3 MLB FanDuel Value Plays for Friday 7/21/23

Finding low-salary production is one way to get a leg up on the competition in MLB DFS. Oftentimes, filling out a lineup with quality value plays on the back end is the difference between cashing and going home empty-handed.

Here are some low-salary players to target on FanDuel for today's slate.

Clarke Schmidt, P, New York Yankees ($8,000)

If you're looking for a starter on today's slate that can save you some big bucks for the rest of your lineup, look no further than Clarke Schmidt.

The New York Yankees starter has had himself a better season than some may realize, putting up respectable numbers and showing that he can be a good piece of the rotation. Through his 19 starts and 94 innings pitched, Schmidt has put together a 4.07 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) and a 23.3% strikeout rate. He's not among the elite in the majors but he's a serviceable pitcher -- especially for DFS lineups as he has an ideal matchup to take advantage of.

The Kansas City Royals have been one of the league's bottom-tier teams in almost every category this year, setting up Schmidt for a good outing at home. Kansas City is ranked 29th in the league with a .290 weighted on-base average (wOBA) -- tied for the league-worst with the Oakland Athletics. The Royals are also striking out at a high rate, coming in at 7th most in the league at 24.3%.

It should be a good day for Schmidt as Kansas City has the second worst implied total of the day according to numberFire's heat map with a 3.57.

Schmidt has the fourth-highest projection amongst starters today per numberFire's model, coming in at 33.5 FanDuel points.

Edouard Julien, 2B, Minnesota Twins ($3,000)

It's only a small sample size but Edouard Julien can swing the bat and do it well.

While the sample size is only 49 games, the 24-year-old has been impressive for the Minnesota Twins. Julien is currently swinging to the tune of a .316/.391/.566 line that features an eye-opening .406 wOBA. His strikeout numbers are still high (31.4% strikeout rate) but everything else tracks well.

The 9 home runs for the second baseman have made him an instant power threat also. Julien also has 165 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) to add to quality stats all around.

Julien will see Lance Lynn oppose him on the mound, someone who has been streaky, to say the least, this season. Lynn owns a 6.06 ERA and while his 3.80 SIERA says he's been better than that, he's still allowed a staggering 24 home runs thus far. The Chicago White Sox hurler also has a 4.96 fielding independent pitching (FIP).

Out of all batters on today's slate, Julien has the third most projected points on numberFire with 14.3.

LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B, San Francisco Giants ($2,900)

The final value of the day worth a look is LaMonte Wade Jr, who represents a San Francisco Giants team you should be considering up and down your lineups today in terms of stack purposes.

Wade has finally found himself a consistent spot this season with the Giants and he's showing every game that he's earned it. The first baseman has been good at the plate through 84 games, rocking a .371 wOBA and an expected wOBA (xwOBA) of .381. He's also lowered his strikeout rate to 18.4%, putting the ball in play and making things happen for the Giants as his walk rate is the highest of his career (16.9%). Wade has a .387 wOBA against righties so he should feel right at home in the box today.

This will all match up quite nicely against the Washington Nationals starter Jake Irvin, who has been pretty beaten up in his rookie year on the hump. He's sporting sky highs with a 5.45 SIERA and a 5.25 FIP. Get the Giants in your lineups up and down as Michael Conforto and Joc Pederson are also good, cheap options to pair with Wade.

The numberFire model projects Wade to finish with 12.7 FanDuel points.

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.