3 MLB FanDuel Value Plays for Friday 4/26/24

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Finding low-salary production is one way to get a leg up on the competition in MLB DFS.

Here are some value plays to target on FanDuel for today's main slate.

Advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs. Betting lines via the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Betting odds as well as our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- may change after this article is published.

MLB DFS Value Plays

Luis Gil, P, Yankees ($8,400)

It's a pretty great pitching slate from top to bottom. There are three value pitchers on my radar today -- Luis Gil ($8,400), Bailey Ober ($8,500) and Kyle Harrison ($8,200).

While I think you can make a solid case for all three of them, I side with Gil thanks to his strikeout upside. The New York Yankees' right-hander owns a 34.5% strikeout rate, and his strikeout prop is at 6.5 with -118 odds on the over for today's clash with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Of course, there's a reason Gil is striking out more than one-third of batters yet is salaried at $8,400 -- he has a wee bit of a problem with walks. OK, it's actually a really big problem as Gil sports a hideous 20.2% walk rate. That's not good for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it limits how deep he can go into games, with Gil yet to go past 5 2/3 frames.

But the strikeout ceiling is hard to ignore, and Milwaukee helps in that department as the Brewers have the 12th-highest K rate (23.2%).

On a slate with Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen in friendly matchups, I want strikeout upside tonight if I'm going with a value pitcher. Gil has it.

Randy Arozarena, OF, Rays ($2,800)

Randy Arozarena against a bad pitcher at $2,800? Sign me up.

Arozarena will see Chris Flexen tonight. Flexen finished 2023 with a 5.11 SIERA and 15.9% strikeout rate. He's been even worse so far this campaign, posting a 5.20 SIERA and 12.9% K rate. He had reverse splits a year ago, with righties blasting him for a .432 wOBA. Yes, .432. And that was over a large sample of 232 righties faced.

Arozarena's salary is $2,800 because he's stunk this year. He's struggled his way to a .224 wOBA with a 29.1% strikeout rate. But a .194 BABIP is partly to blame, and on the heels of three straight 20-20 seasons, Arozarena is going to get it figured out eventually.

With +390 odds to hit a home run and the Tampa Bay Rays checking in with the second-best implied total (4.77), Arozarena is a superb value play. Just check the weather for this game prior to locking him in.

Joc Pederson, OF, Diamondbacks ($2,800)

Whenever the Arizona Diamondbacks are scheduled to face a meh righty, Joc Pederson will be a viable value.

That's the case on Friday as the Snakes take on Emerson Hancock. The Seattle Mariners' right-hander has a mere 15.1% K rate through his first 32 2/3 MLB innings. While that's not much of a sample to go on, Hancock also permitted a 46.8% fly-ball rate in 98 1/3 Double-A innings back in 2022.

Arizona's 3.93 implied total doesn't scream upside, but I think they're a sneaky-good stack today. At a minimum, I like Joc as a one-off option.

So far this season, Pederson is doing his usual damage against righties, recording a .401 wOBA and 39.0% fly-ball rate in the split. He carries +340 odds to hit a home run.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.