Wednesday is getaway day for several Major League Baseball teams, so there are some early games sprinkled throughout this afternoon. However, there are also still five solid matchups to make up the core of the main featured MLB DFS slate this Wednesday, which begins at 7:40 p.m. ET. Let’s dive in and take a look at this 10-team player pool and examine some of my favorite MLB DFS picks for this Wednesday night.
Just a quick note that the start time for the White Sox vs. Mets game has been adjusted, so those players will not accrue fantasy points for these contests. The rest of the weather on the night slate looks decent, although there could be some rain late in Kansas City. It’s also worth noting that the winds at Wrigley won’t be blowing in as much as they have been in the first two games of this series, so more offense could be on the board in that matchup in Chicago.
Let’s break down the top options in my MLB DFS picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Matthew Boyd, Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies, $8,300: Boyd has been a great addition to the Cubs’ rotation this season, and the veteran lefty will have a very favorable matchup at home against the Rockies this Wednesday night. In his 10 starts, he has averaged 16.4 fantasy points per outing while going 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA, 3.77 FIP and 56 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings.
He only lasted four innings in his last start in Cincinnati, but had worked exactly six innings in each of his previous three outings. He posted over 20 fantasy points in each of those three starts by racking up 23 strikeouts over those 18 innings. Boyd has been especially effective at home, where he has issued only two walks in 24 innings this year.
He’ll get a great matchup against the Rockies on Wednesday night. Even with their home field at Coors Field, the Rockies have scored the second-fewest runs in the majors this year while hitting only .219 with a .284 team wOBA. They have a 66 wRC+ as a team, which means they are 34% below league average in run production. On top of all that, they have the second-highest K% in the majors against lefties and the second-highest overall. They should be a great spot for Boyd to return elite production, even though he only has the fifth-highest salary of the starters on the board.
Value
Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels, $7,700: The only team with a higher K% than the Rockies this season has been the Angels, and Clarke Schmidt will be in a good place to return value as he takes on the Halos in Anaheim in one of the two late games on the schedule.
Schmidt has over 12 fantasy points in five straight starts, with a high point of 20.5 fantasy points in a road start in Seattle. Over that span, he is 1-1 with a 3.58 ERA and 3.90 FIP while totaling 29 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. He took the loss at Coors Field in his last outing, but his eight strikeouts were still enough to help him finish with 15.7 fantasy points.
The Angels’ offense has been better over the last couple of weeks, but the team is still piling up strikeouts in the continued absence of Mike Trout. They have managed only five runs in their last four games, and Schmidt will try to keep them quiet on Wednesday night.
If you don’t pay all the way up for a top-salaried arm, you can avoid a high-risk bargain play and go with Boyd and Schmidt as your SP for Wednesday night, giving your squad plenty of strikeout upside in two favorable matchups.
INFIELD
Stud
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds at Kansas City Royals, $6,200: De La Cruz hit a pair of home runs on Tuesday night and is up to 11 homers on the season to go with his 17 stolen bases. He’s hitting .256 with a .335 wOBA which are fairly consistent with last year’s production, but he has cut down on his K% from 31.3% to 28.6%. His hard-hit rate and barrel rate are also slightly up this year.
Over his last four games, Elly is 7-for-16 (.438) with three homers and an average of 20.75 fantasy points per game. He hasn’t been as consistent as Bobby Witt Jr. ($5,900) all season, but he has been much better in this head-to-head matchup in Kansas City and brings a very high ceiling from the heart of the Reds order against lefty Noah Cameron ($8,800) on Wednesday night.
STUD
Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies, $4,300: Since the Rockies’ starter Tanner Gordon ($6,500) has been much better against lefties (.179 average, .178 wOBA) than righties (.429 average, .525 wOBA) this season and throughout his career, it’s a good night to load up on Cubs right-handed bats at Wrigley, where the wind is expected to let up a bit on Wednesday night. Hoerner is a solid mid-range play at 2B who will be on the strong side of that split.
Hoerner has gone 14-for-40 (.350) over his last 10 games with five doubles, a triple, and a pair of stolen bases to average 10.4 fantasy points per game. He’s hitting a solid .292 with 11 stolen bases on the year. Even though he’s still looking for his first homer of the year, he has been able to produce solid fantasy numbers with his batting average and speed. He doesn’t have a high enough ceiling to be an elite option in full-slate contests, but on this limited slate, there aren’t many other strong options at 2B, so he stands out as a good play in a favorable matchup.
Value
Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies, $3,500: Another right-handed bat on the Cubs that brings nice upside is rookie Matt Shaw, who I’ve been hyping since he was called back up last week. Shaw struggled early in the season but seemed to find his groove at Triple-A and has been productive since his return from Iowa. He is 11-for-31 (.355) in his eight games back in the majors with five doubles, four stolen bases, and an average of 10.8 fantasy points per game over that stretch.
Shaw had at least 12 fantasy points in four of his first five games back, and posted 20 fantasy points on Tuesday by going 2-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases. He looks like he’ll be more aggressive on the base paths in this stint in the majors and should be locked in as the team’s every day 3B unless they make a move. He brings a nice blend of power and speed potential from this affordable salary at the hot corner.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies, $5,700: One more Cubs righty before we move on: Seiya Suzuki has been sizzling lately and gets this juicy matchup against Gordon. Suzuki has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games while going 18-for-47 (.383) with eight doubles, four home runs, six walks, and a .500 wOBA. Over that span, he has seven barrels and a 55.3% hard-hit rate, with an average exit velocity just under 95 miles per hour.
In simple terms, Suzuki is absolutely smashing. He has averaged 13.7 fantasy points per game over his last 12 contests and is a great play in this matchup Wednesday night.
Stud
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners vs. Washington Nationals, $5,000: Rodriguez is starting to heat up for Seattle, and the 24-year-old is starting to look very comfortable at the plate, which is a scary thing for opposing pitchers. He has back-to-back three-hit games in his last two contests, after only have two three-hit games in his first 50 games this season.
Rodriguez smashed his 10th homer of the season on Tuesday night on his way to 24 fantasy points, and four of those 10 long balls have come in his last 13 games. Over that span, he has a .291 batting average, .371 wOBA, and 37% hard-hit rate. He also gets a great matchup to keep crushing in as the Mariners host Trevor Williams ($6,200) and the Nats. Williams has a 6.39 ERA and 4.25 FIP this season, and has allowed a .333 batting average and .367 wOBA in his 24 1/3 road innings.
Value
Alejandro Osuna, Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $2,500: I’ve included Osuna in my values the last few days and really like the upside the youngster brings at this price point as he continues to fill in for multiple injuries in the Rangers’ outfield. Osuna had a .292 batting average with 18 homers and 17 stolen bases in 102 games last year across three levels of the minors. He started this year in Double-A, where he hit .283 with seven stolen bases, two homers, and a .357 wOBA. He made a quick stop in Triple-A for eight games and went 7-for-27 (.259) with nine walks, five doubles, and two stolen bases with the Round Rock Express.
His power and speed ceiling make him worth a look as long as he continues to start for the Rangers. He had two singles on Monday and a single and a walk on Tuesday, so he is 3-for-8 (.375) with an average of 4.3 fantasy points per game in his three starts since being called up. He has the potential for much more, though, and a solid matchup against Paxton Schultz ($4,000) should set up well for him on Wednesday night.
