-2 win over the Orioles. After a disappointing 2021 season, Hicks has resurrected his offense as he leads the Yankees in hitting .348 (8-for-23) plus has a home run with two runs scored, five walks, and a .464 OBP and .942 OPS. 

Will Hicks be the leadoff hitter again today? Aaron Boone did not commit to it in his post-game press conference but Hicks is in a good spot today as he carries a .351 ISO/.369wOBA against lefties into today’s game against southpaw Bruce Zimmerman in a hitters park (Camden Yards). Zimmerman has not been very good with a 4.76xFIP; a strikeout rate below 20% (19%) and a walk rate of 9%. The Yankees showed some life yesterday after the rain delay so this may be a good day to stack up Bronx Bombers.

 

Bryan Reynolds (PIT) $2.9K FD/$20 Yahoo

$2.9K is just too cheap for a player of Bryan Reynolds caliber on FanDuel. The 2021 All-Star just signed a big two-year deal with the Pirates after finishing 11th in NL MVP voting and hitting .302 last year with a .912 OPS. He hasn’t missed a beat with a hit in every game but one this season along with a couple of home runs.

Today Reynolds gets a smash matchup against lefty Patrick Corbin, who he is 3-for-8 lifetime against. The switch-hitting Reynolds has a .387wOBA with 44.8% hard contact to southpaws while Corbin struggles with right-handed bats allowing a .261 ISO/395wOBA and 45.5% hard contact. This all adds up to a big game and home run call for Reynolds.

 

Luis Arraez (MIN) $2.4K DK/$2.8K FD/$14 Yahoo

Pricing is soft on all three sites today. Luis Arraez should be batting second against right-hander Michael Wacha and sub $3K is far too cheap. He has been red-hot through six games slashing .350./.381/.550 with a .931 OPS. Against right-handed pitching, Arraez has arguably been the Twins best and most clutch hitter.

Wacha is a veteran that knows how to pitch. He has a decent xFIP (4.12) and a K rate of 23% while walking only 5.9% of the batters. He will get hit hard though, 46.2% hard contact, and may have issues navigating through a lefty-heavy Twins lineup. Arraez does not strike out (7% since the start of 2021) and has a .344wOBA in the same time span. Get some Twins in your lineup, especially Arraez who shouldn’t let you down.