Friday’s finally here, bringing a loaded 14-game MLB slate for DraftKings DFS contests. Almost every single team takes the field tonight, meaning fantasy baseball players can select their lineups from a very wide range of options. Are you ready to kick off the weekend on a high note?
Here are three must-start MLB DFS picks for the virtual diamond on Friday night.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
SP Ryan Pepiot, TB Rays @ BAL Orioles; $8,600
Don’t be alarmed by how far down the list of starting pitchers Ryan Pepiot ($8,800) is. The Rays’ right-hander averages 17.9 FPPG, the fourth-most on today’s slate, but his salary sits seventh among all pitchers. That’s a value to begin with, but it looks even better when you consider he’s tallied a minimum of 21.2 points over his last six starts with a high of 38.4 points.
Pepiot boasts a 3.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 91 strikeouts on the season over 94.2 innings. Over his last six games as mentioned above, he’s pitching to the tune of a 1.64 ERA and 44 punchouts in 38.1 innings. The Orioles are scrappy, but they’re still not an intimidating matchup for a pitcher in such great form lately. Pepiot feels like a fantastic blend of value and potential tonight.
OF Ronald Acuna Jr., ATL Braves @ NY Mets; $6,500
I swear I’m not trying to write about Ronald Acuna Jr. ($6,500) every day, but each time I take a look at the lineup options, I just keep coming back for more. The guy remains a bona fide superstar and despite a rough showing in his last game, the outfielder offers too much production to bench.
With a .369/.485/.658 slash line, 31 runs, 18 RBIs and nine home runs, Acuna doesn’t show many signs of slowing down despite his steadily-growing sample of at-bats. He’s borderline matchup-proof and should only grow more confident with his legs to offer greater stolen-base potential as time goes on. I think he’s far too good to exclude from lineups with 11.7 FPPG with a high floor and ceiling, so pencil him in again this evening against Mick Abel ($7,700) and the Phillies.
SS Jeremy Pena, HOU Astros vs. CHI Cubs; $4,900
Much like Pepiot, Jeremy Pena ($4,900) slots in as the seventh-most expensive player at his position. He brings some of the best value at 9.0 FPPG though, and that number bumps up to 9.9 FPPG when playing at home where the Astros are tonight.
Pena very quietly took his game up several notches this season and looks like the 2022 postseason version of himself who earned a World Series MVP as a rookie. He’s second in WAR among the entire MLB and brings a .324 AVG along with an .871 OPS, 40 RBIs and 11 home runs. The matchup against the Cubs and Cade Horton ($6,700) looks perfectly fine, so I quite like M-V-Pena to make a big impact tonight at an affordable salary.
