After a fantastic start to the fantasy baseball week, Wednesday brings a nice split schedule giving everyone a chance at a doubleheader on DraftKings, with five games on the early slate and six games on the main slate, which starts at 7:10 p.m. ET. In this post, we’ll focus on the nighttime matchups, which begin with the Blue Jays in Boston and the Subway Series continuing in Queens. The Mets-Yankees matchup is one of three interleague matchups on the board, while the Blue Jays-Red Sox matchup is the only divisional contest.
On Wednesday night’s slate, there are some very interesting matchups to consider as you put together your fantasy baseball lineup. Check out my top studs and values from the slate explained below.
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PITCHER
Stud
Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox ($8,800) – I’m a big fan of the upside of Luis Gil ($10,300), but he was hit hard in his most recent outing and seems very over-priced against the Mets. Instead, I’m pivoting to Stone, who gets a great matchup against the struggling White Sox and comes $1,500 cheaper. The 25-year-old has been locked into the injury-depleted Dodgers’ rotation this season and has been very solid with an 8-2 record, a 2.59 ERA, a 3.53 FIP and a 7.1 K/9. While his strikeout upside isn’t outstanding, he has had at least six punchouts in four of his last five starts and produced over 18 DKFP in each of those four outings. Stone has been better on the road than at home, and he couldn’t ask for a much better road matchup than the White Sox on Wednesday. Chicago has the lowest run total of any team in the MLB this season by a wide margin and ranks last in the majors with a .218 team batting average and .276 team wOBA. As a team, their wRC+ is only 76, well below the league average which is 100 wRC+ by definition. The favorable matchup with the White Sox makes Stone a great option with a high ceiling and high floor at this salary. He makes a good pivot from Gil even though his strikeout ceiling is lower.
Value
Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins at Arizona Diamondbacks ($6,900) – The inexpensive starting pitchers on Wednesday’s slate are a little thin, especially with Giants rookie Hayden Birdsong not in the player pool for his MLB debut. Woods Richardson is the best of the available options and comes at an affordable salary under $7,000. He has earned over 16 DKFP in three of his last five starts, including his last outing which was a no-decision against the Rays. On the season, the 23-year-old prospect is 2-1 in 12 starts with a 3.26 ERA, 3.66 FIP and 7.71 K/9. He has exactly six strikeouts in three of his last four outings, which is one of the reasons his fantasy viability is on the rise. If he continues to increase his strikeout rate and limit damage, he’ll end up as a great play against Arizona. He has a higher floor than many of the other probable starting pitchers and comes with fewer risk factors.
INFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox ($6,500) – Ohtani is on a whole different level right now than almost any other hitter in the MLB. He homered again on Tuesday night, giving him seven long balls in his last nine games and nine in his last 14. He has averaged 19.9 DKFP per game over his last nine games and has looked absolutely unstoppable. He is thriving in the leadoff spot while filling in for Mookie Betts (wrist) and is in a good spot against Erick Fedde ($7,500), who has been decent this year but struggles against left-handed power hitters like Ohtani. If you’re paying up for one big bat, Ohtani has made a strong case lately to be at the top of the list and can fit at either 1B or in the OF.
Stud
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals ($5,100) – Riley’s power numbers are starting to come around after a slow start. He had just a .228 batting average and .289 wOBA in his 42 games through the end of May, but in 21 games in June, he has a .303 batting average, five home runs and a .410 wOBA. He is 15-for-34 (.441) over his last 10 games and nine of those 15 hits have been extra-base hits, helping him average 13.8 DKFP per game over that stretch. Riley should be able to stay hot in this matchup, which is the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader in St. Louis.
Value
Spencer Horwitz, Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox ($3,900) – The Blue Jays have gotten excellent production from Horwitz at the top of their order since calling up the 25-year-old prospect in early June. In his 15 games, Horwitz is hitting .348 (16-for-46) with two doubles, two homers and an impressive .443 wOBA. He is eligible at either 1B or 2B on this slate and is a solid play under $4,000 from his prime run-production spot near the top of Toronto’s order. He’s on the strong side of his splits against righty Kutter Crawford ($8,200) at Fenway on Wednesday night.
Value
Brett Wisely, San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs ($3,600) – Wisely has taken over as the Giants primary leadoff hitter against right-handed starting pitchers like Hayden Wesneski ($8,300), who he’ll face on Wednesday. In his 32 games at Triple-A, the 25-year-old hit a solid .311 with a .396 wOBA, four homers and three stolen bases. Since being called up, Wisely has continued his success, hitting .301 in his 29 MLB contests with a .336 wOBA. He picked up two hits on Tuesday night for his sixth multi-hit game in his last 10 starts. While he doesn’t usually offer elite power or speed, his consistent on-base skills and prime lineup spot make him a solid value option at SS if he’s leading off again on Wednesday.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Editor’s Note: Red Sox OF Tyler O’Neill is not in the lineup for today’s game vs. the Blue Jays.
Tyler O’Neill, Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($5,200) – O’Neill got off to a fast start to the season before dealing with some knee issues that ultimately landed him on IL. Since returning, O’Neill has hit .333 (18-for-54) with four doubles, five home runs, a .352 ISO and .451 wOBA. He hit three homers against the Blue Jays in Toronto last week and went yard again on Tuesday night at Fenway, giving him 16 homers and a .383 wOBA on the season. The Sox are in a good spot against Yariel Rodriguez ($5,000), who struggled in his return to the majors last Friday, getting just four outs while giving up five runs. On the season, he has righties like O’Neill post a .448 wOBA against him in his limited sample size.
Stud
Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs ($4,800) – Ramos has taken over as the Giants’ everyday centerfielder and become a key part of the Giants’ batting order, normally hitting second. The 24-year-old struggled last year but has been much more comfortable since being called up in early May. He has been red hot in June hitting .308 (28-for-91) in his 22 games this month with a .422 wOBA and eight home runs. He and Wisely are an affordable 1-2 mini stack to consider if you think the Giants will be able to get to Wesneski and the Cubs in the late game.
Value
Andrew Benintendi, Chicago White Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,800) – Benintendi is still under $3,000 due mostly to his slow start to the season and the fact that he’s playing for the struggling White Sox. He hit his sixth homer of the season on Tuesday night as part of a 20-DKFP performance against the Dodgers and has gone 7-for-26 (.269) in his nine games since returning to the lineup from an Achilles injury. He has three games with double-digit DKFP in his eight starts since returning and brings a good ceiling for a play so cheap since he usually hits in a good spot in the batting order as well.
Value
Forrest Wall, Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals ($2,200) – If Wall gets the start in Game 2 of the Braves doubleheader, he’ll be another good value play with strong upside at a very affordable salary. Wall hit .287 with four home runs and 11 stolen bases in 44 games in Triple-A before being called up and has gone 3-for-10 (.300) in his four starts since being called up. He swiped two bags against the Cardinals on Monday, finishing with 15 DKFP and showing his potential upside at this salary barely over the minimum.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$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.
