Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Buys For Monday, 9/19

Our look at daily fantasy baseball value buys continues as a new week is upon us with a healthy 10-game Monday slate. It’s not too big, yet not too small, seeming like the perfect spot to set up shot in a big DFS MLB GPP and hope for a big win.

If you’re on the hunt for value buys so you can reach up for an ace and stack up some heavy hitting, consider taking a dive for some of these guys:

SP: Jharel Cotton – Athletics ($5.9k)

At first glance, Cotton may not jump off the page, as he has just two MLB starts under his belt and pitches for an Oakland team that by all accounts has been awful in 2016. Of course, we do need to take in account a recent tear that had Oakland go 6-4 in their last 10 games, including four wins in their last five contests.

Oakland has been bringing their bats lately, which could offer some nice run support for Cotton at his home base.

Beyond a livelier offense, why are we into Cotton? For starts, he’s cheap. Whether you want an ace or not, his price tag is attractive and even more so if you do want to pay up for MadBum or someone else.

⚾️: 7:05 PT
📺: CSNCA, @MLBTV
📻: @957thegame
Jharel Cotton and the A's return to the Coliseum. #GreenCollar pic.twitter.com/Dm5MWAHY3e

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) September 19, 2016

Cotton also hasn’t been half bad, as he notched a win in his pro debut (along with 19 fantasy points) and kept it together for a no decision his last time out (10 fantasy points). Getting a win tonight against the Houston Astros isn’t necessarily on the table, but Houston does strikeout a ton and if they struggle, they tend to do so on the road.

Cotton isn’t a lock to crush it, but he’s been good, is at home, has a decent matchup and has an offense backing him that is red hot. There are worse gambles to be taken.

C: Tom Murphy – Rockies ($3k)

This one is easy and probably pretty chalky, but we don’t care. Murphy is at home at Coors, where even a stellar Carlo Martinez is at risk of implosion. Oh, and he’s been mashing when he’s gotten the start He double-donged last game and now has four homers in his last 10 appearances.

Murph isn’t a lock to go yard again, but a cheap bat at Coors is always worth investing in and he represents killer value. There probably isn’t another catcher we’d want to try on Monday night, regardless of price.

1B: Chris Davis – Orioles ($3.8k)

Anytime Crush makes good sense, we like to take the dive. Tonight he faces Rick Porcello, who has been freaking amazing pretty much all year, but could see his play drop a scorch tonight at Camden Yards.

Porcello isn’t quite as untouchable on the road, where he’s given up twice as many homers (14 to 7) as he has in Fenway and has also suffered two more losses (3). Porcello also hasn’t been amazing against the Orioles, failing to get a win and allowing four jacks in two tries.

Crush has fared pretty well in this batter vs. pitcher matchup, too, getting 8 hits and 3 dongs in 32 at bats against Porcello. That’s not efficient, to be sure, but at home and at a decent price, Crush could make good sense.

Crush is batting a woeful .223 on the year, but he hammers righties and feels like a solid value.

2B: Devon Travis – Blue Jays ($3.8k)

A lot of people might oddly be off of Blue Jays tonight, as they take on Seattle pitcher Taijuan Walker, who nearly pitched no hitter last time he toed the rubber.

Elite performances usually don’t come in pairs, especially not for a guy as volatile as Walker. That puts all of Toronto in play in Seattle tonight, with Travis representing one of the best value plays.

Not only could the matchup end up being a lot better than advertised, but Travis brings a little bit of everything to the table tonight: He’s efficient, generally reliable, offers some pop and also owns right-handed hurlers.

Devon Travis extends his career-high hit streak to 15 games. That is the longest hit streak on the #BlueJays this season.

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) September 18, 2016

He comes in hot, too, having hit safely in each of his last 10 outings. That streak is actually up to 15 games now, and while it should end eventually, there is enough evidence to suggest tonight won’t be the night.

3B: Yuli Gurriel – Astros ($2.9k)

We don’t personally love the idea of using Gurriel against Cotton, but he’s cheap enough that it could make sense on the right roster.

The reality is Gurriel is just super reliable (and red hot) right now, having offered up at least one hit in 9 of his last 10 appearances. He’s even displayed some power, with two dongs during that stretch. Cotton is far from unhittable (even though we like him), so this isn’t a bad value play to try. Ideally you’re not using Cotton if you’re giving Gurriel a try, of course.

Gurriel has positive splits and also offers positional versatility (1B/3B), so you can move your lineup around as needed and still fit him in.

SS: Daniel Descalso – Rockies ($3.6k)

It’s tough to dive fully into a Coors stack tonight, seeing as Carlos Martinez is a very good pitcher and he’s in a bit of a groove. That being said, Coors gonna Coors.

That puts Descalso on the map as a nice value shortstop, especially since the position is a bit inflated and overrated tonight. The good news is he has decent splits against righties and comes in fairly hot. Descalso offers some mild power, but in Coors everyone has extra pop. He comes in with at least one hit in seven consecutive games, so he seems like a fairly safe try at first glance.

OF: Andrew Benintendi – Red Sox ($2.9k)

Anytime Beni is out there we need to give him a look, seeing as he’s pretty efficient and always dirt cheap for some reason. He’s been back for two games now and put up 5 and 9 fantasy points. He’s at the bottom of the order and on the road tonight, but there might not be a better value play across the board.

Beni is slapping .324 on the year and while he offers little pop (just one homer) he’s safe to get on base and from there he should have a decent chance to top his value given the weak price tag. Oh, and his splits work out, as he smashes righties. He’s probably not bringing any power tonight, but he gives you serious roster flexibility and should get you a few fantasy points.

That does it for Monday night’s look at some daily fantasy baseball value buys. Hopefully some of these guys help you win some cash. Regardless, good luck in your games!