Wednesday is jam-packed with great opportunities for fantasy baseball players. After a five-game afternoon slate and some showdown matchups, there are eight games on the main slate for DraftKings, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET.
The early part of the slate is dominated once again by a pair of AL East matchups as the Yankees host the Orioles and the Red Sox wrap up their series in Toronto. Later in the evening, several other matchups join those early contests, including the Dodgers taking on the Rockies at Coors Field after staging a seven-run ninth-inning comeback and totaling 20 runs in the first two games of the series. The Dodgers will likely be popular plays again on Wednesday, but they aren’t the only options that can bring good production.
Let’s dive into the 16-team player pool and take a look at some of the top plays available for this Wednesday night.
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PITCHER
Stud
Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros ($9,200) – Crochet has been one of the few bright spots in a miserable season for the White Sox, and the lefty comes at a surprisingly affordable salary given his recent success. Crochet has double-digit strikeouts in three of his last four starts, producing over 29 DKFP in each of those outings. He has pitched at least six innings in five straight starts, producing over 23 DKFP in each of those games, showing he has both a high floor and a high ceiling, mostly due to his strikeout potential. This season, Crochet has 116 strikeouts in 82 2⁄3 innings, giving him the best K/9 in the MLB at 12.63. He has a 3.16 ERA, and his 2.36 xERA and 2.72 FIP show that Chicago’s sloppy defense hasn’t done him any favors. The Astros couldn’t get anything going against Jonathan Cannon in the series opener and rank in the bottom 10 in the MLB in runs scored and team wOBA over the last week. While they aren’t a perfect matchup, Crochet has way too much upside for a salary barely over $9,000.
Value
Hunter Brown, Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox ($7,000) – The top value starting pitcher is on the other side of that matchup, as Brown has turned his season around after a slow start. Normally, I avoid having my two starting pitchers go head-to-head, since both can’t get the win in that scenario, but I’m okay with it here as I’m chasing strikeouts more than finicky W’s. Brown isn’t on Crochet’s level of strikeout potential but has had 52 strikeouts in 45 1⁄3 innings over his last seven starts. In those seven outings, Brown has gone 3-1 with a 2.58 ERA, 3.77 FIP and 10.3 K/9. That run of success is even more remarkable considering he went 0-4 with a 9.78 ERA and 5.72 FIP in his first six starts of the season before flipping the switch. Brown is in a great matchup against the White Sox, who have been the worst offense in the MLB this season by almost every measure. They rank last in runs scored, batting average, wOBA and wRC+. They also rank in the top 10 in K%, so Brown should be set up to continue his turnaround in Wednesday night’s start in the Windy City.
INFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies ($7,000) – Ohtani is expensive at Coors Field, but he has delivered in the first two games of this series, smashing two doubles on Monday for 26 DKFP and homering on Tuesday for 21 DKFP. He has multiple hits and over 20 DKFP in three straight games and is expected to remain atop the Dodgers lineup for as long as Mookie Betts (wrist) is sidelined. Ohtani can fit at 1B or in the OF, depending on where you see other value plays, but he makes a great pay-up option in either spot. He is hitting an impressive .316 on the season with 20 homers and a .424 wOBA. He’ll be facing righty Ryan Feltner ($5,000) on Wednesday night and has a .328 average and .467 wOBA including 16 of his 20 homers in the split against righties this season.
Stud
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals at Oakland Athletics ($6,500) – Witt has been another excellent pay-up play lately and always brings a high ceiling with his power and speed combo. Witt leads the MLB with a .321 batting average and ranks fourth with 21 stolen bases in addition to his 11 homers that boost him to a .388 wOBA. He was held without a hit on Tuesday in the series opener in Oakland for just the second time in his last 29 games. Over that span, he has hit a scorching .360 with six homers, six stolen bases and a .419 wOBA. After losing Tuesday, the Royals should be in a good bounce-back matchup against Luis Medina ($5,500).
Value
Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Angels ($3,800) – The Brewers have used several options at the top of their batting order against lefties this season, and Ortiz has been the latest to get a chance in the prime run production position. He’s hitting a solid .278 in his 64 games this season with a .372 wOBA, and has picked that up by hitting .293 with a .374 wOBA over his last 17 contests. Power isn’t usually a huge part of his game, but he makes good contact and gets on base which should serve him well atop a strong lineup. If he’s in the leadoff spot against Tyler Anderson ($7,700) and the Halos on Wednesday night, he’ll be a solid play at 3B for under $4,000.
Value
Spencer Horwitz, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox ($3,400) – Another young bargain hitting near or at the top of his team’s lineup is Blue Jays rookie Spencer Horwitz. Since being called up nine games ago, Horwitz has gone 10-for-30 (.333) with a pair of doubles and five walks for a solid .365 wOBA. At Triple-A, he was hitting .335 with four homers and a .436 wOBA through 57 games, and he should continue to be a solid value play at this price as long as he keeps hitting high in the order for Toronto.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Tyler O’Neill, Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays ($5,000) – O’Neill has looked excellent since returning from a quick IL trip to deal with knee soreness. He has four homers in his last five games to bring his total to 15 in his 50 games this season. He has also picked up multiple hits in six of his eight starts since returning, going 13-for-38 (.382) with a .499 wOBA over that small sample size. He and the Red Sox can finish out a sweep in Toronto if they can get to Kevin Gausman ($8,300) on Wednesday. Even though it’s not an ideal matchup, O’Neill has looked like a real middle-of-the-order presence for the Red Sox when healthy this year, and his power potential makes him a good option at $5,000.
Stud
Nolan Jones, Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,800) – Jones had a brutal start to the season hitting only .170 with a .231 wOBA over his first 26 games before being sidelined for six weeks with back and knee injuries. He has looked much better since returning and now looks more like the hitter who had 20 homers and a .395 wOBA over 106 games last season. He has gone 5-for-13 (.385) in his five games back with eight walks, a stolen base and a 58.3% hard-hit rate, per Statcast. While the sample size is still small, it’s a great sign that the time off has helped him return to form. Getting him under $5,000 at home won’t last long if he is fully healthy. Compared to the Dodgers, Jones and the Rockies are an affordable way to get Coors Field exposure as they take on Bobby Miller ($7,600), who has tons of promise but also has a 5.40 ERA in the MLB and a 7.80 ERA in his minor league rehab this season.
Value
Robbie Grossman, Texas Rangers vs. New York Mets ($2,900) – Grossman was re-acquired by the Rangers in a trade earlier this season, and he continues to be a lefty specialist for Texas, typically hitting in the heart of the order against southpaws. He is hitting .298 this season against lefties with a .374 wOBA. He hit his first homer of the year on Monday against the Mets and is a solid bargain outfield play against Sean Manaea ($7,200), who he has gone 5-for-12 against in their past matchups.
Value
Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox ($2,200) – If you need to go even cheaper in an outfield spot to compensate for other spending, Barger is another young prospect getting a look for the Blue Jays. His salary is even lower than Horwitz’s, although Barger hasn’t been hitting as high in the order. He also hasn’t had quite as much MLB success. He has gone 5-for-28 (.179) in his eight games in the MLB after hitting .256 with eight homers, two stolen bases and a .380 wOBA at Triple-A Buffalo. Barger can also slide to 3B if that helps your roster construction, and he will look to deliver on the potential that had him ranked as the team’s No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline coming into the season, above Horwitz, who was ranked No. 16.
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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.
