After a few games in the afternoon to deal with early-season weather, Friday night’s featured Major League Baseball slate includes the seven games taking place under the lights. The solid slate starts a few minutes early at 6:40 p.m. ET to include the Reds-Mets and Phillies-Nats games that get started just before 7:00 p.m. ET. The latest game in the set features the Red Sox continuing their season-opening trip to the West Coast and stopping in Anaheim for the Angels home opener.
Most teams are a week into the season now and going through the rotation for a second time. We’re starting to get a feel for players’ form and how teams will approach certain matchups and situations. It’s still early in the season, but great value options are already standing out and emerging as strong DFS fantasy baseball options. Let’s dive right into Friday’s player pool and find the best bargains to help balance your lineup and save salary cap space.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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SP Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets, $8,300
The Reds won 2-of-3 games in both of their first two series this season and come home this weekend to host the struggling Mets. New York did get their first win of the season on Thursday afternoon but are hitting just .188 as a team with a .251 wOBA which is the lowest of any team in the Majors. They should be a good matchup for Greene, who always brings a high ceiling with his elite strikeout stuff. In his first start of the season, he routinely hit triple-digits with his fastball but wasn’t very efficient, needing 100 pitches to get through just 4 2⁄3 innings against the Nats with four walks and seven strikeouts. If he can be more efficient with his pitches, his ceiling is extremely high since he piles up so many strikeouts. Last year, he had a 12.2 K/9 rate, and in Spring Training he struck out 19 in 15 innings. The 24-year-old righty needs to be more consistent and reduce walks to develop into a true ace, but for DFS purposes, he brings so much upside that he’s a strong value play at just over $8,000.
OF Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Seattle Mariners, $3,500
The Brewers’ 20-year-old rookie has gotten off to a hot start at the plate and looks ready to deliver on his promise as the team’s top prospect. Chourio was ranked the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball coming into the season by MLB Pipeline, and he has given Milwaukee fans plenty to be excited about in his first five games. He hit safely in each of those five games, going 7-for-20 (.350) and belting his first career home run on Wednesday. He has a .408 wOBA and .200 ISO in his small sample size and was also successful in his only stolen base attempt. Chourio brings a great blend of power and speed, and he’ll bring more run-creation potential if he stays in the leadoff spot as he was on Opening Day and on Wednesday. If he’s at the top of the Brewers lineup against Logan Gilbert ($9,600), he’ll be a good affordable outfield play with a high ceiling.
SS Josh H. Smith, Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros, $2,300
In the first Texas-sized series between the Rangers and Astros, the defending champs host the stumbling Astros this weekend. The Rangers were hit by a big early-season injury last week when Josh Jung suffered a broken wrist and will miss 8-to-10 weeks. One of the players who will fill in for Jung at the hot corner is Josh H. Smith, who will likely start on Friday against righty Hunter Brown ($8,000). Smith was a top prospect a couple of years ago but has been forced to settle into a super-utility role for the Rangers. He did hit a career-high six home runs last season with decent hit metrics but only a .185 batting average due to a well below-average BABIP of .222. Smith has gone 2-for-6 with a single, a double, a run scored and two RBIs since taking over after Jung departed after being hit by a pitch. While Smith doesn’t bring the shiny upside of Chourio, he is a solid bargain play in a very good lineup who can deliver solid numbers and give you plenty of salary flexibility. The Rangers also called up prospect Justin Foscue ($2,400), who would be a good value play if he starts at 3B instead of Smith.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K 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 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.
