Friday night shapes up to be a great night of fantasy baseball as teams get a busy weekend underway. There are 12 games on the main featured slate on DraftKings, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET. The game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians has been disabled from the main slate since it is now part of a doubleheader. There are four other teams off the slate with early contests, but with 24 teams of players to pick from there is no shortage of intriguing matchups to attack. Of the 12 games on Friday, four are divisional contests and many have significant implications in the playoff race
As always when playing DFS fantasy baseball, be sure to monitor any updates leading up to the first pitch that should impact your lineup. You can keep up with all the latest injury, weather and lineup news by installing the DK Live app and following DraftKings Network on X (@DKNetwork). I’m also on X (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the regular season races play out and we get geared up for what should be an outstanding postseason.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants ($12,700) – On this jam-packed slate there are plenty of strong options on the mound, but none can match Strider’s upside, especially in a matchup with the Giants. Strider continues to lead the league in strikeouts and K/9 rate by significant margins, and he has been a phenomenal fantasy producer most of the season. He has averaged 24.4 DKFP per start on the year and has posted over 26 DKFP in eight of his last 10 outings since a rough patch in June. He had one rough outing in Pittsburgh but has been locked in outside of that, producing 27.9 and 30.2 DKFP in his two most recent home starts.
On the season, Strider has averaged 9.0 strikeouts per start and has been even better at home, where he has posted a 15.14 K/9 rate. He hasn’t faced the Giants this season, but it should be a great matchup for him since they are fourth in the majors with a 24.8% K% and have scored the fewest runs of any team over the past 30 days. In that 30-day window, the team is hitting just .206 with an MLB-worst .266 wOBA. This should be a great spot to smash the ‘stache since his strikeouts give him an incredibly high ceiling. He is a pricey play, but there are other spaces to save salary, and I’ve highlighted some of my favorite cheap plays below to help you pay up for Strider.
Other Options – Pablo Lopez ($10,600), Michael Lorenzen ($9,200)
Value
Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($7,700) – Heaney is coming off a very short start against the Giants last Saturday, but he was under the weather and missed his previous bullpen session. He only lasted 1 1⁄3 inning and finished with zero fantasy points. If we overlook that outing, though, Heaney’s upside quickly becomes apparent since his two previous outings were outstanding home starts against the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins. In those two starts, Heaney totaled 11 2⁄3 shutout innings while allowing six hits and striking out 15. He had 21.2 DKFP in the win against Miami and 38.3 DKFP in his win against Chicago.
All season, Heaney has picked up strikeouts when pitching at home. He has 77 strikeouts in 69 2⁄3 home innings and has a 4.13 ERA and 4.42 FIP at Globe Life Field. Heaney should be set up for another strong start since the Brewers have hit just .232 as a team against left-handed pitchers this season with a 25.7% K% that ranks as the third-highest in the MLB in that split. Heaney will look to continue their struggles and get back to his form from before the bizarre outlier in his most recent start. He has a very high ceiling for a play under $8K and can help balance out paying up for an ace like Strider.
Other Options – Kyle Gibson ($8,200), Zack Thompson ($5,600)
INFIELD
Stud
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($6,600) – Seager has been limited to 78 games this year by various injuries, but when he has been available, he has been outstanding. He has a .348 batting average, .444 wOBA and 22 homers on the year, and 12 of those home runs have been in his past 23 games. During that span, he averaged 13.1 DKFP per contest with a .333 batting average and .483 wOBA. On Friday, he’ll take on Brandon Woodruff ($10,900) and the Brewers in the first game of this series between division leaders. Woodruff has also been limited by injuries and has struggled with lefties like Seager since returning, allowing three homers and a .357 wOBA to lefties in his four starts this season. Seager should be in a great spot to keep smashing as a strong pay-up option at SS.
Stud
Zack Gelof, Oakland Athletics vs. Baltimore Orioles ($5,400) – There haven’t been many bright spots in the Athletics in 2023. Still, Gelof’s arrival and production over the past few weeks have definitely been impressive. He has emerged as the face of this next wave of rebuilding and established himself as a big part of their future. The 23-year-old second-round pick from 2021 has hit .294 with 11 doubles, eight homers, a .339 ISO and a .409 wOBA over his 28 games in the majors. He averaged 10.9 DKFP on the season and 12.7 DKFP over his past 17 games. Gelof and the Athletics only managed one win on their six-game road trip and now come home for a tough matchup with Baltimore. While the team may continue to struggle, Gelof is proving a source of hope for the franchise and a great fantasy option at 2B.
