Wednesday continues a busy week of fantasy baseball with games across the country filling up both the afternoon and evening. The featured night slate on DraftKings has seven games on tap beginning at 7:10 p.m. ET with an AL East matchup between the Red Sox and Rays. The Braves close out their stop in Chicago against the Cubs in another interesting matchup, and the final game of the evening in another rivalry matchup between the Dodgers and the Giants in San Francisco.
With plenty of great options to look through, let’s look at my top plays from Wednesday night’s 12-team player pool.
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PITCHER
Stud
Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays ($9,100) – Houck has been excellent this season and has pitched much better than his 3-4 record indicates. The 27-year-old righty has an impressive 2.24 ERA and 2.17 FIP with seven quality starts in eight games. He has averaged 22 DKFP per start and has gone at least six innings in five straight games dating back to his complete game shutout which earned him a season-high 45.5 DKFP. He has 50 strikeouts in 52 1⁄3 innings and at least four strikeouts in five straight outings. While the Rays are not an easy matchup, they do rank in the bottom 10 in the MLB in team batting average, the top 10 in team K% and the bottom five in team ISO. They’re definitely not a matchup you have to avoid, and despite his win-loss record, Houck has been strong enough to be an ace to try and build around this Wednesday night
Value
Jon Gray, Texas Rangers vs. Cleveland Guardians ($7,500) – A case could be made that the defending World Series champions have a stronger starting rotation on the IL than they have remaining on the active roster, so it’s been a great time for Gray to find his groove. The veteran is only 1-1 in nine games this season but over his last five games, he has held teams to just five runs in 27 1⁄3 innings for a 1.54 ERA and 1.31 FIP while posting a 9.22 K/9 rate. He has over 17 DraftKings points in four straight starts, highlighted by an eight-inning outing in his most recent home start that resulted in 24.2 DKFP. His most recent outing came at Coors Field, but he still turned in a quality start and 20.1 DKFP in a no-decision against his former team, the Rockies. With more strikeout potential in recent games, Gray is clearly worth a look at this salary and brings a good ceiling against the Guardians even though they have a low team K% and aren’t an ideal matchup. The pitcher options that have better matchups have bigger concerns and are higher risk than Gray.
INFIELD
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs ($5,200) – After a brutally slow start to the season, Olson is starting to come around for the Braves. He hit just .195 over his first 31 games of the season although he still had three home runs. Since then, though, he has gone 9-for-29 (.310) over his last eight games with two homers and a .405 wOBA. He averaged 8.4 DKFP per game during that stretch, culminating in 27 DKFP on Tuesday when he went 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI. Olson is one of the best left-handed sluggers in the game when he’s at his best, and he seems to be finding his stride, which is bad news for the rest of the league since the Braves have managed to stay right in the thick of things despite him and Ronald Acuna Jr. at less than their best and injuries in their starting rotation.
Stud
Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees ($4,200) – Castro has forced his way into the lineup on an everyday basis after helping to cover for Carlos Correa ($4,100) during his time on the IL. Castro has been at 3B and in CF since Correa’s return but has continued to produce good numbers at the plate. He has hit safely in six straight and gone an impressive 27-for-75 (.360) over his last 19 games with seven doubles, three triples, two homers for a .430 wOBA along with five stolen bases. Castro and the Twins face Marcus Stroman ($8,600) in the second game of their series against the visiting Yankees.
Value
Abraham Toro, Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros ($3,700) – Toro has been a key in the A’s lineup this season and has taken over the role of everyday leadoff hitter. He has just two stolen bases but typically does a great job getting on base and jumpstarting the offense. Toro is hitting .295 on the season and .377 (23-for-61) over his last 14 games. He has five doubles and two homers during that stretch as well for a .430 wOBA. Toro has multiple hits in three of his last four games and has exceptional splits against lefties. He is hitting .391 with a .437 wOBA on the year against southpaws like Framber Valdez ($8,800). He’s a great way to get a high ceiling and consistent production from under $4,000 at 2B.
Value
Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Angels ($3,200) – The Cardinals moved Winn to the leadoff spot on Tuesday for the first time this season, as they continue to search for a way to get their offense going. Winn went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts but did pick up his seventh stolen base of the season to still have a solid fantasy day. After struggling in his first MLB work last year, the 22-year-old prospect has hit .280 this year with a .312 wOBA and an average of 5.7 DKFP per game. If he sticks in the leadoff spot, the extra at-bats and run-scoring opportunities should make him an elite value play. Winn is loaded with long-term potential and makes a great DFS value at SS in the short term.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants ($6,600) – Starting your lineup with Ohtani isn’t a hard strategy to figure out, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been the right solution many times this season. Ohtani has simply been the best hitter in baseball so far this season, hitting .361 with 12 homers and a .471 wOBA in his first 42 games in Dodger Blue. He has averaged 12.4 DKFP per game on the season and gone over 20 DKFP five times in his last 10 games. He has a tougher matchup against Logan Webb ($8,300) and the Giants, but he has proven to be matchup-proof and productive in almost any environment. He has an amazing 59.6% hard-hit rate this season, per Statcast, and he looks good in every stat and offensive metric available. He is expensive, but if you’re spending up for a bat, he’s the best one around. He even brings extra roster flexibility since he is eligible at 1B as well.
Stud
Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves ($5,000) – Bellinger missed about two weeks with a fractured ribcage but has returned in good form, going 10-for-30 (.333) in his seven games back with two doubles, two homers and a .422 wOBA. He has picked up a hit in each of the first two games in this series against the Braves, although the Cubs are still looking for their first run in Atlanta. Bellinger should be able to help them get into gear on Wednesday since he has gone 4-for-10 in his career against Charlie Morton ($8,400) with three extra-base hits.
Value
Kevin Pillar, Los Angeles Angels vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($3,600) – Pillar has earned his reputation as a streaky hitter throughout his journeyman career in the MLB. He played 17 games for the White Sox this season, but he has really caught fire in his nine games with the Angels. In those nine games, he has usually hit in a great spot in the order while going 13-for-30 (.433) with a home run, a stolen base and a .544 wOBA. He comes into this favorable matchup with Lance Lynn ($8,200) on a streak of three straight multi-hit games, including a triple and a home run during that span. He hasn’t been able to sustain this level of production previously in his career, but for DFS, it makes sense to ride the heater and use him as a value play in the OF on Wednesday.
Value
Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,800) – Ramos continues to be productive for the Giants since joining the team earlier this week when Jorge Soler (shoulder) landed on IL. He has gone 8-for-25 (.320) with a .316 wOBA and a stolen base to average 7.0 DKFP per game in his first seven MLB contests this season. Before being recalled, the 24-year-old was hitting .296 with two stolen bases, three doubles, two triples and eight homers for a .410 wOBA through 30 games at Triple-A. He should be on the strong side of his splits against lefty Ryan Yarbrough ($5,200), making him a solid value play from the late game.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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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.
