Friday is another busy night on the MLB diamonds, but since several games have early start times, there are eight games on DraftKings main slate which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. Three Of the eight games on the board are divisional matchups, and two are interleague contests. One of those divisional games will take place at Coors Field, where there’s always the potential for more offense due to the elevation in Denver. As a result, the Rockies and Padres hitters are priced up a little bit but will likely be popular plays.
Whether you’re chasing or fading Coors Field, there are some great matchups to try and attack across the board. As you build your roster for Friday’s contests, though, you may run short on salary cap space. If so, check out these three bargain options which have very affordable salaries but still offer high ceilings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
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SP Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers, $6,900
Woods Richardson has been solid for the Twins in the absence of Joe Ryan (triceps), and the team will need to continue to get good work from the 23-year-old righty to stay in the playoff hunt. Woods Richardson has allowed two earned runs or fewer four times in his last six starts but has not gotten the run support to pick up any wins in that span. Still, his 3.40 FIP and 9.1 K/9 over that span show his good ceiling.
Last Saturday, he took a hard-luck loss to the Guardians despite going seven strong innings with seven strikeouts and just two runs allowed. He finished with 23.4 fantasy points despite no win bonus. The Rangers have dropped seven of their last nine games and are sliding out of the Wild Card race, where the Twins currently hold the second Wild Card slot. The Rangers have the fifth-lowest wOBA and the sixth-lowest ISO in the MLB over the last 30 days, so they are actually a solid matchup for Woods Richardson to build on the momentum from that start against the Guardians. If he gets some run support against lefty Andrew Heaney ($7,400), he could even grab the win to boost his value even higher.
OF Will Brennan, Cleveland Guardians at Milwaukee Brewers, $2,800
Following a quick trip to the minors, Brennan has stepped directly into a very prominent role in the Guardians lineup. He has been typically hitting second in the order against right-handed pitchers like Aaron Civale ($6,800), and in that premium lineup spot, he offers a very high ceiling despite his uninspiring season-long totals.
When he went to Columbus at the very end of July, Brennan found his stroke, going 13-for-31 (.419) with four doubles, a home run and a .488 wOBA. He has stayed hot in his six games since returning to Cleveland, going 8-for-21 (.381) with a double and a triple along with at least one hard-hit event per game, according to Statcast. Hitting between Steven Kwan ($4,600) and Jose Ramirez ($6,300) should be a great run production spot and makes him a great play under $3,000 on Friday.
2B/SS Shay Whitcomb, Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox, $2,000
Editor’s Note: Astros 2B/SS Shay Whitcomb is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the White Sox.
Happy Shay Day, to those who celebrate! It could be a huge night for the Astros’ prospect, who is expected to be called up for Houston’s weekend series against the White Sox, according to KPRC2’s Ari Alexander:
MLB Pipeline ranked Whitcomb as the Astros’ No. 14 prospect, and he brings a very intriguing ceiling if he gets right into the Astros’ lineup this Friday night. The 25-year-old prospect has had raw power potential throughout his rise through the system but also had a very high strikeout rate until this year, lowering his K% at Triple-A from 31.1% last year to just 19.8% this year. Even with that dramatic improvement, he hasn’t sacrificed his power still smashing 25 homers with an impressive .392 wOBA in his 108 games this season.
But wait… there’s more! Whitcomb also has 26 stolen bases for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, showing a high ceiling with multiple ways to produce big fantasy points. He has thrived against lefties, hitting .329 with a .979 OPS in the split, although those lefties are definitely not Garret Crochet ($9,300), who he will have to face Friday if he makes his MLB debut. While there are still concerns about the “swing-and-miss” in his approach, at the minimum salary, he’ll be a great option due to his high ceiling and the fact that he fits at either middle infield spot this Friday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$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.
