Did I miss something? Have we been transported back to Opening Day? Because the pitching on tonight’s 12-game featured slate is stacked. Just ace after ace after ace at the top of the pricing list.
Which starter should you be building your lineups around? Let’s dive in and break it all down.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Michael King, San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants, $9,800 – With so many big names on this slate, I’m hoping King gets a little overlooked by the masses. The RHP has been among the best pitchers in baseball dating back to the end of May. To wit, in his last 16 outings, King has maintained a 2.41 ERA and a 2.45 FIP across 89.2 innings. He also owns a 29.8% strikeout rate within that span of time. Meanwhile, the Giants have struggled to do much with the bat in the last two weeks — including make contact. Over the last 14 days, San Francisco leads baseball with a 30.0% strikeout rate. That, my friends, is a matchup with DFS upside.
Value
Erick Fedde, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Seattle Mariners, $7,700 – Fedde has been underwhelming since a trade to St. Louis at the deadline, but his overall numbers remain solid. In 27 starts in 2024, the veteran RHP owns a 3.43 ERA and a 3.90 xERA. More interestingly, Fedde’s also managed 15 strikeouts across his last 11.2 innings of work. That’s important to note in a matchup with Seattle — the team that possesses MLB’s highest strikeout rate (27.3%).
INFIELD
Stud
Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels, $4,900 – It’s been a down year for Semien, but you have to like the veteran in this evening’s matchup with Sam Aldegheri ($5,300). It’s not really a knock on the young LHP, it’s simply hard to justify that he’s ready to pitch at the MLB level with only 27.1 career innings at Double-A. Classic Angels prospect treatment, I guess. Semien’s done some damage against lefties in 2024, posting a 126 wRC+ within the split in 157 plate appearances.
Stud
J.D. Martinez, New York Mets vs. Cincinnati Reds, $4,600 – Is this just a Narrative Street play with Martinez coming off the paternity list on Thursday? No. The old man can still crush left-handed pitching. In 116 plate appearances within the split, Martinez is slashing .293/.397/.535 with a 164 wRC+. Among qualified players within the split, Martinez’s .446 expected wOBA off southpaws is the fourth-best mark in the league. Tread carefully, Brandon Williamson ($6,000).
Value
Ty France, Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets, $3,300 – France just had himself a series against the Astros. Nine hits in three games including a game-winning home run on Thursday. Needless to say, he’s seeing the ball well at the moment. On Friday, France and the Reds will draw a matchup with Jose Quintana ($7,900) — owner of a 5.02 FIP. France has hit LHPs well in 2024, with a 123 wRC+ in 119 plate appearances within the split. I’d expect that trend to continue at Citi Feld.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies at Miami Marlins, $5,900 – After a prolonged slump in the middle of August, Schwarber is red-hot. How red-hot? How about six extra-base hits in his last three games? How about four of those being home runs? To be blunt, Schwarber is a fearsome matchup in the box at the moment and the exact thing a pitcher like Edward Cabrera ($6,500) does not want to see. Cabrera has struggled with LHBs all season long, surrendering a whopping 2.10 home runs per nine within the split. Well, few left-handed hitters possess more raw power than Schwarber.
Value
Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants, $4,800 – If you want a simple explanation as to why Merrill is suddenly the front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year, here it is. Since June 1, Merrill is slashing .299/.326/.582 with a .283 ISO. Against specifically RHPs in that same span, Merrill owns a 1.002 OPS and a 175 wRC+. Not bad for a 21-year-old. On Friday, Merrill will look to add to those numbers versus Mason Black ($5,800). It’s a small sample, but Black has allowed opposing LHBs to combine for a .433 wOBA so far in 2024.
Value
Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox, $4,000 – Yoshida has been quite good since the All-Star break, slashing .317/.388/.476 with a 140 wRC+ in his 165 plate appearances. Tonight, he’ll draw an opposite-hand matchup with Davis Martin ($6,300). In all honestly, Martin’s been decent for the White Sox, yet Boston still owns this slate’s highest implied team total. Likely due to Chicago’s 4.97 bullpen ERA across the past 30 days.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
