Major League Baseball gets the weekend off to a fantastic start this Friday night with a massive 13-game slate on the schedule, starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. The headline matchup of the weekend is a World Series rematch in Los Angeles between the Dodgers and Yankees, but there are also plenty of other intriguing matchups to consider as you assemble your MLB DFS roster for Friday. If you are looking for a few bargain options to stretch your salary cap space further, check out these three MLB DFS Bargain Plays for Friday night, who each bring a high ceiling at a very affordable salary.
As always for MLB DFS, be sure to double-check weather conditions and lineups before game time. Baltimore has the most problematic forecast coming into the day, with other potential issues in Cleveland and New York as well. In these bargains, I selected options from the other games, but if you include other players from those games, be sure to confirm conditions before rosters lock.
As you make out your lineup card for this Monday afternoon, be sure to check out the full range of MLB 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 Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
SP Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, $7,200
Matthews has a very high ceiling due to his strikeout potential against the Mariners on Friday. Matthews’ overall numbers in the majors haven’t been outstanding the last two seasons, but he has flashed potential at times and been excellent at Triple-A.
Last year, the 25-year-old started the season in Single-A and vaulted all the way to the majors. Once he arrived, though, he went just 1-4 with a 6.69 ERA, 5.72 FIP, and 1.65 WHIP despite a 10.3 K/9. He started this year at Triple-A, where he went 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 2.48 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP and kept his strikeout rate high with a 10.5 K/9.
Matthews was brought back to the Twins for his last two starts. He gave up four runs in three innings in his season debut against the Brewers but looked better in his last start, going four innings and allowing two runs with a season-high nine strikeouts and 19.4 fantasy points. He’ll need to be more efficient and work deeper in games to deliver on his potential, but his continued strikeout success gives him plenty of upside.
Zebby will face the Mariners in Seattle on Friday, who rank in the top 10 in the MLB in K% on the season and over the last two weeks. Seattle has been held to three runs or fewer in four of their last five games. If Matthews can keep them quiet on Friday and deliver on his strikeout upside, he could be the best value starting pitcher on the slate.
1B/2B Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals, $2,900
Keith was a top prospect for the Tigers last season, and he turned things around after a slow start with a big second half. This season, he also started the year in a slump, going 14-for-81 (.173) in his first 31 games. Since then, though, it looks like he has found his way back to being a productive option, going 19-for-62 (.306) in his last 19 games with 10 of those 19 hits going for extra bases, including two home runs.
Coming into the weekend series in Kansas City, Keith has hit safely in five straight games and in nine of his last 11. He has a 46.7% hard-hit rate and 10.0% barrel rate during that span, which are both significant improvements on his season-long numbers. The 23-year-old still has great overall upside and seems to have broken out of his early-season funk.
Keith usually hits third in the Tigers’ productive lineup, and getting him for under $3,000 makes him a good play against Seth Lugo, who has let lefties hit .248 against him this year with a .333 wOBA, compared to just a .254 wOBA for righties. Keith is an easy fit for lineups, especially since he can work at either 1B or 2B, depending on the rest of your roster construction.
OF Jonatan Clase, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Athletics, $2,500
Clase is another bargain play for MLB DFS this Friday with a high ceiling. The Jays acquired Clase from the Mariners in the Yimi Garcia trade at last year’s deadline, and the 23-year-old switch-hitter has recently been getting extra playing time in Toronto’s outfield. He was hitting .315 in Triple-A with a .377 wOBA and 15 stolen bases in 27 games before his promotion, and has also flashed a little power in his rise through the minors, even though he doesn’t have a home run yet this season.
On Thursday, Clase went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, two runs scored, and 17 fantasy points. He has at least 13 fantasy points in three of his last five games and has hit safely in six straight games, averaging 11.2 fantasy points per game over his last six contests. He has a good plate approach and plenty of speed potential. The Athletics have struggled so badly lately that whoever is playing against them has the potential to have a huge offensive night, like the Blue Jays did on Thursday, piling up 12 runs on 18 hits.
Clase has a great ceiling due to his speed if he keeps getting playing time for the Blue Jays, and he’ll be a great bargain option at only $2,500 if he’s in the lineup again on Friday night.
