Since all 30 Major League Baseball teams played on Monday of this week, most series are wrapping up this Wednesday. To help make travel work, many “getaway” games get an early start in the afternoon, but there are still five games under the lights that make up the main DFS fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings this Wednesday. The contests start a little early at 6:40 p.m. ET to include the Guardians-Orioles matchup and will conclude with the Rangers-Athletics matchup in Arlington. Let’s dive into the five matchups on the board and find the night’s top MLB DFS picks.
At this time of year, weather is always a critical factor to monitor. Tampa continues to be an especially important spot to watch since the pop-up storms are tricky to predict and the hitting environment at George M. Steinbrenner Field is definitely worth attacking if the game plays as scheduled. Be sure to check the latest forecast before lineups lock to see if your MLB DFS picks need any tweaking. As lineups come out, be sure the players on your roster are where you want them to be in their MLB lineups as well.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians vs. Baltimore Orioles, $7,500: Normally, I don’t go this cheap for my stud starting pitcher, but on this five-game slate, I don’t love the matchups and current form for the pay-up plays. Cecconi brings a good ceiling and has been going deep enough into games to offer upside in a favorable spot against the Orioles.
Cecconi is coming off one of the most unusual stat lines of the season. He worked 8 1/3 innings against the Athletics just after the break but ended up allowing six earned runs. He still got the win and finished with 9.95 fantasy points, but the three runs he gave up in the ninth inning hurt his fantasy total. It was still a win, though, and the team obviously trusts him to work deep into games.
In his 11 starts, he is averaging 16.0 fantasy points per game with a 5-4 record, 3.84 ERA, 4.47 FIP and a 21.9% K%. He had nine strikeouts and earned 29.54 fantasy points in his start before the break against the Astros, and he has over 18 fantasy points in four of his last seven outings. The Orioles should be a favorable matchup, since they have the third-fewest runs in the MLB over the last two weeks, averaging just 3.3 runs per game while hitting .232 with a .281 wOBA and 22.3% K% over that span.
Value
Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago White Sox, $7,000: Bradley is one of the most interesting names in the trade market since the young pitcher has plenty of pedigree and a high ceiling but has been inconsistent this season. The 24-year-old is 6-6 with a 4.35 ERA and 4.01 FIP and has 11 quality starts in 20 outings, but he has had a few very rough outings, especially at home.
Despite those ugly outings, Bradley has also looked ready to reach his sky-high potential in a few starts, including his most recent outing just after the break. He faced the Orioles and earned 27.1 fantasy points by throwing six shutout innings with just three hits allowed to go with six strikeouts.
Bradley has earned 18 fantasy points or more in three of his last five outings, and getting him at home against the light-hitting White Sox at just $7,000 is a great way to stretch your salary. He does come with risk of a blow-up, but he also brings a high enough ceiling to make him a good value target.
INFIELD
Stud
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians vs. Baltimore Orioles, $6,000: Ramirez has been carrying the Guardians for the past few weeks on offense, and his power and speed combination gives him a very high ceiling in almost every matchup. He has 21 homers and 30 stolen bases on the season while hitting .295 overall and averaging 10.2 fantasy points per game.
Since the Fourth of July, Ramirez has crushed eight homers in his last 15 games, producing a .283 batting average, .528 ISO and .475 wOBA. He has put up most of his power production against righties like Zach Eflin ($6,600), who the Orioles will activate before Wednesday’s start. Eflin has allowed 16 homers in his 12 starts this season with a 5.95 ERA, 5.72 FIP and a 1.44 WHIP. The Guardians are a strong option to build around on Wednesday as they go for the sweep, and Ramirez is the heart of their offense.
Stud
Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees, $4,400: Bichette has also been raking since returning from missing a couple of games with a twisted knee. He didn’t need an IL stint for the injury and got back in the lineup on July 4. Since then, he’s hitting .339 (19-for-56) with nine doubles, a home run and a .402 wOBA. He’s averaging 9.7 fantasy points over his last 12 games and producing the same 9.7 fantasy points per game in his 50 home games.
At home this year, Bichette is hitting .315 with 10 of his 12 homers and a .384 wOBA. Getting Bichette at this salary in his current form in a home matchup is a great option at shortstop.
Value
Angel Martinez, Cleveland Guardians vs. Baltimore Orioles, $3,400: Martinez has been a regular in my picks for the last few weeks and continues to bring excellent value for the Guardians near the top of their batting order. The 23-year-old switch-hitter has hit first or second in the order in each of the five games since the All-Star break and gone 11-for-24 (.458) with four doubles, a home run and an average of 14 fantasy points per game.
Martinez is hitting .319 in July with a .400 wOBA, and he has 13 RBIs and 13 runs scored in those 18 games. He’s been a key part of the Guardians’ bouncing back after their 10-game skid, and even though his salary has risen, he’s still a great value at under $3,500 with eligibility at both 2B and in the OF.
OUTFIELD
Stud
George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees, $4,800: Springer has tormented the Yankees this season, averaging 14.9 fantasy points per game against them. He had two hits and two walks on Tuesday for 16 fantasy points, and he has averaged 12.0 fantasy points per contest in his five games since the All-Star break.
Springer is 3-for-9 with a homer in his career against Max Fried ($9,800), who the Blue Jays roughed up for four runs in six innings in Toronto earlier this month in this same matchup. Springer is hitting .301 at home with a .411 home wOBA. He hasn’t hit for as high an average against lefties, but more of his home runs (35%) have come on that side of the splits than his plate appearances (27%), giving him nice power potential.
Stud
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies, $4,100: Rafaela went into the All-Star break on a tear and has continued to produce after the break as well, despite the Red Sox facing some tough pitching matchups. Rafaela has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games and 18 of his last 20.
Over those 20 games, Rafaela is hitting an impressive .347 with eight doubles, six home runs, three stolen bases and an average of 10.95 fantasy points per game. He has a 51.5% hard-hit rate over that stretch and an average exit velocity of 91.3 miles per hour, showing his production hasn’t been very flukey. The 24-year-old has hit six of his 14 homers off lefties, and he should be able to return value against lefty Jesus Luzardo ($8,500) as the Red Sox look to avoid being swept in Philadelphia.
Value
Michael Helman, Texas Rangers vs. Athletics, $2,500: Helman made a splash after his promotion from Triple-A on Monday. The 29-year-old righty hit leadoff as the starting center fielder and smashed a three-run homer on his way to 20 fantasy points. Helman could hit leadoff again on Wednesday against lefty JP Sears ($6,300), and if he does, he’ll be an extreme value at this affordable salary.
Helman has been a bit of a journeyman in the minors, spending time in Triple-A for the Twins, Cardinals, Pirates and Rangers. He hit .270 during his 33 games with the Round Rock Express, with seven homers, eight stolen bases and a .321 wOBA. He’s probably not a long-term solution, but if he’s hitting leadoff at the top of the lineup with some hot bats behind him in this favorable matchup, he’s a great bargain plug-in to help stretch your salary.
