This Saturday night, the MLB has a busy, seven-game slate on tap as a great weekend of baseball continues. DraftKings has a wide variety of ways to get in on the fantasy baseball action including GPPs, Tiers and Pick6. For this post, we’re focused on some prime picks for MLB DFS cash games.
This style of contest gives managers the opportunity to double the entry fee since almost half of the players are paid out. These 50/50 or “double-up” contests are best suited for lineups with high floors and as little risk as possible. In on-diamond terms, we’re looking to hit singles with these lineups, not home runs. Variance is not as much of a factor here as we look for players with high floors regardless of their ceilings. In short, these should be the safest and most consistent MLB DFS plays of the slate.
With all that in mind, let’s dive into my top picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Single Entry $5 Double Up
SP Kyle Harrison, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals, $8,200
Harrison and the Brewers are home for a series against the Nationals, and they’ll look to bounce back from their 7-3 loss on Friday night. Harrison was one of the main pieces the Brew Crew got back in the Caleb Durbin trade from the Red Sox, and the promising lefty has looked very strong in his fist two starts for Milwaukee.
In his first start of the year, Harrison gave up one run in five innings against the Rays. He had eight strikeouts and posted 22.2 FPTS in that no-decision. He earned his first win of the season by holding the Royals to two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, striking out six on his way to 20.4 FPTS.
With over 20 FPTS in back-to-back starts and a favorable home matchup, Harrison is a solid mid-range play for MLB DFS cash games on Saturday. The Brewers are usually pretty quick to pull their starters if things go sideways, which limits the risk of rolling with Harrison as a mid-range play at this salary. His strikeout production can also help cover for any issues he does run into.
SS Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants at Baltiomre Orioles, $4,100
Adames has moved into the leadoff spot for the Giants, and the lefty should be in a smash spot against Chris Bassitt ($7,500) on Saturday night. Adames is hitting .273 on the season with a .375 wOBA, but most of his production has come in his last few games. He’s a notoriously streaky hitter, but he is definitely locked in at the plate right now.
Adames has exactly two hits in four straight games, and seven of those eight hits have gone for extra bases, including his second homer of the season and six doubles. He is averaging 14.8 FPTS per game over that four-game stretch and went off for 21 FPTS on Friday. He’s quickly erased a slow start and can be a solid part of a balanced lineup construction at just over $4,000. He brings lots of upside with all the power he’s showcased in his last few games.
OF Evan Carter, Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Dodgers, $3,400
Carter is a solid play to include in your outfield since he brings so many paths to success with both power and speed potential. Although he’s in his fourth season in the majors, Carter is still only 23 years old and has a little bit of “post-hype” sleeper potential this year. He has settled back in as the team’s everyday centerfielder this year and has been hitting sixth in the order for the last several games.
On Friday, he showed off his upside with both a home run and a stolen base, finishing with 23 FPTS in his best game of the season. He has at least 7.0 FPTS in five of his last seven and seven of his last 10 games, averaging a solid 7.1 FPTS over those 10 games.
In the second game of this series in L.A., he’ll take on Emmet Sheehan ($7,300), who has had a rocky start to the season, giving up four doubles and two homers to lefties, who have a .310 average and .449 wOBA against the young righty on the season. With the splits in his favor, Carter brings both a high ceiling and high floor in the late game Saturday night.
