All 30 Major League Baseball teams have games on the schedule this Friday, and 11 of the 15 games on the board make up the main MLB DFS fantasy baseball slate, which begins at 7:05 p.m. ET. With such a massive 22-team player pool, the slate is stuffed with superstars to consider building around, but there are also some great ways to save some salary cap space. In this post, we’ll dive into the bargain bin and find three MLB DFS Bargain Plays for this Friday, 4/18/25.
These three bargain plays come at very affordable price points but bring a high ceiling that they can be productive contributors to your lineup while also leaving you space to spend on superstars in other spots.
As you make out your lineup card this Friday, be sure to check out the full range of MLB DFS coverage from the team at DKNetwork.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
SP Chase Dollander, Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals, $7,400
Starting a pitcher at Coors Field is always a high-risk option, but Dollander has shown enough upside to be worth the risk, especially on a slate that doesn’t have many other options under $8,000 with high strikeout ceilings.
Dollander is the team’s No. 1 overall prospect and the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball, according to the 2025 Preseason rankings on Fangraphs. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft impressed across 23 starts in 2024 with a 2.59 ERA, 2.92 FIP and 12.9 K/9 across Single-A and Double-A. The top prospect made just one start at Triple-A this season before joining the Rockies for his MLB debut.
Against the Athletics in his debut, Dollander allowed up four runs in five innings but still earned a win and 14.5 fantasy points. He looked even sharper in his second start at Petco Park, going 5 2/3 innings against the Padres with seven strikeouts and just two runs allowed. He took a tough-luck loss but posted 19.8 fantasy points.
Even though the Coors Field factor could drive up his ERA, his strikeout production has been excellent enough to cover for that. He has excellent raw stuff, and he brings a high ceiling to his start against the Nats on Friday night. If playing a rookie at Coors is too risky for you, Kyle Hart ($6,200) or Hunter Dobbins ($6,900) would be my top two alternatives.
OF Austin Hays, Cincinnati Reds at Baltimore Orioles, $3,300
The Reds signed Hays as a free agent after he split time last season between the Orioles and the Phillies. Hays has a big spring training, hitting .310 with three home runs and looked lined up to be the team’s primary cleanup hitter, before landing on the injured list with a calf strain. He was activated earlier this week before the team’s series with the Mariners, and he immediately made an impact, going 2-for-4 with a home run in his season debut and adding another home run on Thursday.
Overall, he went 4-for-13 (.308) with at least one hit in each game and a 30% barrel rate. On Friday, he gets a little extra juice from the revenge narrative as he returns to Oriole Park and Camden Yards to face his former team. He also gets a good matchup against lefty Cade Povich ($6,400). While he only has one plate appearance against lefties this year, he hit .354 against southpaws in the split last season with .402 wOBA and 167 wRC+. He has been a “lefty killer” throughout his career and should be in a prime lineup spot in his return to the Queen City this weekend. Getting him at this salary makes him a great MLB DFS bargain play to slide into your outfield mix.
1B Luken Baker, St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets, $2,600
Baker had a great spring training after working to improve his swing speed this offseason. He smashed four home runs and hit .273 with a .402 wOBA in 44 at-bats. The 28-year-old hit 30+ homers in each of the last two years at Triple-A and is getting his shot with the Cardinals in a crowded DH/1B platoon so far this season.
He has mostly played against lefties, but he has been productive when given the chance, going 7-for-25 (.280) with two doubles and a .325 wOBA. He has a 63.2% hard-hit rate and 10.5% barrel rate, per Statcast, and his exit velocity gives him plenty of power potential. The big first baseman has yet to go yard in the regular season, but he’s a great value option if he’s in the heart of the Cardinals’ lineup on Friday night against lefty David Peterson ($8,700). Peterson is typically very effective against lefties, but righties have two homers and a .354 wOBA against him so far this season.
