Tuesday brings another big day of MLB baseball with 10 games on DraftKings’ main DFS slate. With some of the league’s top teams in action this evening, we’re taking a look at three must-start MLB DFS picks for tonight’s fantasy baseball contests.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $225K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
SP Matthew Boyd, CHI Cubs vs. KC Royals; $8,900
The Cubs take on the Royals at Wrigley Field tonight, setting Matthew Boyd up nicely to provide great value in fantasy contests. The lefty posts 19.2 FPPG on the year with a 2.34 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. While his 102 strikeouts in 111.2 innings could see improvement, he still posts a 70th-percentile chase rate. Boyd does see an uptick in fantasy production with 22.9 FPPG at home, and the Royals are 19th in AVG with the second-fewest runs scored overall this season. All things considered, this southpaw looks like a top option who can compete with higher-salary hurlers while saving a little bit of cash for elsewhere in lineups.
SS Zach Neto, LA Angels @ NY Mets; $5,100
Zach Neto’s salary sits below many of the most popular players on tonight’s slate but he’s brought plenty of upside as of late. The Angels’ shortstop averages 9.3 FPPG this season and 12.5 FPPG over his last 10 appearances. He faces Mets righty Frankie Montas tonight, a pitcher who’s struggled with a 5.03 ERA across his handful of starts this year so far. While his WHIP looks respectable, it’s easy to see the upside for Neto tonight since the 24-year-old slashes .299/.350/.496 against right-handed pitching with 11 of his 15 homers coming against that side. Plus, he’s a stolen-base threat as an added bonus for fantasy players.
2B Brice Matthews, HOU Astros @ ARI Diamondbacks; $2,100
We’re doing something very different with this pick, but just bear with me while I explain. The Astros called up one of their top prospects just before the All-Star break as Brice Matthews joined the big-league squad. He didn’t play well over his first couple of games and has just 16 MLB at-bats to his name. Sound scary? Sure. However, he’s averaging 9.0 FPPG over his five appearances after a massive two-homer, five-RBI game yesterday. He faces lefty Eduardo Rodriguez tonight, who has a 5.94 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. What’s the key to this DFS pick? A positive matchup against a lefty since Matthews slashed .333/.455/.556 against southpaws in the minor leagues this year. Plus, his average exit velocity on his nine balls put in play is a laughably-good 102.6 mph.