Other Options – Pete Alonso ($5,300), Triston Casas ($4,300), Ke’Bryan Hayes ($4,100)
Value
Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($3,200) – Lewis is back on track after returning from his latest injury. When he has been available, he has had a strong season but has been limited to 28 games. He hit .343 with four homers, two stolen bases and a .377 wOBA in those 28 games and jumped right back into the middle of the lineup for the Twins after being activated on Tuesday. He went 1-for-4 with 9.0 DKFP in his return and was even better on Wednesday when he went 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base for 20 DKFP. Dating back to before the injury, he went 20-for-47 (.426) in his past 13 games with an average of 9.5 DKFP per game. The 24-year-old 3B brings a high ceiling for a play with such a low price.
Value
Nicky Lopez, Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants ($3,000) – Lopez was acquired from the Royals in a trade deadline move that was largely off the radar. However, it became more than just a footnote when Ozzie Albies (hamstring) landed on the IL on Tuesday. Lopez has started each of the three games at 2B in place of Albies. Lopez is only hitting .232 in his 74 games on the season, but he has shown a high ceiling during his brief time with the Braves. He had 37 DKFP with a home run in his first start with the team and had 22 DKFP with a stolen base on Monday. He came up empty in the two games since then, but he has enough speed to serve as a second leadoff hitter from the ninth spot in the order for Atlanta, and if he can get on base ahead of the top and middle of the lineup, he should be in a good run production spot. Lopez is a cheap way to get some exposure to the Braves’ high-power offense as they take on Alex Cobb ($7,900). He also adds the flexibility of fitting at either 2B or 3B.
Other Options – Josh Bell ($3,400), Pablo Reyes ($3,300), Luken Baker ($2,200)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros ($5,500) – I rode the Rodriguez train all year last year, so it’s been great to see him smash out of his sophomore slump and re-emerge as an elite fantasy option over the past few weeks. He’s been back in my picks on a regular basis and continues to offer elite production at his salary from the mid-$5000s. Rodriguez has been trending in the right direction for a few weeks but burst back onto the scene in a big way on Thursday, going 5-for-5 with a pivotal home run, five RBI and 36 DKFP against the Royals. With multiple hits in eight of his past 12 games, he averaged 16.25 DKFP with a .436 batting average, .309 ISO and .510 wOBA. He smashed three home runs and stole four bases in those 12 games, and his hard-hit rate of 61.7% shows there hasn’t been anything flukey about his turnaround.
Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals ($4,500) – Castellanos is another outfielder who has been surging and producing above his price point in recent weeks. He has been a streaky hitter throughout his career and is on a nice run now. In his 15 games this month, Castellanos hit .313 (20-for-64) with six home runs and a .403 wOBA. He averaged 11.1 DKFP per game in that stretch and had multiple hits and double-digit DKFP in five of his past eight games. He and the Phillies are in D.C. for the weekend after splitting a pair of games in Toronto.
Other Options – Ronald Acuña Jr. ($6,700), Fernando Tatis Jr. ($6,000), Nolan Jones ($4,600)
Value
Oscar Colas, Chicago White Sox at Colorado Rockies ($3,100) – It shows how badly things are going offensively for both the White Sox and the Rockies that they’re playing at Coors Field and still haven’t been mentioned until this point of the post. Colas is one of the few options I think makes sense even with the boost in elevation. He hit safely in seven of his past 10 games with a pair of home runs and a .300 wOBA. He gets a good matchup with Peter Lambert ($5,300), who has let lefties post a .406 wOBA including four home runs against him this season.
Value
J.P. Martinez, Texas Rangers vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($2,500) – This is Juan Pablo Martinez not to be confused with J.D. Martinez ($5,100) of the Dodgers, who costs a lot more and is dealing with a groin issue. The lesser-priced Martinez has been a nice call-up for the Rangers and gets that good matchup for lefties against Woodruff highlighted above. After being called up six games ago, Martinez went 8-for-19 (.421) in his first six games with a double, four runs scored and four RBI. He was a big-time international signing a few years ago but hadn’t really produced until this year at Triple-A when he hit .312 with 12 homers and a .431 wOBA for the Round Rock Express. If the Rangers ride the hot hand and get Martinez in the mix against Woodruff, he’s an affordable option that comes with lots of upside in an elite lineup.
Other Options – Hunter Renfroe ($3,100), Dominic Canzone ($2,900), Matt Wallner ($2,400)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
