On Wednesday night, Major League Baseball has eight games lined up under the lights for the main featured slate on DraftKings, which begins at 7:10 p.m. ET. Only two of the games are divisional games, but there are some fun regional matchups including the Phillies at Fenway, the World Champion Rangers in Hollywood, and the two teams from Ohio going head-to-head in Cincinnati.
With 16 teams in the player pool, there are several strong strategies to consider as you assemble your squad. Let’s take a look at some of the top plays for this Wednesday night.
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PITCHER
Stud
Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians at Cincinnati Reds ($8,800) – Bibee has been very solid this season for the Guardians, who have taken over control of the AL Central with a strong 43-22 start to the season. Bibee has gone 4-1 in his 13 starts with a 3.73 ERA, 3.44 FIP and 9.77 K/9. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts while totaling 32 strikeouts in 29 2⁄3 innings. He has produced over 16 DKFP in each of those five starts with over 26 DKFP in two of them. The 25-year-old righty has posted a 2.20 ERA and 3.29 FIP on the road this season, and he has at least six strikeouts in each of his last four outings. The Reds are not an awful matchup even though their offense has some big names. They rank sixth in the MLB in K% this season and in the bottom 10 in the league in wOBA against righties—plus, they only have a .222 team batting average against righties this season. Bibee brings enough strikeout potential to be one of the top arms in play this Wednesday, and his recent consistency makes him my top option. Getting him for under $9K also leaves plenty of options open in other spots.
Value
David Peterson, New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins ($6,300) – Peterson started the year on the 60-day IL completing his recovery from offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. He has looked sharp in his two outings this season, limiting the powerful Dodgers to just two earned runs in his season debut and shutting down the Nationals to earn his first win of the season last Tuesday. He allowed just two runs on five hits in 6 2⁄3 innings and finished with 13.6 DKFP in that win in D.C. Peterson only has five strikeouts in 11 2⁄3 innings this season, but in his rehab work, he totaled 35 strikeouts in 23 2⁄3 innings—showing he still has plenty of punchout potential after posting K/9 over 10 in each of the last two seasons. He will look to get his strikeout production back on track in this matchup with the Marlins, who have the second-worst team wOBA in the MLB and have scored the second-fewest runs this season. Against lefties like Peterson, Miami has hit .220 with only a 68 wRC+, which is the lowest total of any team in the MLB in that split.
INFIELD
Stud
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees ($6,300) – Witt picked up two more hits on Tuesday and has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games, going an impressive 37-for-100 (.370) with six homers and a .443 wOBA over that span. He has also added four stolen bases over that stretch and has 19 stolen bases in 26 attempts on the season. Witt is averaging double-digit DKFP per game on the season and has produced 12.3 DKFP per game over his last 12 contests. He has been especially effective at home, where he has a .364 average and .452 wOBA on the year. Since he can produce big games with power or speed, he’s a great pay-up option almost any time he’s on the slate.
Stud
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians at Cincinnati Reds ($6,400) – Ramirez is another elite producer on the left side of the infield and has been especially strong this season against lefties. Ramirez is hitting .316 against southpaws this season with five homers and a .403 wOBA. He and the Guardians will go up against lefty Nick Lodolo ($9,600) after winning the series opener 5-3 on Tuesday. Ramirez went 0-for-4 in that game but walked and stole a base, giving him 11 steals on the season and three in his last eight contests.
Value
Tyler Locklear, Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago White Sox ($2,200) – With Ty France (heel) on IL, Locklear got a boost in his developmental patch and arrived in the MLB ahead of schedule. He started the year in Double-A and hit .291 with eight homers and a .423 wOBA in 41 games before being promoted to Triple-A. In Tacoma, he hit .300 with a .404 wOBA in just 10 games before France’s injury gave him a chance to join the MLB squad. He made an immediate impact with a key RBI in Sunday’s win over the Royals and is 2-for-9 (.222) with a 25.0% hard-hit rate. Locklear can fill either corner infield spot and brings good power potential against Jonathan Cannon ($6,000) and the White Sox on Wednesday night.
Value
Michael Stefanic, Los Angeles Angels at Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,100) – Stefanic is a bargain option that can fit into either 2B or 3B and has been hitting in the leadoff spot for the Halos since being called up. He is 3-for-11 (.273) after picking up two hits on Tuesday night and should continue to get a chance to use his on-base and contact skills to create opportunities atop the order. After getting a late start to the season due to a quad injury, he hit .352 in his 15 games in Triple-A with a .410 wOBA. He doesn’t usually offer much power or elite speed, but at just over the minimum salary, he doesn’t have to do a lot to be a great value option. He should continue to be a good versatile bargain as long as he keeps hitting leadoff.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals ($6,600) – Judge just keeps on mashing, so he continues to be a great play for DFS. He has crushed four homers in his last three games and has over 12 DKFP in 11 consecutive games. He’s hitting .309 for the season with a .476 wOBA and an MLB-leading 25 home runs. Seven of those homers have come in his last 10 contests, and he has averaged an eye-popping 21.9 DKFP per game over that stretch. Judge got a routine day off on Tuesday, but should be back to his hot-hitting ways on Wednesday against the Royals. The matchup is a favorable one against lefty Daniel Lynch IV ($5,500), but Judge is so locked in that regardless of who he’s facing, he’s a great addition to your lineup if you can afford him.
Stud
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Angels ($4,400) – It has been a rough year for Carroll, but the 23-year-old lefty has shown signs he’s shaking off his season-long slump. The Dbacks have moved him up and down the order to try to help him, and he has shown signs of life with multiple hits in three of his last five games and five of his last 13. Carroll had three hits and 24 DKFP on Tuesday against the Angels after posting 17 DKFP on Sunday in the series finale against the Padres. Big games like that were the norm from the dual-threat last season, and whenever he finds his groove, he’ll be a great value play since his salary has dropped so far.
Value
Tyler Freeman, Cleveland Guardians at Cincinnati Reds ($3,800) – Freeman emerged as a key contributor for the Guardians while Steven Kwan ($5,000) was sidelined, and he has remained the regular No. 2 hitter in the order against lefties. He’s only hitting .223 with a .308 wOBA on the season, but over his last 20 games, he hit .267 with a .338 wOBA, two homers and three stolen bases. Against lefties like Lodolo, Freeman brings good upside from a key production spot and can be a strong mini-stack to consider with Ramirez.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K 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.
