This article is part of our The Daily Duel series.
This column will focus on players that are good "Values" in FanDuel's salary cap contests. Typically, I'll try to cover a player or two at each position every week throughout the season. Remember a value here could be a minimum-priced player ($2,200) or a higher-priced option that is still undervalued based on expected production.
VALUES
Catcher
Caleb Joseph, $2,700 - I wrote about Joseph over a month ago after he started getting semi-regular playing time with the Matt Wieters injury. He's arguably the hottest hitter in baseball right now with a home run in four straight games. Joseph isn't a big prospect at age 28, and he's been more or less a career minor leaguer at Double-A Bowie until this season. That being said, he's on fire and for his price he's a good option against left-handed pitching for those looking to punt and save money on the catcher spot.
First Base
Justin Morneau, $3,300 - Morneau has had a nice bounce-back season with the Rockies posting a .314 batting average with 13 home runs and 64 RBI. Not surprisingly he's hit better at Coors Field (.879 OPS) but his road splits aren't terrible (.811 OPS). He's struggled against lefties for a few years now, so don't use him in your lineup in that situation even if the Rockies fail to platoon him properly.
Second Base
Kolten Wong, $3,100 - If loving him is Wong, I don't want to be right. I realize I just lost most of my readers with that last sentence. However, Wong has been raking ever since he returned to the majors after a brief minor league stint. He's raised his OPS almost 100 points over the last month and has eight home runs since July 6 (roughly a month). I've preached all season about second base being pretty thin and with his 17 steals he's a great option with his power/speed combo.
Third Base
David Wright, $2,700 - It's a shock to see Wright priced this low considering he's typically priced among the top-five players at the position. He's struggled since the All-Star break, but has hit safely in his last six games. Provided that his shoulder injury isn't anything serious, he provides a great option at a low price especially with the hot-hitting Lucas Duda protecting him in the lineup.
Shortstop
Jhonny Peralta, $2,500 - I was a somewhat skeptical of Peralta coming into this season given his move to the National League and more of a pitcher's park. Peralta hasn't disappointed for the Cards, hitting 15 home runs and keeping most of his stats within his career norms. His .811 OPS over the last month is very good for the position, and he should be considered against left-handed pitching as his splits have consistently been more favorable against southpaws during his career.
Outfield
Charlie Blackmon, $2,900 - Blackmon has scuffled recently with a .283 OPS over the last week, but he continues to hold onto the leadoff spot for the Rockies. Like Morneau, he's been markedly better at home (.922 OPS) than on the road (.613) and should only be used in Denver. Blackmon has also been better against righties and has 17 of his 20 steals against them.
NEWBIES
First Base
Kennys Vargas, $2,200 - Kendrys, Kennys…maybe I should change my name to Kevins. The first attractive things about Vargas is the price tag, the lowest FanDuel offers. Vargas is going to play a lot the rest of the season, and he has some legitimate upside in the power department. He made the jump straight from Double-A after swatting 17 home runs in just over 400 plate appearances. He's got the makeup of a power hitter, measuring in at 6-foot-5 and over 270 pounds. The early returns have included a spike in his strikeout rate (33.3% K% in six games), but Vargas has shown steady contact skills throughout his time in the minors, and he struck out in just 16.8% of his plate appearances at Double-A this season before getting the call to Minnesota. Even with the whiffs, he hasn't looked overmatched at the plate thus far, hitting safely in five of his first six games.
Second Base
Javier Baez, $2,600 - Baez's price is going to go nowhere but up after his three home runs during the Cubs' three-game series in Colorado. The series included an 0-for-4 game, and there's bound to be some growing pains for the 21-year-old, who struck out in 30% of his plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa this season. Since the start of last season, Baez has hit 60 home runs in the minors, splitting time between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. At the very least, he'll make for an intriguing option when the wind is blowing out at Wrigley, but Baez will get regular playing time for the rest of the season, where he'll likely have a prominent place in the Cubs' batting order to provide his combination of power and speed.
