We’re halfway through the week and the MLB continues hurtling towards the trade deadline as teams hit their stride after the All-Star break. Tonight’s featured slate on DraftKings is a smaller one than usual with just five games in the evening window beginning at 6:40 p.m. EST, but there are still plenty of fantasy baseball contests to join ahead of that deadline.
Here are three must-start players for Wednesday’s MLB DFS lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]
SP Jesus Luzardo, PHI Phillies vs. BOS Red Sox; $8,500
With just 10 teams in action on this Wednesday slate, top pitching options are certainly slim. I considered going with Max Fried for this one but he faces a talented Blue Jays lineup and is the priciest player today. Instead, we’re going with Phillies lefty Jesus Luzardo as he faces the Red Sox this evening.
With a 3.41 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, the veteran’s numbers are respectable but uninspiring. However, Luzardo’s strikeout numbers give him higher upside than most available hurlers with 125 punchouts across 105.2 innings of work. He ranks in the top quartile in chase percentage, whiff percentage and strikeout percentage, so he can access a 30-point ceiling in fantasy when he’s dealing well out there. The Red Sox hit a little better against southpaws than right-handers, but Luzardo should post a solid fantasy line since they’ve also struck out the third-most of any team this year.
OF George Springer, TOR Blue Jays vs. NY Yankees; $4,800
Blue Jays outfielder George Springer ranks just outside the 10 priciest salaries tonight but brings some of the slate’s highest upside. He averages 8.5 FPPG this season, however, it’s safe to say he’s a Yankee-killer with 14.9 FPPG against Toronto’s AL East rival over a nine-game sample.
Sure, Fried’s presence on the mound does strike a little bit of fear in most batters. There’s not much for Springer to worry about though since he’s played so well against New York so far this year, slashing a ridiculous .419/.526/.839 with 12 RBI and four homers over those nine contests. He also went for 16, 21 and 14 points in three of his last five games since the All-Star break, so Springer brings good form to the plate at the moment. He’s a cheaper option to anchor a lineup around.
1B Jonathan Aranda, TB Rays vs. CHI White Sox; $4,500
Another somewhat modestly-salaried option, Jonathan Aranda brings some upside in a very positive matchup against the White Sox. Really, I needed at least one Rays batter in the lineup tonight — neglecting to include a part of this offense would’ve been malpractice given the circumstances.
Aranda isn’t the flashiest Tampa Bay player available, but there’s reason to believe he can make a difference this evening against Jonathan Cannon and a weak bullpen. Aranda averages 7.5 FPPG this year and slashes .322/.397/.518 against right-handers with 43 RBI and 11 homers. I fully expect him to put up a solid outing and start to shake off a slight slump here. He just feels due and could bring some differentiation to your lineups with the stats in his favor.
