We’ve made it to Friday, folks! Is there any better way to ring in the weekend than with some action on the MLB diamond?
DraftKings’ main DFS slate draws from a full 15-game schedule, so fantasy baseball players have nearly-endless options for tonight’s lineups. With the entire league in action, here are three must-start MLB DFS picks for Friday’s contests.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
SP Ranger Suarez, PHI Phillies @ SD Padres; $9,200
Today’s pitcher options look like one of the most loaded selections of the entire season. Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Joe Ryan, Logan Webb, and Carlos Rodon are all in action this evening, yet we’re not targeting any of them. Instead, Ranger Suarez offers a fantastic blend of high floor, elite upside and lineup differentiation at a significantly cheaper salary than other top options.
The Phillies lefty averages 22.2 FPPG this season but that mark increases to 26.47 FPPG over his last five starts. Suarez’s strikeout numbers aren’t spectacular with 73 punchouts in 77.0 innings, but he’s thrown at least six across his last five starts and his rate stats are elite with a 1.99 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. He also hasn’t allowed more than one earned run since June 7 and actually pitches better on the road with a 1.06 ERA and 0.85 WHIP for 26.3 FPPG. Suarez faces the Padres tonight, and while they have some stars, the lineup as a whole shouldn’t strike fear into fantasy managers.
OF Aaron Judge, NY Yankees vs. CHI Cubs; $6,500
Aaron Judge remains the most expensive batter on the slate, but it shouldn’t matter all that much. Take some of your savings with Suarez and sink them into the Yankees slugger in what might actually be a tasty matchup this evening against Chris Flexen and the Cubs.
We all know how great Judge is with his MLB-best 12.4 FPPG and 1.192 OPS. He’s going to get his points one way or another, and while Flexen has put up some great numbers out of the bullpen this season, he gets his first start of the year tonight. He performed pretty poorly over the course of 30 starts for the White Sox last season (4.95 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) and may look more like his old self in a larger role today. Even if Flexen continues to throw well, he probably won’t stay in the game for too long which means Judge will get some good looks against the Chicago bullpen.
3B Alex Bregman, BOS Red Sox vs. TB Rays; $4,900
There is significant risk in this selection as Alex Bregman returns from a nearly two-month absence tonight after suffering a quad injury in May. However, if he comes back without missing a beat, the Red Sox star brings some of the highest upside on the slate and could be a potential home-run pick to set your lineups apart from the pack tonight.
Bregman’s DFS salary ticked as high as $5,700 prior to his injury as he averaged 9.5 FPPG with a .299/.385/.553 slash line with 35 RBIs and 11 homers. He also went 5-for-9 in a very limited sample against the Rays with two runs, four RBIs and two home runs. The numbers clearly speak for themselves, but the question is how healthy Bregman looks tonight. If you don’t mind some risk, this pick is for you. After all, fortune favors the bold.
