Daily Fantasy MLB Injury Analysis: April 12th
True Grinders usually start their days by scouring injury lists in an opportunity to locate some value for their lineup. This is because, as with any sport in Daily Fantasy, one player’s pain is another’s gain (sorry Epic Win guy). We’ve gone through each roster spot and identified an injury-driven, value play for each roster spot at FanDuel for Tuesday, so you can upgrade at the positions if needed. Now go break a leg.
Pitcher: Esmil Rogers ($3,300)
Injured: Ubaldo Jimenez – Ubaldo is out another week, so Esmil Rogers is getting the start tonight. He’s a bit risky, but he had an ERA of 1.23 and a WHIP of 0.68 in his first. Sure it was vs. the Pirates, but the Mets aren’t that far off. Most importantly, he’s dirt cheap if you want to go strong on batting today.
Catcher: Matt Treanor ($2,900) or Brayan Pena ($2,800)
Injured: Jason Kendall – Kendall won’t be back from shoulder surgery for a while, and Treanor has been playing solid in his absence. The problem is that the two back-up catchers have been alternating starts, making it hard to predict who will go today. Luckily, the worse of the two is still averaging 1.6, while Treanor is averaging 2.7 ppg, making the Treanor-with-plan-‘B’rayan combo a solid play today at the Catcher spot.
First Base: Mark Trumbo ($2,300)
Injured: Kendrys Morales – Trumbo’s game log is far from enticing so far this season, but there aren’t too many deep-value options at 1B today(do keep an eye on La Roche however). Your best bet is probably to go with a stud here, but Trumbo is priced with good value on FanDuel and carries a moderate ceiling. Just make sure to temper your expectations.
Second Base: Wilson Valdez ($3,000)
Injured: Chase Utley – Utley doesn’t seem any closer to coming back to action, and Valdez is averaging close to 2 points per game so far this season (largely due to a 12 point monster of a game the other day). The top five second basemen are priced at $3,700, so at a $700 discount, Valdez is a solid choice today against Livan Hernandez who is off to a rocky start.
Third Base: Sean Rodriguez ($3,000 – 2B) or Felipe Lopez ($2,900)
Injured: Evan Longoria – To add to the Rays’ woes, Longoria is out three weeks with a strained oblique. Sean Rodriguez should be a solid play in his abscess, but he’s listed as a 2B on FanDuel. If you’re desperate for a cheap third baseman, keep an eye on Felipe Lopez who has been slowly stepping it up in the absence of Longoria and now Manny Ramirez.
Shortstop: Jamey Carroll ($2,900)
Injured: Rafael Furcal – Furcal is out indefinitely with a broken left thumb (probably the four-to-six week variety), but there are rumors he is talking retirement over the latest mishap. It’s an unfortunate blow to Furcal, but either way there should be some value in his absence for Carroll with Casey Blake also out.
LF: Mike Brantley ($3,200)
Injured: Grady Sizemore – With Crowe and Sizemore out, Mike Brantley has been stepping up nicely averaging 2.0 ppg. Haren is on fire so far this season though, so use him with caution.
CF: Aaron Rowand ($3,000)
Injured: Andres Torres – Torres may be headed to the DL, and at the very least he’s out this week. Rowand has been a capable fill-in at CF in Torres absence, and is only $3,000 on FanDuel.
Alternatively at OF: Sam Fuld (TB – $2,300) is on fire at the moment, and provides great value at only $2,300
Cameron MacMillan
RotoGrinders.com Fantasy Content Manager