Mark Foltynewicz (SP-ATL): The hard-throwing righty tossed 8 scoreless innings, striking out 4 without allowing a walk in a winning effort against the Royals. In fact, Folty hasn't allowed a free pass in his last two starts. While his 97% strand rate screams regression, his 17% HR/FB rate also does in the opposite direction. After showing a lot of promise in the Astros system, Folty has fought bouts of wildness and lack of confidence in his secondary offerings with the Braves. Now that he's showing progress in those areas, the stuff and the upside are too good to pass up. Buy, knowing that wins will be hard to come by and inconsistencies will abound.
Mallex Smith (OF-ATL): The promising rookie went 3 for 4 with 1 run, but was caught stealing for the 5th time. After stumbling out of the gates, Smith has settled in nicely at the plate and looks to have secured plenty of AB's in moving forward. Yes, he is 2 for 21 against lefties, yes he swings and misses 13% of the time, and yes he's 6 for 11 in stolen base attempts. However, only 11 players in all of MLB have stolen more bases, and while speed is necessary for successful thievery, learning to time pitchers and when to pick your spots in the Bigs are too. Look for him to learn these nuances as the season progresses.
Shawn Kelley (RP-WAS): While Jonathan Papelbon earned his 11th save, Shawn Kelley continued his scoreless run to begin the season and makes for a great speculative pick. Papelbon has posted a 17% K-rate and 4.69 xFIP and has witnessed his swinging strike rate dip by 4% to 8%. Kelley, meanwhile, has posted a 36% K-rate, an 18% swinging strike rate, and an xFIP of 2.00. Dusty Baker prefers the veterans and is known as a player's manager, so Papelbon has plenty of leash. However, the peripherals don't look promising, making Kelley a recommended stash.
Adam Duvall (OF-CIN): AD was the lone bright spot for the Reds, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Duvall has earned regular AB's in the Reds outfield and has posted a .369 wOBA and a 125 wRC+. The 30% K-rate will continue to put downward pressure on the AVG, but his elite 40% hard-hit rate should mitigate that and enable him to maintain a respectable surface performance. Add to this his 104.4 MPH average speed off bat with an average distance of 403.3 feet on his 6 homers, and we have the makeup of a legitimate power hitter.
Alex Wood (SP-LAD): As the 8th highest priced SP on FanDuel, look to Alex Wood ($8100) and his date with the Cardinals as an upside tournament play. Many will likely avoid the lefty, as the Cardinals have posted the 9th best offensive output against southpaws in 2016. However, Alex Wood has figured out his woes, posting a 25:3 K:BB ratio in his last 18 and 1/3 innings. And he loves the friendly confines of Dodgers Stadium. There is risk here, but the K-upside and the high win potential (thanks to a date with the struggling Mike Leake) make this a worthwhile investment.
DFS (FanDuel) Value Play Recommendations:
Rubby De La Rosa ($6600)
Odubel Herrera ($3700)
Christian Yelich ($3600)
Justin Bour ($3400)
Derek Dietrich ($3300)
Matt Kemp ($3100)
Chris Carter ($3100)
Melvin Upton ($2800)
Domingo Santana ($2300)
