MLB DFS Value Vault April 25: Cody Bellinger Stays Hot
Published: Apr 25, 2022
We begin another week tonight, and what better way to do so than by winning some cash playing MLB DFS. If you are playing on DraftKings tonight, your slate begins an hour earlier (6:10 PM on the east coast) than FanDuel and Yahoo, but you also get seven games instead of five. As we work on building our lineups, let’s dig into some value options to help fit in some studs.
Pitchers
José Berríos (TOR); DraftKings - $5,500; Fanduel - $7,800
Quite honestly, I’m not sure what is going on here at DK. Berrios couldn’t get out of the first inning against Texas to begin the season allowing four runs on three hits and two walks, but the right-hander did bounce back in last two starts. The match-up against Boston might not be the best, but they are only hitting .228 against right-handers so far this season. Berrios faced the Red Sox in his last start and allowed just one run in six innings while scattering eight hits and striking out six. What stands out here, is that Berrios’ price on DK actually dropped $1,800 heading into tonight. The track record with Berrios is there, and things are moving in the right direction after a slow start.
Merrill Kelly (ARI); DraftKings - $7,200; Yahoo - $28
The pricing is all over the place tonight as Kelly is the cheapest pitching option on Yahoo and priced up in the stud category on FanDuel. It’s hard to argue with how Kelly has begun the season as he has a microscopic 0.59 ERA in 15.1 innings (1.72 FIP) over three starts while striking out 10.57 batters per nine innings. It is clear that Kelly is looking much better than last season, and while we can’t argue with what our eyes are telling us, the Dodgers are a tough opponent as they are hitting .260 against right-handers with the fourth most home runs (14). At this price though, Kelly is worthy of your GPP attention.
Hitters
Mark Canha, OF (NYM); Draft Kings - $2,300; Fanduel - $3,100; Yahoo - $13
Canha might not jump off the page as being an exciting option, but the pricing is soft for an everyday player who has proven to be a capable run producer. The outfielder has four multi-hit games so far this season and he is batting .306 with six RBI while continuously producing tough at bats. New York’s lineup has proven to be capable of putting runs on the board so far this season, and even though Canha bats further down in the order, there are still plenty of opportunities for him.
Cavan Biggio, 2B/OF (DK), 2B/3B (FD); 2B (Yahoo); (TOR); Draft Kings - $2,300; Fanduel - $2,100; Yahoo - $7
Let’s play that BVP game tonight with Biggio. Through 23 at bats this season, Biggio has been terrible this season (and that might be a complement) with just one hit and 10 strikeouts. Biggio has the platoon advantage tonight and, perhaps more importantly, he has two career home runs in eight at bats against Nathan Eovaldi who he is slated to face tonight. We are going out on a limb tonight, but Biggio is cheap and eventually he has to get another hit, right?
Cody Bellinger, OF (LAD); DraftKings - $3,200; Fanduel - $3,300; Yahoo - $16
I know it feels like beating a worn-out drum here, but Bellinger’s price still allows for a lot of upside and value. After hitting just .165 in 95 games last season, Bellinger is moving in the right direction as he looks to bounce back. Bellinger went deep twice yesterday and now has four home runs and eight RBI on the season, and while there are still questions about the long-term viability for this over the remainder of the season, we are only attacking things one game at a time from the DFS angle.
Michael Brantley, OF (HOU); DraftKings - $3,500; Fanduel - $2,600; Yahoo - $15
It’s a favorable matchup for Houston tonight against Dane Dunning, and batting second for the Astros, Brantley figures to be in the middle of things. Brantley is once again having a strong season as he is hitting .316 with two home runs and seven RBI and seven runs scored, and while there might not be tremendous upside, we are getting him at a solid price to fit into an Astros stack.
Player News
Rhys Hoskins went 4-for-4 with a homer, a double, five RBI and a walk in powering the Brewers past the Guardians 9-5 on Wednesday.
Hoskins was batting .182 and slugging .205 on this day a month ago. He’s since hit .349 with five homers, six doubles, 20 RBI and 13 walks in 26 games. He’s even stolen two bases. It looked like Hoskins might have been done as a mixed-league first baseman after his mediocre 2024, but he’s definitely worth playing now.
Logan Henderson struck out seven while allowing two runs over five innings Wednesday against the Guardians.
Henderson has a 2.45 ERA and 16 strikeouts between his two spot starts for the Brewers. There’s a good chance he’ll be sent back down now, but he seems like a better bet than Quinn Priester at the end of the rotation. That said, Priester did help his cause by allowing one run in five innings against the same lineup last night.
Gavin Williams yielded two runs in five innings Wednesday in a no-decision against the Brewers.
Williams struck out six. He gave up a homer to Sal Frelick on a ball that would have left only eight of the 30 ballparks, according to Statcast. Williams, who is 3-2 with a 4.29 ERA for the season, will pitch in Minnesota next time out.
William Contreras went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and four runs scored versus the Guardians on Wednesday.
It’s the first time in his career that he’s scored four runs. Contreras’s exit velocity numbers have been off as he plays through a fractured finger, but he had three hard-hit balls today and all of them found grass. He came into the day with a .128/.209/.205 line this month.
Jhonkensy Noel struck out all three times he was up before being replaced by a pinch-hitter Wednesday against the Brewers.
Noel got some extra playing time a couple of weeks ago, but he didn’t do much with it, and the start today was only his second in 10 games. Just 23 years old, he’d seem in line to benefit from extra at-bats in Triple-A, and there’s a good chance that he’ll be sent down when Lane Thomas is activated.
Harrison Bader made an early exit from the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Orioles.
Bader was 1-for-2 with an RBI before being replaced by DaShawn Keirsey Jr. in center field after grounding out in the third inning. He managed to remain in the opening contest of the twin bill after a collision with the outfield wall in foul territory, but it’s possible his early exit is related to that incident. There should be an update on his status shortly.