This Friday, MLB gives us a solid, 10-game slate for fantasy baseball that includes plenty of juicy matchups to get the weekend started right. Contests lock at 7:05 p.m. ET, and include the 10 games under the lights. Of those matchups, four are interleague games, including two marquee series starting in Atlanta and Los Angeles. There is also a game at Coors Field, so options from the Nationals and Rockies will get an offensive boost from playing their contest at altitude.
With so many good options to choose from, there are multiple strategies for success that make sense on Thursday. If you find yourself stretched for salary cap space, there are also plenty of good plays that come at lower costs. In this post, I’ve highlighted my three favorite bargains that bring high upside but come with affordable salaries, allowing you to pay up for the stars you want in other spots.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
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SP Colin Rea, Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres, $7,000
With all the injuries in the Milwaukee rotation, Rea’s emergence has been critical to the team’s success. The 33-year-old righty has gone 6-2 with a 3.29 ERA and 4.45 FIP in his 14 games this season, picking up 54 strikeouts in 76 2⁄3 innings. While his strikeout numbers haven’t been exceptional, they have been trending in the right direction with 17 punchouts over 22 1⁄3 innings in his last four games. Rea’s allowed two runs or fewer in five straight starts and picked up wins over the Blue Jays and Reds in his two most recent outings. In each of those victories, he produced over 22 DKFP. Rea has a tough road matchup against his former team, the Padres, on Friday night, but it does help that he’ll face them in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. He’ll be going head-to-head with Dylan Cease ($10,000), who has struggled recently, allowing at least three runs in six of his last seven starts. With a good lineup behind him and his recent success, Rea is a strong value option this Friday.
C Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox at Cincinnati Reds, $3,500
Wong has been outstanding for the Red Sox this season and should be in a spot to smash this weekend in Cincinnati. He got a couple of days off in Toronto for maintenance purposes, but is expected to be back in the lineup against lefty Andrew Abbott ($8,000) on Friday night. He should be refreshed and ready to roll after three days off. Of all catchers in MLB this season, Wong has the highest batting average and fifth-highest wOBA (.375). He’s hitting .332 with five homers and a 140 wRC+. Wong has been even better against lefties, hitting .355 with a .404 wOBA. The 28-year-old backstop also has done most of his damage on the road, so all the splits and signs point to him being poised to return excellent value against Abbott.
3B/OF Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Guardians, $2,200
Barger is still barely more than the minimum despite his upside, and the Blue Jays prospect has looked ready to stick in the majors after being called back up last week. Barger has hit safely in each of the four games since being recalled, going 6-for-14 (.429) with a double, a stolen base and three runs scored. He wasn’t exactly on fire at Triple-A, but he did have a solid .360 wOBA and continues to show promising power and speed. The 24-year-old went 1-for-18 in an earlier opportunity in the majors, but this time around, he seems ready to stick and provide some spark for the Jays’ offense. Barger also brings some nice positional flexibility since he can fit on your roster either at 3B or in an OF slot.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (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.
