With most teams traveling in the next day or two to get ready for their upcoming weekend series, Major League Baseball has a solid split schedule this Wednesday. That means it’s a double-slate day on DraftKings, with 11 games on the slate that locks at 1:05 p.m. ET and three games on the night slate that locks at 6:05 p.m. ET. As Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks famously put it, “Let’s play two.”
Instead of giving you my favorite stud and value plays in each category on this big baseball day, I’ll give you my favorite plays from the early slate and the late slate.
Let’s take a look at the best DFS options from today’s jam-packed slates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st] (Night)
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PITCHER
Early
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners vs. Cincinnati Reds ($8,900) – Miller has been great so far this season for Seattle and will look to keep rolling against the Reds. In 18 1⁄3 innings, he has allowed four earned runs on 12 hits with 17 strikeouts. The 25-year-old went 8-7 last year with a 4.32 ERA, 3.98 FIP and 8.15 K/9 but has improved those numbers this year to 1.96 ERA, 3.79 FIP and 8.35 K/9. He has allowed no earned runs in his last two outings, posting 31.4 DKFP against the Brewers in Milwaukee and 22.7 DKFP against a tough Cubs lineup at home in his most recent start. Last season, he was much better at home than on the road, and he looks to be ready to be a key part of the Mariners’ rotation for a long time to come. Miller comes under $9,000 on the early slate but has averaged the fourth-most DKFP per game of all the starters on the board. While the Reds have been a fairly neutral matchup overall, the have the highest K% of any team in the MLB on the road and rank in the bottom 10 in road batting average, hitting just .223 in their eight road games.
Late
Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels ($8,200) – Each of the six starting pitcher options on Wednesday night’s slate comes with his own issues and some significant risk. In a favorite matchup against the Angels, Littell is a good fit for many roster builds with an affordable salary and decent upside. He is facing the Halos for the second straight start after allowing six hits and one run in 4 1⁄3 innings last Wednesday in Anaheim with four strikeouts. He has allowed just two runs in his three starts this year, giving him a strong 1.17 ERA and 2.27 FIP through 15 1⁄3 innings. His best start of the season was his only game at the Trop when he held the Blue Jays scoreless for six innings to get his only win of the year and 25.9 DKFP. He has a similar ceiling in this home start and has good punchout potential with 15 strikeouts in 15 1⁄3 innings so far this season.
INFIELD
Early
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox ($6,300) – Witt has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate after a great start for the Royals. On DraftKings Sportsbook, he opened with MVP odds of +1300 and they have already dropped to +550. Through his first 17 games, Witt is hitting .314 with four homers, three stolen bases, a .438 wOBA and .343 ISO. He has averaged 11.6 DKFP per game and showed his limitless ceiling with a massive 49-DKFP game last Thursday against the Astros with two homers and a stolen base. On Wednesday afternoon, he and the Royals will face White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon ($6,300), who will be making his MLB debut. Cannon is a great name for a pitcher, for sure, and the 23-year-old has some good long-term upside, but I expect Witt and the Royals to give him a rude welcome to the Majors on Wednesday afternoon.
Early
Abraham Toro, Oakland Athletics vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($3,100) – Toro has been a solid value play since claiming the leadoff spot in the Athletics’ lineup. He doesn’t offer the elite power and speed that Witt brings, but he consistently has found ways to get on base and produce fantasy points from this very affordable price point at 3B. Toro has hit leadoff in each of his past nine games and gone 11-for-37 (.297) with two doubles, four RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base. He hit safely in seven of those nine contests. He has gone 7-for-17 (.438) against lefties in a small sample size this season, posting a .505 wOBA in the split. He’ll face lefty Steven Matz ($6,700) in the A’s series finale against the Cardinals and should be a good value option in the infield.
Late
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies ($5,900) – Harper started the season slowly, going just 11-for-58 (.190) with a .288 wOBA over his first 15 games. Maybe he turned the corner this week, or maybe he’s just had favorable home matchups against the shaky Rockies pitching staff, but either way, he has gone 3-for-7 (.429) with a double, a home run and four RBI over the last two games for the Phillies. He’ll have another good matchup on Wednesday night against Ryan Feltner ($6,600), who has been much improved this season but still has allowed lefties to hit .360 against him with a .421 wOBA. Harper will look to finish off his big series and help the Phils finish off the sweep
Late
David Hamilton, Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians ($2,600) – Hamilton has been filling in for Trevor Story (shoulder) at shortstop against right-handed pitchers, and the 26-year-old speedster will be a nice value play in what should be a great matchup for the Red Sox against Ben Lively ($6,000), making his first start of the year for Cleveland. Hamilton went 2-for-4 on Tuesday night and is 6-for-27 (.222) on the year with a .289 wOBA and 57.1% hard-hit rate, per Statcast. Hamilton has two stolen bases in his nine games in the majors after stealing 70 bases in Double-A and 57 bases in Triple-A over the last two seasons. He’s also shown a little bit of pop with 12 and 17 home runs in those two years. He has a high ceiling for a player with this salary and could be part of an affordable Red Sox stack at Fenway.
OUTFIELD
Early
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros ($6,500) – Acuña has been the man for the Braves once again in the early part of the season. After smashing 41 homers and stealing 73 bases last year in his MVP campaign last year, he started this season a little slow before picking things up recently. He is still searching for his first homer of the season but has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with four multi-hit games and seven stolen bases in his last seven games. He has double-digit DKFP in five of those seven games, averaging 13.9 DKFP per contest. The power production will come, but even without it, he can be a good pay-up play against the struggling Astros as the Braves look to finish out the sweep against J.P. France ($5,400) on Wednesday afternoon. France has given up 14 earned runs on 22 hits in his first three starts of the season, so Atlanta is a good afternoon stack to build around with Acuña leading the way.
Early
Jonatan Clase, Seattle Mariners vs. Cincinnati Reds ($2,200) – The 21-year-old Clase has already infused some much-needed energy into the Mariners order, and his salary is still extremely affordable at only $2,200. Last year in the minors, he showed lots of upside with 20 homers and 79 stolen bases in 129 games split between High-A and Triple-A. He had two homers and three steals in his 12 games at Triple-A this season before being called up for his debut on Monday. He went 1-for-4 in each of his first two games in the majors, also picking up an RBI in each contest. He did strike out three times, and he could have a high strikeout rate as he adjusts to the majors. However, his speed and power potential make him a great affordable play to consider again on Wednesday. As I wrote in my bargains yesterday, I’m going to keep coming back to him until his salary catches up with his upside.
Late
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies ($5,500) – Given Feltner’s trouble with lefties (discussed above), Schwarber and Harper are a nice one-two combo to consider in your lineup for Wednesday night. Schwarber has started the season 15-for-69 (.217) with three homers and a .305 wOBA. He has been hitting the ball well with a 58.7% hard-hit rate, per Statcast, but he has gotten a little unlucky according to his BABIP and xwOBA. This favorable matchup and his high ceiling make him a strong pay-up play in the outfield.
Late
Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians ($2,800) – Abreu is expected to be a regular in the lineup against righties and could hit second in the lineup with Rafael Devers (knee) likely to miss some time. Abreu hit 22 homers with a .403 wOBA in Triple-A last year and hit .316 with a .375 wOBA after earnings his call-up. This year, the 24-year-old has hit just .188 with three stolen bases and no home runs, but regular playing time and a great spot in the order could help him turn things around. Like his teammate Hamilton, he brings a high ceiling at this affordable salary on the night slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st] (Night)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (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.
