This weekend is Major League Baseball’s first Rivalry Weekend, which sets up a great Friday night slate of MLB DFS action with the 12 games on the main slate. With 24 teams in the player pool and some juicy matchups to attack, there are lots of options that make sense at different price points. In this post, we’ll focus on a few of the best inexpensive plays available. Check out these three top MLB DFS Bargain Plays for Friday, 5/16/25, who offer exciting upside at very affordable salaries.
As always for MLB DFS contests, be sure to double-check weather conditions and lineups before game time, especially when shopping for bargains playing in a timeshare. Value plays can be dramatically impacted by their lineup position as well, since hitting in premium lineup positions creates more opportunities for run production.
As you make out your lineup card for this Friday night, be sure to check out the full range of MLB DFS coverage from the team at DKNetwork, since these bargain values are just one piece of the MLB DFS picture to consider.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
SP Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays at Miami Marlins, $7,000
Bradley has pitched at least five innings in each of his eight starts this season, allowing three earned runs or fewer in six of those outings. He had an ugly start against the Yankees that skewed his numbers for the season, but he still has a 3-2 record to go with a 4.24 ERA, 4.83 FIP, and 1.26 WHIP. The reason Bradley’s salary has dropped so low is that his strikeout numbers have dropped sharply this season, with 35 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings for a 6.75 K/9 after posting a 10.0 K/9 last year.
His last start was a strong no-decision against the Brewers, allowing two runs in six innings while working around a rain delay, but he still earned 16.5 fantasy points. His five strikeouts were his most since early April and represent a trend in the right direction. He has strikeout stuff and potential, but hasn’t delivered as many K’s this season.
He’ll have a solid matchup in the first game of this Florida series in Miami at pitcher-friendly Marlins Park. Miami’s offense is much better this year than the last few seasons, but they still rank in the bottom third of the league in runs scored and in the top 10 in K%.
2B Hyeseong Kim, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels, $2,400
Kim has made a great impact in his first couple of weeks in the majors and is coming off a monster game against the Athletics late on Thursday. He went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks, and a stolen base to total 32 fantasy points. On Wednesday in his previous game, he hit his first home run in the majors and had 17 fantasy points. His per-game numbers are a little skewed by his games as a pinch runner or defensive replacement, but he is 12-for-28 (.429) with a .455 wOBA while adding three stolen bases as well.
In Triple-A, Kim hit .252 with five homers and a .352 wOBA in 28 games and stole 13 bases without being caught once. His speed helps him have a high floor to go with his high ceiling as a very affordable dual-threat option. Hitting in front of Shohei Ohtani when the order flips also puts him in a good place to score runs as well.
The Dodgers have a great matchup on Friday against Jack Kochanowicz ($5,000) and the Angels. In his eight starts, Kochanowicz has a 5.23 ERA and 5.56 FIP, while allowing lefties like Kim to hit .308 with a .387 wOBA against him.
SS Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies, $2,300
Lawlar has gone 0-for-4 in his two games since joining the Dbacks earlier this week, but the former top prospect still brings a lot of upside based on his exceptional numbers at Triple-A earlier this season. Lawlar was a top prospect a few years ago but was detoured by injuries last season.
This year, the team opted to keep Lawlar at Triple-A to start the season to let him get regular playing time, and he responded by hitting an impressive .336 with six home runs, 15 doubles, two triples, 13 stolen bases, and a .433 wOBA in 37 games for the Reno Aces.
He went 0-for-3 while starting at shortstop Tuesday and 0-for-1 in a pinch-hit appearance Wednesday. If he gets the start on Friday night against Tanner Gordon ($4,500) and the Rockies, he will have a very high ceiling with both power and speed potential.
