Wednesday is another jam-packed day of baseball with fantasy baseball contests available throughout the afternoon and evening. The main DFS fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings gets underway at 6:40 p.m. ET to catch the start of the Diamondbacks-Reds game in Cincinnati. The seven-game slate includes three games that start just before 7:00 p.m. ET, three games that start right after 7:00 p.m. ET and the final game of the night, which is an NL West Matchup from Denver. The Rockies host the Giants in a game that will be very important to pay attention to for fantasy purposes since the rarified air of Denver boosts the potential of both offenses.
Let’s jump right in and take a look at the top plays from the 14 teams in the player pool on Wednesday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
PITCHER
Stud
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves vs. Boston Red Sox ($9,800) – After the Red Sox traded Sale to the Braves this offseason, the lefty has looked very strong in his first six starts for Atlanta, going 4-1 with a 3.44 ERA and 3.01 FIP. He has 42 strikeouts in 36 2⁄3 innings and had a season-high nine strikeouts in his most recent start which was against the Mariners. Sale has posted at least six strikeouts in each of his six starts and produced over 20 DKFP in four of his last five. He has averaged 22.1 DKFP per outing, and he should be extra fired up to take on his former team. The Red Sox rank in the middle of the pack in most categories but have a top-four team K% in the MLB. They have specifically struggled with lefties like Sale, leading the MLB with a 29.5% K% against southpaws. Even if they do get to him for a few runs, Sale should have enough strikeouts to be a good play, and he brings the potential for a dominant performance.
Value
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles at Washington Nationals ($8,400) – Bradish broke through with a great season in 2023, going 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA, 3.27 FIP and 8.96 K/9 as one of the Orioles top starters. He got a late start to this season due to a partially torn UCL, but he avoided surgery. He looked sharp in his season debut last Thursday, going 4 2⁄3 innings against the Yankees with five strikeouts, one run allowed and 14.3 DKFP in an Orioles’ win. He gets a much better matchup this time around against the Nationals, and he should be able to continue to ramp up and go deeper into the game. Bradish has great upside for a starting pitcher under $8,500, and there is enough value available at the plate to build around him and Sale as your two starters. If you want to go cheaper with your SP2, Jordan Hicks ($6,800) has nice upside, although the Coors Field factor does raise his risk as well.
INFIELD
Stud
Isaac Paredes, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago White Sox ($4,700) – Paredes smashed his eighth homer of the season on Tuesday and produced 22 DKFP in the Rays’ 5-1 win over the White Sox. He raised his average to .299 with an impressive .394 wOBA and .220 ISO on the season. The 25-year-old righty has been hitting in the heart of the order, providing excellent power and run production. On Wednesday night, he will face Chris Flexen ($5,800), who has gone 1-3 in his seven games this season with a 4.85 ERA, 5.40 FIP and five homers allowed. Paredes is a solid place to start your lineup and brings good upside from under $5,000.
Stud
Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles at Washington Nationals ($4,700) – Mountcastle is another nicely priced middle-of-the-order bat to consider on Wednesday. He is hitting .280 with five homers and a .349 wOBA on the season but has fared even better against lefties, hitting .311 with a .416 wOBA and .267 ISO in the split. He went 0-for-4 on Tuesday but had hit safely in four straight before that, going 6-for-18 with three extra-base hits. He should be able to get back in the hit column against young lefty Mitchell Parker ($8,500) on Wednesday and offers solid power potential.
Value
Thairo Estrada, San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies ($4,100) – I’m surprised that Estrada hasn’t been priced up more with the Giants at Coors Field, and getting him at just over $4,000 represents great value. The Giants 2B has moved up to hit second in the lineup in three of his last four games and has hit safely in six of his last seven, going 9-for-29 (.310) with two doubles and a home run and averaging 8.9 DKFP per game. He would be a good option to consider anywhere, but especially against Peter Lambert ($5,300) at Coors Field, he makes a great option to consider. Lambert has a 5.66 ERA and 4.26 FIP this season, working mostly out of the bullpen. He gave up six hits and six runs in just three innings in his only home start of the season.
Value
Paul DeJong, Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays ($2,600) – DeJong has turned it around after a rough ending to April and now he represents nice value at SS, which is a tricky spot on this slate with very high-priced plays but not much depth. DeJong has gone 7-for-24 (.292) over his last seven games with three doubles and a home run giving him a .374 wOBA over that stretch. He hit his fourth homer of the season as part of a two-hit game on Tuesday and has a solid 45.5% hard-hit rate on the season. He’s buried at the tail end of a bad lineup, but he has been good enough lately to be worth a look under $3,000 to fill your SS spot on this slate.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks at Cincinnati Reds ($4,800) – Carroll struggled out of the gate in 2024 but is starting to come around a little bit. He is only hitting .211 with a .270 wOBA but does have eight stolen bases. The 23-year-old lefty might be heating up, though, after hitting safely in six of his last seven games, going 8-for-27 (.296) with a 52.4% hard-hit rate, per Statcast. That’s a huge jump from his 23.5% hard-hit rate over his first 27 games. including back-to-back multi-hit games. The Dbacks dropped him in the batting order to help him get going, but he returned to the leadoff spot in the series opener in Cincinnati and had two hits, a home run and 25 DKFP on Tuesday. He’ll look to keep rolling against Reds SP Graham Ashcraft ($8,300), who has very dramatic splits. He has held righties to a .191 batting average and .229 wOBA but has let lefties like Carroll light him up for a .310 average and a .379 wOBA. Carroll and the Dbacks lefties should be in a good spot in Cincy, and this is a great spot to take advantage of Carroll’s salary dropping due to his slump
Stud
Juan Soto, New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros ($6,300) – If you can save enough at other spots to spend up, Soto is a great big bat to build around. He has thrived through his first 37 games with the Yankees, averaging 10.6 DKFP per game by hitting .329 with eight homers and a .432 wOBA. He has a .450 wOBA against righties, so Spencer Arrighetti ($6,300) will be another good matchup for Soto. He has strong splits just about any way you slide it and has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, consistently providing fantasy goodness on a nightly basis.
Value
Jonny DeLuca, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago White Sox ($3,000) – DeLuca was acquired from the Dodgers as part of the Tyler Glasnow deal this past offseason, but his time with the Rays started with a fractured hand suffered in Spring Training. The 25-year-old prospect has worked his way back, though, and has made a big impact in his five games since joining the team. He hit .300 with a .469 wOBA in his rehab sting and has gone 7-for-18 (.389) since being called up with a double, a triple, a home run, 10 RBI and two stolen bases helping him average an impressive 15.0 DKFP per game. He won’t stay this cheap for long, so playing him at $3,000 is a great way to round out your outfield and stack against the struggling Flexen.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
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.
