Wednesday nights can sometimes be a little light on MLB action, but that’s definitely not the case this week, with 11 games under the lights and on the main fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings. The MLB DFS contests start at 7:05 p.m. ET, when the first pitch is scheduled in the Bronx between the Angels and Yankees. With 22 teams in the player pool, strong options appear all across the salary spectrum and at every position. Let’s take a look at some of the top MLB DFS picks for this evening.
The weather can always be a concern at this point in the season, and there is potential rain in the forecast for several matchups on Wednesday. Be careful, especially with pitchers, in New York, Chicago, Tampa and Cincinnati. Be sure to check back for the latest forecast before contests lock to see if you need to adjust your strategy. The good news is that the late games are mostly clear, so pivoting to players from the West Coast should be an option, as long as you check before the start time of the game in question.
With all that in mind, let’s break down my top MLB DFS picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros at Athletics, $10,500: Wednesday’s slate includes two premium arms priced over $10,000 in Valdez and Chris Sale ($10,700). Both have been excellent lately, but Valdez has an easier opponent and has been more consistent. Valdez has earned at least 29 fantasy points in three straight starts and at least 25 fantasy points in six of his last seven. He is 6-0 in those seven starts with an impressive 2.02 ERA, 2.11 FIP and 59 strikeouts in 49 innings. He pitched at least seven innings in five of those starts, including a complete game against the Rays that earned him over 40 fantasy points.
The lefty has turned up his strikeout rate over his last few starts with nine, 11 and 12 in his last three outings respectively, giving him an even higher ceiling since his curveball is absolutely a wipeout pitch right now.
Valdez has yet to face the Athletics this season, but he should be very familiar with his division foes. The A’s have been a pretty neutral matchup lately, but Valdez has a history of success against them, going 6-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 15 games while piling up 85 strikeouts in 92 innings. He gave up just one run in two starts against them last year over 13 1/3 innings with 14 strikeouts. Based on how dominant he has been lately, he’s my top pay-up pitcher for Wednesday night.
Value
Ryan Yarbrough, New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels, $6,500: Yarbrough has had an impressive renaissance with the Yankees this season. Yarbrough made adjustments to his changeup grip and altered his pitch mix, and as a result, he has been amazingly effective despite his lack of overpowering velocity. He is 3-1 in 15 games (seven starts) with the Yankees this season, posting a 3.96 ERA, 4.39 FIP and 8.3 K/9.
He was shelled in one start against the Red Sox about two weeks ago, but has given up two earned runs or fewer in his other six starts. He faced the Sox again in his most recent outing, allowing just one run on four hits in 4 2/3 innings.
He faced the free-swinging Angels at the end of May in Anaheim, and he earned 27.7 fantasy points by allowing only one run on two hits in six innings with seven strikeouts. The Angels have the highest strikeout rate in the majors this season and have the fourth-lowest team batting average at only .225. While Yarbrough definitely isn’t overpowering, he has been “crafty” enough to get plenty of strikeouts. Getting him at home in such a favorable matchup at this bargain salary for MLB DFS is a great option to consider if the rain doesn’t interrupt the early innings at Yankee Stadium.
INFIELD
Stud
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds vs. Minnesota Twins, $6,200: De La Cruz homered in four straight games before going 0-for-3 on Tuesday, but he still had double-digit fantasy points since he stole a base, scored a run and worked two walks. He has 10 games with 10+ fantasy points in June, while going 17-for-48 (.354) with five homers, four stolen bases, a .505 wOBA and a 51.3% hard hit rate.
The switch-hitting De La Cruz has hit 13 of his 16 homers from the left side against right-handed pitching, and he has a .303 batting average and .413 wOBA on that side of the split. He has a good matchup against Bailey Ober ($7,600) and the Twins on Wednesday night, if the rain holds off at Great American Ball Park. He’s one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now and always brings a great upside with his dual-threat potential from the heart of the Reds’ batting order.
Stud
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels, $5,100: Chisholm has been heating up lately, as well, with 13 hits in his last 12 games while hitting .333 (13-for-39) with two doubles, two homers, seven walks and four stolen bases. He’s averaged 9.6 fantasy points over that 12-game stretch, which dates back to when he returned from a month-long absence due to a strained oblique. He’s been also battling a groin issue, but when available, he has been productive.
He and the Yankees’ other lefties have a juicy matchup on Wednesday against Jack Kochanowicz ($5,500), who has a 5.53 ERA and 5.62 FIP on the season and has allowed lefties to hit .307 off him with a .391 wOBA and 11 home runs.
Value
Gavin Sheets, San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers, $3,400: Sheets has been a great addition to the heart of the Padres’ order this season and is still relatively affordable for MLB DFS at under $3,500 with eligibility at 1B and in the outfield. He comes into Wednesday’s matchup with an eight-game hitting streak, and during that span, he’s gone 11-for-28 (.393) with three doubles, a home run, five walks and a .445 wOBA.
Sheets has a 54.0% hard hit rate on the season and a 57.7% hard hit rate over his eight-game hitting streak. He and the Padres have dropped the first two games of their four-game set in Los Angeles against the rival Dodgers and have lost five of six overall. They’ll look to get back in the win column as they take on Emmet Sheehan ($6,900), who is coming off the 60-day IL and making his first appearances since Tommy John surgery. He’ll likely be on a pitch count, and I love Sheets’ upside at this price since it feels like another bullpen game for the Dodgers.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets, $6,400: Acuna has been excellent since returning from the injured list on May 23. In his 22 games, Acuna has already smashed seven home runs while hitting .392 (31-for-79) with a .502 wOBA, a 57.9% hard hit rate and 19.3% barrel rate. His hard hit rate and barrel rate would each rank in the top six in the majors if he had the at-bats to qualify.
Acuna walked three times on Tuesday in the series opener against the Mets and finished with 13 fantasy points. He has double-digit fantasy points in six of his last seven games, averaging 16.9 fantasy points per contest. At home this year, Acuna is hitting .413, and he’s hitting .452 against righties with six of his seven homers on that side of the split. He should be in a good matchup against Paul Blackburn ($7,800) and the Mets on Wednesday night, and he’s my favorite outfield bat to pay up for on Wednesday’s MLB DFS slate.
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers, $5,100: Tatis has shaken off a mini-slump in May and has been hitting the ball extremely well in the five games on his team’s current road trip. In those five games, he is 10-for-19 (.526) with three doubles, a stolen base and nine runs scored. He has been smashing the ball with 10 hard hit batted ball events and a 62.5% hard hit rate.
Tatis hasn’t homered since May 27, but he is hitting the ball very well and continuing to get on base and create run-scoring opportunities at the top of the order for the Padres. San Diego needs to bounce back after losing the first two games of the series to the Dodgers, and Tatis is a great MLB DFS mid-range outfield play, as he brings an elite ceiling at a discounted salary.
Value
Cam Smith, Houston Astros at Athletics, $3,300: Smith blasted a pair of home runs on Tuesday night on his way to a massive 4-for-5 performance that helped him earn 40 fantasy points. The 22-year-old had some growing pains early in the season but has been heating up lately and is still a bargain against Luis Severino ($6,700) at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.
Smith’s four-hit, two-homer performance extended his recent run of success. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games with an at-bat, going 14-for-40 (.350) with four doubles, a stolen base and an average of 10.5 fantasy points per contest. During that span, he has a 61.3% hard hit rate, which is a vast improvement on the 43.1% hard hit rate he had in his previous 49 games. He still hits low in the Astros’ order, but the impressive rookie has enough upside to definitely be a MLB DFS bargain option to consider at just over $3,000.
