The final weekend of the MLB season gets underway with 12 games on Friday night’s main slate. Six teams start in the afternoon and early evening, but the other 24 teams are in the player pool of the contests that start at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Five of the 12 games are divisional contests, but most of the focus will be on the Wild Card races. In the American League, the Twins still have a chance to catch the Royals and Tigers while the Diamondbacks, Mets and Braves battle for two spots in the NL Wild Card race. The Braves and Royals meet in an important interleague series for both Wild Card races. The top teams in each league also have plenty to play for with the top seed still up for grabs. The Dodgers start the weekend with the lead in the National League as they start their weekend series at Coors Field.
The Dodgers are in a great spot to put up fantasy points in Denver, but many options deserve consideration. As you build your roster, check out these value plays if you need to save some salary but still get plenty of upside.
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SP Cade Povich, Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins, $6,300
Povich has been back and forth to Triple-A Norfolk a few times this season, but he has looked very sharp in September. In his four starts this month, the young lefty has allowed eight runs in 22 innings for a 3.27 ERA and 2.91 xFIP. He has an impressive 30 strikeouts in those 22 innings and has produced over 18 fantasy points in three of those four starts. His best start of that run came against Chicago when he showed off his ceiling by hanging 37.5 fantasy points on the hapless White Sox.
Povich is coming off back-to-back strong outings against the Tigers and will be in a favorable spot against the Twins, who have fallen out of Wild Card position. The Twins have posted the third-lowest team batting average and team wOBA over the last 30 days, averaging only 3.4 runs per game. The Orioles can clinch a postseason spot with a win and will eliminate the Twins at the same time. It’s also a revenge game for Povich against the organization that drafted him before sending him to Baltimore in the Jorge López trade back in August of 2022. Lots of storylines and good form are plenty to make Povich a great play at this very affordable price.
1B Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians vs. Houston Astros, $2,400
Both the Guardians and Astros have clinched their division and are headed to the postseason. Cleveland starts the week just one game behind the Yankees for the top spot in the AL while the Astros are locked into their spot as the No. 3 seed. The Guardians have been hitting Manzardo second in the batting order in each of his last five starts, and he has been their everyday DH since being called back up from the minors on September 1.
During that span, Manzardo has gone 17-for-55 (.309) with five home runs, a .421 wOBA and a 47.6% hard-hit rate, according to Statcast. Manzardo has hit safely in six of his last nine games, averaging 8.1 fantasy points per game even though he came off the bench in two of those games. Getting him under $2,500 gets you a young bat with a premium position in a strong lineup, and he’s a great way to save salary if you can go cheap at 1B.
OF Jonatan Clase, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Miami Marlins, $2,600
If you need your bargain to fit into your outfield spot, Clase is a good play with upside as he closes out the season for the Blue Jays. He joined the team in a trade from the Mariners at the Trade Deadline, splitting his 94 Triple-A games between Buffalo and Tacoma. In those games, the 22-year-old hit .263 with 12 home runs and a .346 wOBA while adding 38 stolen bases. In his 13 Triple-A games in September, he swiped nine bases while hitting .294 before getting called up.
Since joining the Jays last Friday, Clase was caught stealing in his only attempt but has gone 6-for-12 (.500) with a .588 wOBA. He went 3-for-3 with his first MLB home run and 26 fantasy points against the Red Sox on Wednesday night while filling in for George Springer ($4,200) in the leadoff spot. He’ll likely bat lower in the order for this matchup with Adam Oller ($6,600) and the Marlins, but he brings good upside with his combination of power and speed.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Hidden Ball Trick [$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.
