On Wednesday, Major League Baseball’s schedule sets up a great DFS fantasy baseball doubleheader. A six-game slate gets underway at 1:35 p.m. ET followed by a nice nine-game evening slate that provides plenty of great contests on DraftKings. The main slate which begins at 6:40 p.m. ET is the focus of the picks in this post. Of those nine games, three are divisional contests including the Royals-Guardians matchup at the beginning of the slate and the late-night hammer from Oakland where the A’s host the Mariners. Coors Field isn’t on the main slate, but plenty of offense is still available with some great matchups to attack.
As we dive into the 18-team player pool, let’s run down my top plays for Wednesday night.
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PITCHER
Stud
Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins ($8,400) – The starting pitching list is a little shaky this Wednesday with no options over $10,000 and only three pitchers with salaries of at least $9,000. Paul Skenes ($8,800) will definitely get plenty of attention, but since he’s facing the Dodgers, the phenom is in a high-risk matchup. I’d rather pay down a little bit and go for a little more security in my starter and swing for the fences with big bats on this slate.
Rodon has been very solid for the Yankees this season, going 7-2 with a 2.82 ERA and averaging 17.7 DKFP per start. In each of his last five starts, he has outproduced that average while pitching at least six innings and going 5-0. During that run, he totaled 26 strikeouts in 30 1⁄3 innings with a 2.37 ERA and 3.92 FIP. He faced the Twins once during that stretch and gave up just one run over six innings with six strikeouts and 23.9 DKFP. He’ll look to continue his steady success and return good value in this rematch in the Bronx. Despite Yankee Stadium’s hitter-friendly reputation, Rodon has held opponents to a .189 average and posted a 2.13 ERA in his home starts this season.
Value
Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners ($6,400) – Estes’ surface stats are scary—mainly his 6.10 ERA, but the 22-year-old righty has shown more upside than those stats indicate and could be a great value against the Mariners. Estes’ ugly ERA is mainly the result of an eight-run outing against the Astros in his second start, but he has posted over 15 DKFP in each of his other three starts this season. He made his first start of the season against Seattle and gave up one run on two hits in five innings to earn 22.1 DKFP. He also looked sharp in his last outing, allowing just one run on two hits over five innings against the Rays to earn 16.3 DKFP in a no-decision. Estes has totaled 20 strikeouts in 20 2⁄3 innings this season, and he will be facing the Mariners, who still lead the MLB in K% despite their spot atop the AL West. The M’s also have the second-lowest team batting average, so even though they do have good power, they can be held in check. Estes will look to keep them under control and turn in another good outing on Wednesday night, and getting him at this bargain rate under $7,000 makes him a very attractive play. If you don’t want this much risk, Albert Suarez ($7,100) and Jameson Taillon ($7,800) are viable alternatives that cost a little more.
INFIELD
Stud
Editor’s Note: Tonight’s game between the Royals and the Guardians has been postponed due to inclement weather.
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Guardians ($6,100) – Witt is coming off a monster 35-DKFP performance on Tuesday in the first game of this series and has produced double-digit DKFP in five of his last six games. This season, he has 11 home runs and 17 stolen bases to go with his .319 batting average and .396 wOBA. Witt has produced multiple hits in eight of his last 13 games while hitting a scorching .397 with a .488 wOBA. Whenever the Royals have a decent matchup, as they do on Wednesday, Witt is a building block to consider since he can produce massive upside with either his power or speed contributions.
Stud
Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers ($5,200) – Semien has been a little overshadowed lately by his teammate Corey Seager ($5,700), but he has also been heating up lately. Semien has hit safely in five straight games going 8-for-18 (.444) with a double, a home run and a .521 wOBA in that short span. He is in a great matchup against Kenta Maeda ($6,200) on Wednesday night in what should be a high-scoring game. Although he doesn’t offer the speed of prototypical leadoff hitters, Semien scores plenty of runs and hits for good power, so he’s a good option to build around as a pay-up 2B.
Value
Jake Burger, Miami Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays ($3,400) – Burger started the season extremely slowly, hitting only .164 through his first 31 games, but he has started to find his groove recently and offers a middle-of-the-order bat at an affordable price at either 1B or 3B with his dual eligibility. After that ugly start, Burger has hit .405 over his last 10 games with one double, one home run and a .411 wOBA while averaging 8.8 DKFP per game. Most of his damage has come against righties, so a matchup with Zach Eflin ($7,500) actually plays into his reverse splits, making him a nice value option at either corner spot.
Value
Lenyn Sosa, Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs ($2,300) – Sosa is an ultra-cheap punt play with some upside as long as he holds down a spot in the White Sox infield. The 24-year-old prospect has hit just .188 in his 16 games in the majors but has gone 4-for-10 (.400) with a home run and a 75% hard-hit rate in his four games since being recalled from Triple-A before last weekend’s series in Milwaukee. After posting 21 DKFP against the Cubs on Tuesday, Sosa offers good power potential based on his .412 wOBA and six home runs at Triple-A.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins ($6,400) – Judge has continued his impressive run from May right into June with four straight games of multiple hits. Over his last 21 games, Judge has 21 home runs and a crazy .627 wOBA to go with his .425 batting average. He is always a good play at home where he thrives, and is an especially good play against Chris Paddack, who has given up 11 homers in 11 starts this year and has a 6.85 road ERA.
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Angels ($5,400) – Tatis picked up two hits on Tuesday night to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He has hit .375 (15-for-40) during that run with two homers, a stolen base and 9.1 DKFP per game. Since May 1, Tatis is hitting an even .300 with four home runs and a .357 wOBA. All season, he has mashed righties like Jose Soriano ($7,300) with a .352 wOBA in the split, and he should be ready to help the Padres bounce back after losing the first two games of their visit to Anaheim.
Value
Will Brennan, Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals ($3,600) – Brennan is still stuck in a platoon in the Guardians’ outfield but has been making the most of his chances when he gets them. He produced double-digit DKFP in three straight starts and should be back in the lineup on Wednesday against righty Brady Singer ($9,000). Brennan has gone 6-for-10 against Singer in their past meetings and is hitting .250 with five homers and a .307 wOBA against righties this year. He’s an under-the-radar option with good upside, especially if he gets more active on the basepaths.
Value
Austin Hays, Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays ($2,300) – Hays is a very cheap option in the outfield and brings good upside against Jose Berrios ($8,200) and the Blue Jays. Hays was on the 10-day IL with a calf injury early in May and has been limited to sporadic playing time since his return. He seems to be finally past the injury over the last couple of weeks, though, going 10-for-29 (.345) with two homers and three doubles over his last 10 games while averaging 7.0 DKFP per game. He opened this series in Toronto with two homers and 30 DKFP, and he followed that with 7.0 DKFP on Tuesday. He has more upside than his salary indicates and is a great cheap option to consider.
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.
