After the Seoul Series and an exciting second take on Opening Day on Thursday, the Major League Baseball season is off and running. The first Friday night of the season has eight games on the main fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings to get the weekend off to a fantastic start. The slate starts at 6:50 p.m. ET to include the Jays-Rays matchup in Tampa and includes all the games the rest of the night.
In the early part of the season, it’s always exciting to find new players in places to produce. As teams settle into their regular lineups and rotation, there are always plenty of strong value options that emerge. Let’s dive right into Friday’s player pool and find the best bargains that can help balance your lineup and save your salary cap space this Friday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Bat Flip [$100K to 1st]
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SP A.J. Puk, Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $7,000
Puk will make his first Major League Start on Friday against the Pirates, but there are plenty of reasons to like the 28-year-old lefty as an affordable option. After 142 games out of the bullpen in his MLB career, Puk earned his spot in the Marlins’ rotation with an exceptional 1.32 ERA this Spring Training. He allowed just two earned runs in 13 2⁄3 innings while stacking up 23 strikeouts. He stretched out to over five innings in his most recent outing, which came against the Astros last Tuesday. Puk gets a favorable matchup at home in the dome against the Pirates, who are expected to be one of the lighter-hitting teams in the league. Last season, Pittsburgh specifically struggled against southpaws, ranking in the bottom seven in the MLB in ISO, wOBA and wRC+ against lefties. They also ranked in the top 10 in K% against lefties, so Puk has a good chance to stack up strikeouts. He has been pounding the strike zone all spring, and his high strikeout upside gives him a high ceiling at $7,000.
1B Lamonte Wade Jr., San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres, $3,400
The Giants loaded their lineup with free agent additions this offseason, but Wade still should start in a prominent lineup spot against right-handed pitchers. He hit third on Opening Day and went 1-for-2. He’s a very affordable middle-of-the-order bat and has a solid matchup against righty Joe Musgrove on Friday night. Typically, Musgrove has good reverse splits against lefties, but Wade has had success against him in their past meetings, going 6-for-20 with a pair of home runs. Last season, Wade set a new career high playing in 135 games and posted a .347 wOBA and .161 ISO with 17 home runs. His 122 wRC+ and 2.1 WAR were also career highs. He’ll look to build on those numbers this season, and hitting at the heart of a much-improved lineup makes him a good play under $3,500 on Friday’s slate.
OF Victor Scott II, St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers, $2,000
The Cardinals had planned on starting Scott in the minors, but an injury to Dylan Carlson (shoulder) opened the door for the 23-year-old prospect to get the Opening Day start. Scott batted eight and went 0-for-3, but he got to show off his upside on the basepaths after reaching on an error. He got his first MLB stolen base and should continue to get the green light any time he is able to reach. He swiped an impressive total of 94 bases last season while splitting time between High-A and Double-A, and then he added 18 more in the Arizona Fall League. His hitting has improved at those levels as well, and he posted hit .303 batting average and a .794 OPS last season. It’s questionable if his bat is fully MLB-ready yet, but his speed gives him a great ceiling as a minimum-salary flier as long as he remains the Cardinals starting CF.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Bat Flip [$100K 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 skill 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.
