On Friday night, Major League Baseball resumes its jam-packed regular season with 14 games on the main slate for DFS contests. While the air quality could cause some games to shift, it should be an exciting night of action, as DraftKings celebrates baseball’s return with some big contests that get underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. With plenty of excellent options to consider, you may need a value play or two to help balance out your salary cap space. Finding the right MLB DFS value picks is key to maximizing the production of your roster across the board, since some affordable players can go off with big nights of their own.
To help you as you search through the bargain bin for just the right options, check out my three MLB DFS Value Picks in this post, who bring big upside at a small salary:
- SP Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks, $6,500: McGreevy had 24.6 FPTS in his last start and has 13+ FPTS in three straight outings. He has been a consistent source of innings with at least 6+ innings in six of his last seven outings.
- 1B/2B Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals, $2,600: Over his last 12, Cronenworth is hitting .333 and averaging 7.8 FPTS per game. He had two stolen bases and 20 FPTS last Saturday.
- OF Kahlil Watson, Cleveland Guardians vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,700: Watson has six SB in his last eight games, averaging 6.5 FPTS per game. He’s also averaging 7.0 FPTS per game in his 10 home games as well.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options that come with low salaries, but high ceilings on Saturday night.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
SP Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks, $6,500
McGreevy has been solid this season for the Cardinals, and the 26-year-old has already set a new career high with 18 games in the MLB. He has a 3.01 ERA and 4.14 FIP to go with his 4-7 record. He only has 66 strikeouts in his 101 2/3 innings, which is why he’s very affordable. However, he still can be a very solid play since he gives reliable innings and a good shot at a win.
McGreevy has pitched at least six innings in six of his last seven starts and has only allowed more than two runs in one of those outings. He has averaged 12.7 FPTS during that run and has exceeded that average in three straight starts, including a second-best fantasy start of the season just before the break with 24.6 FPTS against the Brewers. If he can build on that momentum, he has the potential to be a very solid play at well under $7,000 on Friday’s slate.
1B/2B Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals, $2,600
After a rough start to the year, Cronenworth was hit on the chin by a pitch and missed almost two months while battling a concussion. He has been much better since returning and is a great bargain option as he takes on Seth Lugo ($6,800) and the Royals. Lefties like Cronenworth have hit .297 against Lugo with a .363 wOBA this season.
Even though Cronenworth’s season numbers are very low, he has hit .333 in his last 12 games after multiple hits on Saturday and Sunday before the break. He also added two stolen bases last Saturday to finish with 20 FPTS. Over his last 12 games, he has averaged 7.8 FPTS per game and makes a solid value play at either position ont the right side of the infield.
OF Kahlil Watson, Cleveland Guardians vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,700
Watson went into the All-Star break with a nice two-hit game and his eighth stolen base on the season for 13 FPTS against the Marlins. The 23-year-old lefty has only been hitting .221 since his promotion 23 games ago, with four doubles and a home run to go with his eight thefts. He has been more aggressive on the basepaths as he gets more comfortable in the league and has six stolen bases in his last eight games, averaging 6.5 FPTS per game over that stretch.
Watson has averaged 7.0 FPTS per game in his 10 home games as well, and he gets a favorable matchup as a lefty against Jared Jones ($7,200) and the Pirates as long as the air quality is good enough in Cleveland.
