Major League Baseball has a full slate with every team on the scoreboard this Friday night. Of the 15 total matchups, 13 games comprise the main DFS fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings, which begins at 7:05 p.m. ET. With 26 teams in the player pool, there are plenty of pay-up superstars that make sense, but you may have to balance out your spending with some MLB DFS Value Picks. In this post, we’ll dive into my top three MLB DFS Value Picks, who all bring good upside at bargain salaries.
- SP Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers, $7,300: Bibee has 23+ FPTS in three of his last six starts, including an eight-inning outing vs. Detroit. He earned 25 FPTS and his first win of the season in his last start, coming into this favorable matchup in the rematch at Progressive Field.
- 1B Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs, $3,300: Eldridge is hitting .426 with seven doubles, three homers, a .340 ISO and a .529 wOBA while averaging 12.4 FPTS per game.
- OF Cole Carrigg, Colorado Rockies at Athletics, $2,700: Carrigg is 3-for-11 (.273) with a triple, a home run and 9 FPTS per game in his first three MLB Contests. He had 30 SB and a .422 wOBA at Triple-A and is making an immediate impact as Colorado’s top CF. This should be a cheap way to get exposure to a high-scoring game with a player who brings a very high ceiling.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options, who come with low salaries but high ceilings this Friday.
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Best MLB DFS value plays
SP Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers, $7,300
It’s been a rough year overall for Bibee, but he has been much better lately and is in a good spot on Friday night. If you don’t want to pay up for a top starting pitcher from the probable pitchers on Friday night, Bibee is a good way to still get good upside from a salary under $7,500.
Bibee is only 1-7 with a 4.09 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 4.63 FIP on the season, but over his last six starts, he has a 3.58 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He had at least 23 FPTS in three of his last six starts, including 23 FPTS against the Tigers in Detroit, where he had five strikeouts and only gave up four hits in eight innings. He has been slightly better at home than on the road this year, and even though there have been a few hideous outings, he has also shown intriguing upside.
He finally got his first win of the season last Saturday, going eight shutout innings with just three hits allowed against the Rangers in Arlington. Bibee earned 25 FPTS in that start and will look to build on that momentum as the top pitcher in Friday’s MLB DFS Value Picks.
1B Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs, $3,300
The Giants called up Eldridge earlier this season to give their offense a power boost, and the 21-year-old lefty is starting to deliver on his upside after a slow start. Over his last 13 games, Eldridge is 20-for-47 (.426) with seven doubles, three homers, a .340 ISO and a .529 wOBA. Eldridge has a 55.3% hard-hit rate over that stretch and has multiple hard-hit events in three of his last five games.
Eldridge homered on Tuesday and Wednesday and posted double-digit FPTS in five of his last seven games. Over his last 13 games, he has produced 12.4 FPTS per contest, and he still comes at a very affordable salary as he takes on righty Javier Assad ($6,000) and the Cubs at Oracle Park
OF Cole Carrigg, Colorado Rockies at Athletics, $2,700
The Rockies also added some youth to their offense with a recent call-up. Carrigg is the team’s No. 6 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and the speedy switch-hitter brings tons of upside as a multi-category producer in what should be a very high-scoring game in Las Vegas.
In his three MLB games, Carrigg is 3-for-11 (.273) with a triple, a home run and 9 FPTS per game. In his 57 games in Triple-A before his promotion, he hit .338 with six homers and a .422 wOBA. He also stole 30 bases in 37 attempts over his 57 games. While he hasn’t tried to swipe a bag in the majors yet, his stolen base potential gives him multiple ways to produce.
Especially if this game turns into a high-scoring slugfest like we’ve seen at Las Vegas Ballpark this week, Carrigg brings a very high ceiling for an outfield play under $3,000.
