Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Bargain Buys, Sleepers for July 19

Andrew GouldJul 19, 2015

Everyone loves a good bargain. While daily fantasy participants often need to purchase luxury players to profit, they'll make a bigger dent by ransacking the clearance rack.

Chris Sale and Buster Posey are really good at baseball, but you already knew that. Besides, those using Sale will need to operate on a tight budget elsewhere. The same goes for Max Scherzer, Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez, Madison Bumgarner and all the other aces capping off the weekend.

DraftKings gamers needing frugal roster solutions should look at these low-risk, high-reward plays.

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SP Jon Niese, New York Mets ($7,000) at St. Louis

Ben Margot/Associated Press

On a day featuring so many aces, Jon Niese marks the epitome of boring. Neither his 6.02 strikeouts per nine innings nor his 4.15 fielding independent pitching (FIP) signifies a strong daily option. The St. Louis Cardinals aren't exactly a cupcake opponent, either.

Yet gamers paying over $13,000 for Sale or Scherzer may simply want to hold the fort down with their second starter, particularly in cash contests. Niese has notched five straight quality starts and an impressive 54.2 ground-ball percentage.

St. Louis also struggles against lefties, registering a .657 OPS and 24.4 strikeout percentage. Against Tim Cooney, the New York Mets at least have a fighting chance of offering their starter enough run support to earn a victory.

1B/OF Mark Trumbo, Seattle Mariners ($3,400) at N.Y. Yankees

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

A fly-ball-prone lefty at Yankee Stadium? This is a matchup made in heaven for Mark Trumbo.

The all-or-nothing swinger sports a career .504 slugging percentage against southpaws, and righties have dismantled CC Sabathia to .325/.367/.565 and 18 homers this season. Through 35 innings at home, the former ace has surrendered 30 earned runs.

After a dreadful start for the Seattle Mariners, Trumbo is hitting .378 (14-for-37) in July with two doubles and a dinger. This is the perfect opportunity for him to go deep again. Although he doesn't qualify as a bargain or sleeper, Nelson Cruz also represents a strong play at $4,400.

C Josh Phegley ($3,100) and SS/3B Marcus Semien ($3,300), Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Underneath Tommy Milone's sparkling 2.84 ERA lies a 4.26 FIP and .778 OPS against righties. Given their success against southpaws, Josh Phegley and Marcus Semien stand to exploit his stark splits.

Player	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	wRC+
Phegley	67	.306	.358	.516	148
Semien	89	.296	.348	.444	124

Unfortunately, both players usually start at the bottom of the Oakland Athletics' batting order. Although not ideal, they're cheap options with pop at scarce positions. Gamers can do far worse in a punt or tournament gamble.

C/OF Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs ($3,100) at Atlanta

Brett Davis/Associated Press

Back up with the Chicago Cubs—potentially for good this time—Kyle Schwarber won't maintain a .556 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) much longer. He also won't cost $3,100 beyond the weekend.

There isn't much to take from his seven-game sample size, but the highly touted prospect forced his way into an MLB gig with 16 homers through 75 minor league games this season. Even against Shelby Miller, he's worth a spin.

1B Mike Napoli, Boston Red Sox ($3,000) at L.A. Angels

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Even during his abysmal season, Mike Napoli has a .345 weighted on-base average (wOBA) and five of his 10 homers against lefties. A career .273/.386/.517 smasher of southpaws comes cheap against Hector Santiago, whose 2.33 ERA led him to a last-minute All-Star inclusion.

Santiago, however, isn't even a top-10 starter going on Sunday. His .244 BABIP craves regression, and his 50.8 fly-ball percentage—baseball's second-highest clip behind Chris Young—spells trouble ahead.

OF John Mayberry Jr., New York Mets ($2,000) at St. Louis

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

An even deeper punt, John Mayberry Jr. holds a career .526 slugging percentage against lefties. An irregular starter hitting .186 doesn't shout "play me," but that's why he costs the $2,000 minimum. Hey, things worked out for anyone who punted with Kirk Nieuwenhuis based on his platoon splits. How about just one homer instead of three?

Note: All advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs.

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