The week’s flying by and we’ve already reached Wednesday, meaning there are 10 games on tonight’s MLB schedule. The Blue Jays, Phillies, Mets, Brewers, Dodgers, Astros and Cubs are among the top squads with exciting fantasy baseball assets in action, so let’s dive in and find some top options for DraftKings’ featured DFS offerings. The slate locks in at 7:07 p.m. EST, so you’ve still got plenty of time to build those lineups!
Here are three must-start players for tonight’s MLB DFS lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
SP Nolan McLean, Mets vs. Phillies; $9,000
Let’s get a little risky, shall we? The Mets promoted right-hander Nolan McLean to the MLB roster and he made his first start back on August 16 against the Mariners. The rookie delivered 5.1 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out eight batters, though he did walk four as well. In his second appearance, McLean went seven innings against the Braves with two earned runs on four hits, striking out seven in that outing. He posted 28.4 and 26.75 fantasy points in those contests with a 1.46 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in an albeit tiny sample. Tonight, he faces an even tougher test at home against the Phillies, but there are signs he could pop and access that upside once more.
McLean boasts a very impressive 32.6% K% while generating lots of missed swings thus far, and with decent fastball velocity of 95.1 mph and an outlier curveball that generates a ton of movement, I actually think he can pay off in this spot. Yes, the matchup looks tough and he’s only hurled a couple of games in the big leagues, but we’re chasing upside here. The risk/reward ratio remains high, but McLean can make a difference in your lineups tonight compared to most other arms.
SS Jeremy Pena, Astros vs. Rockies; $5,300
The Astros fell short in Yordan Alvarez’s return last night in an ugly home loss to the Rockies. I’m not trying to hate on anyone, but that likely won’t be the case tonight against Chase Dollander (6.91 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 68 SO), one of the worst pitchers in the sport this year. Shortstop Jeremy Pena should take advantage of the matchup and continue building on a hot streak that includes two hits in three of his last four games with fantasy outings of 25, 13 and 15 points. Pena slashes .308/.367/.480 on the season with 54 runs, 50 RBI and 14 dingers, and the Astros find their batting order in a prime get-right spot this evening with their superstar back in the lineup against Dollander.
OF George Springer, Blue Jays vs. Twins; $5,000
For the third straight game, I’m nominating George Springer as a must-start MLB DFS pick. Why the excitement to write about him again? The guy is balling out right now and delivered 17 fantasy points on Monday before a 38-point explosion with two homers last night. Springer now averages 9.3 FPPG this year with a flashy 15.6 FPPG over his last 10 contests. In that span since he returned from injury, the outfielder posted 16 or more fantasy points in six outings, so the ceiling looks fantastic to say the least. He bats .301 with a .930 OPS, 79 runs, 67 RBI and 24 home runs on the season. Since his return though, Springer’s hitting .381 with a 1.268 OPS and six moonshots. His salary once again didn’t change despite the scoring outburst and he faces Simeon Woods Richardson (4.24 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 69 SO) tonight. There’s no reason to remove Springer from lineups with a positive matchup against a vulnerable starter and bullpen.
