The penultimate Friday of the MLB regular season. Kind of makes you misty-eyed, doesn’t it? No. Just me? Alright. I guess I’m the weird one.
There’s 12 games on tonight’s featured slate on DraftKings. Let’s dive in and find some studs and values.
PITCHER
Stud
Joe Musgrove, San Diego Padres vs. Chicago White Sox, $9,100 – There’s nine days left in the regular season and it feels like I haven’t thought about Musgrove in months. However, the veteran RHP has been great since returning from a lengthy IL stint in mid-August. In seven starts, Musgrove has managed a 2.37 ERA and a 2.78 FIP with a 28.4% strikeout rate. He’s also held opponents to a .247 wOBA within this span. Musgrove should have little issue keeping the good times rolling against the lowly White Sox, who own league-worst marks in ISO (.088) and wOBA (.270) across the last 30 days.
Value
Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners, $8,100 – Using deGrom on Friday has it’s risks. First and foremost, the former Cy Young winner threw only 61 pitches in his last outing, which means he’s likely not going more than 70-75 pitches this evening. However, that still might be enough time to have a DFS impact against a lineup like Seattle’s. The Mariners lead baseball in strikeout rate (27.1%) and they are one of only seven teams with a swinging strike rate above 12% entering tonight’s action. Meanwhile, in case you’ve forgotten, deGrom owns a 41.7% strikeout rate since the beginning of 2020. That’s the highest of any pitcher with 200 innings thrown in that span — including relievers. The man’s upside is unmatched.
INFIELD
Stud
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants, $6,300 – By now, you know the drill. Witt is having a monster season, yet he’s been his best when hitting in Kansas City, as evidenced by a .378/.436/.679 slash line with a 201 wRC+. He’s always viable, but especially so when the Royals are at home. It also helps when he’s facing a pitcher like Mason Black ($5,500). The Giants’ RHP has some wicked reverse-splits in 2024. In fact, opposing RHBs are batting .339 with a .448 wOBA off the rookie.
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves at Miami Marlins, $5,200 – While I’m sure the entire Marlins’ pitching staff is happy Shohei Ohtani ($7,100) is no longer in town, the Braves present their own challenges. For instance, Olson is red-hot at the moment, carrying a 1.328 OPS across his last 10 games. In general, Olson’s turned his season around since the beginning of August, as he sports a .288 ISO and a 154 wRC+ in his last 198 plate appearances. Valente Bellozo ($6,500) would be wise to tread carefully with the slugger, especially considering the RHP has surrendered a staggering 1.85 opponent home runs per nine in 2024.
Value
Weston Wilson, Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, $4,000 – This is a tough matchup against David Peterson ($8,400), but at this point, Wilson’s worth a look against any LHP. The 30-year-old only has a 42 plate appearance sample size within the split in 2024, yet in those opportunities, Wilson is slashing .361/.429/.667 with a 195 wRC+. Overall, the Phillies lead baseball in wRC+ (121) and wOBA (.344) against lefties, so this could be quite the sneaky offensive environment for Wilson and his teammates.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies, $4,900 – This game isn’t at Coors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still pick on Kyle Freeland ($5,700), who actually possesses a 5.98 ERA when pitching on the road this season. Very odd. Freeland is also left-handed, which is wonderful news for Hernandez. No Dodger has hit southpaws as well as Hernandez in 2024, with the veteran outfielder slashing .295/.360/.570 with a .275 ISO and a 155 wRC+ within the split. Hernandez has a huge fantasy ceiling on Friday.
Stud
Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves at Miami Marlins, $4,200 – The Braves have one of this slate’s highest implied team totals. Part of that is due to the aforementioned Bellozo. Part of that is due to a Marlins’ bullpen that owns a 5.58 ERA across the past 30 days. In any case, it’s a good time to get Harris into a couple lineups. The 23-year-old is tearing the cover off the ball in September, posting a .316 ISO and an .888 OPS in the month. At just over $4K, Harris is a steal.
Value
Jasson Dominguez, New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics, $3,400 – Dominguez hasn’t been putting up massive numbers since getting recalled to the majors, yet the top prospect does have a pair of extra-base hits in his last three games. Dominguez also appears to be locked into the six-spot in a dangerous Yankees lineup. However, the thing to like the most about the rookie on Friday is his switch-hitting ability. J.T. Ginn ($7,000) has been destroyed by left-handed bats in his time with Oakland, allowing a .365 average and a .427 wOBA within the split. New York has many LHBs, but Dominguez might be the most cost-effective.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
