We’ve got a six-game slate for Thursday’s MLB action.
Let’s find some studs and values for your MLB DFS lineups on DraftKings. This article was written before lineups were announced.
Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Eury Perez, Miami Marlins at New York Mets ($8,300) — I like both Perez and Nolan McLean, and they go head-to-head, but I’ll take the $500 discount because the Marlins have a better offense and the Mets are pretty putrid even with Juan Soto. Now they are without their best hitter in the lineup. Perez averages 98.3 mph on the fastball and boasts a respectable 26.6% strikeout rate. His bugaboo is the 9.5% walk rate. The last six starts are a microcosm for Perez: he has two single-digit FPTS outings but has gone over 25 FPTS three times, with a high of 35.8 FPTS.
Value
Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Seattle Mariners ($7,500) — Am I going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe… again? Yup. I’m not a smart man. Sasaki has yo-yo’d those who have rostered him. Better yet, it’s been whack-a-mole. Guess who the mole has been. There was a stretch in May when Sasaki put up 31.4, 15.6, 21.6 and 33.4 FPTS. After the hellacious start in which he put up fewer than 12 FPTS in the first seven outings, Sasaki looked to be living up to the hype — finally. Then he got rocked for -2.2, 15.8, 1.6 and -4.6 FPTS. Well, he’s put up 14.5, 19.2 and 32.8 FPTS in the three most recent outings. Seattle is eighth in strikeouts, 23rd in ISO and 27th in wOBA.
INFIELD
Stud
Ty France, San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants ($3,600) — France has had a strong season so far. He’s slashing .285/.338/.539 in 278 plate appearances. The 23.4% strikeout rate is well above the career 18.5% mark, but it’s come with more power — as the .257 ISO is the first time in his career above .170. His average exit velocity of 92.4 mph and barrel rate of 11.5% are career highs by a wide margin. He has posted a 147 wRC+ and a .208 ISO against left-handed pitching. Robbie Ray owns a 5.09 FIP and a 7.5% K-BB% against righties. In addition, Ray’s 5.07 FIP is a full run higher away from the friendly confines of Oracle Park (4.04 FIP).
Value
Jeff McNeil, Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox ($2,400) — McNeil is not the type of player I typically target, but he’s cheap — and it’s a small slate. The ISO is only .086, average exit velocity is only 86.2 mph, and the barrel rate is a microscopic 1.2%. His bat speed is also only 68.3 mph. That said, McNeil has been putting up those fantasy goodies, and that’s all we care about. Over the last nine games, he’s been shut out only once while producing double-digit FPTS five times.
OUTFIELD
Stud
James Wood, Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves ($6,500) — The strikeout rate is high at 29.1%, but everything else is a chef’s kiss. Wood has posted a 95.2 mph average exit velocity, a 21.8% barrel rate, and a 76.9 mph bat speed. His walk rate is 16.7% while the ISO is .281. Wood has 30 home runs, 98 runs scored, 72 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases this year. He has recorded a 168 wRC+ and a .305 ISO against right-handed pitching. Grant Holmes has a 5.05 FIP and an 8.4% K-BB% against lefties.
Value
Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox at Athletics ($3,000) — Like McNeil, Yoshida doesn’t possess a fantasy-friendly profile. The ISO is .119, and the barrel rate is 2.7%. That said, he could bat leadoff, and Mason Barnett has struggled this season. The A’s right-hander has posted a 5.46 FIP across 24.2 innings this year. Against lefties, the FIP is 7.14, and the K-BB% is 1.9%. Yoshida did have a fantasy flurry a few weeks ago, putting up double-digit FPTS in four of six games with a high of 26 FPTS.
