On Saturday night, Major League Baseball wraps up a full day of action from the diamonds with four games on the main fantasy baseball slate under the lights. The action starts a little later than usual at 8:08 p.m. ET with the start of the games in Seattle and (weather-permitting) New York. Even with a smaller slate, there are some strong pay-up options to build around, but you may be shopping for a value play or two to help balance out your spending. 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 J.T. Ginn, Athletics vs. Washington Nationals, $7,000: Ginn has at least 16 FPTS in three of his last six starts, including 18.7 FPTS vs. LAD in his last home outing. He is averaging 13.4 FPTS per start and makes the most sense of the limited options on the small slate.
- 3B Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels, $3,000: In his last nine games, Keith has a 50% hard-hit rate and 21.4% barrel rate with three homers. He has lots of upside in a favorable matchup vs. Grayson Rodriguez.
- 2B Cole Young, Seattle Mariners vs. San Francisco Giants, $3,000: 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 J.T. Ginn, Athletics vs. Washington Nationals, $7,000
If the Yankees and Dodgers get their game in, Emmet Sheehan ($7,500) is a solid option to consider as a value pitcher as well, but if rain gets in the way of that game, Ginn would be the best remaining play. It’s obviously a high-risk spot since he’s facing a team that scored 23 runs on Friday night and playing for a team that has lost 10 straight. Add in that they’re playing in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the MLB, and Ginn is a high-risk, boom-or-bust play at this price. However, there are some reasons for optimism, especially compared to the other non-elite starters on this slate.
Ginn has earned over 16 FPTS in three of his last six starts, including his last home start, when he held the Dodgers to one run on three hits in six innings to earn a win with four strikeouts. He also had a strong home start against the Yankees, earning 21.3 FPTS at the end of May. Overall, he has a 3.76 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while averaging 13.4 FPTS per game. If he can step in and stop his team’s slide against the Nats, he could end up being a great value at this salary.
3B Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels, $3,000
The Tigers continue to use Keith in the middle of their lineup, and the 24-year-old lefty is starting to get a little bit of rhythm at the plate. He came off the bench on Friday, but he has three homers and a .370 wOBA so far in July.
Over his last nine games, he has a 50% hard-hit rate and 21.4% barrel rate, which are dramatic improvements on his 42.3% hard-hit rate and 8.0% barrel rate. Based on Grayson Rodriguez’s struggles at home and against lefties, Keith has a favorable enough matchup to be a good option at $3,000, and I also highlighted his home run props as one of my favorite plays of the night.
2B Cole Young, Seattle Mariners vs. San Francisco Giants, $3,000
Another young bat with some positive momentum coming into Saturday night is 22-year-old lefty Cole Young of the Mariners. He and Colt Emerson ($3,000) are an exciting young middle infield combo for Seattle to build around going forward, and he’s hitting slightly better than Emerson coming into this matchup against Logan Webb ($8,200) and the Giants. Webb has actually been hit hard in his last two outings, allowing 12 runs on 16 hits, so it isn’t necessarily a “must avoid” matchup.
Young hit safely in three straight before the All-Star break, averaging 10.3 FPTS per game, while going 3-for-11 with a double, a home run, and a stolen base. He has hit .246 with five homers over his last 20 games with a .340 wOBA and an average of 7.4 FPTS per appearance. Young is a nice option in today’s MLB DFS Value picks at the keystone, which allows you to pay up for a big name at shortstop if that makes sense for your roster construction.
