The Major League Baseball regular season is only a couple of weeks from wrapping up, and this Saturday night, DraftKings has a solid slate of five games in the main DFS contests, which get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET. The matchups include three divisional contests and a rematch of the 2023 World Series in Arizona. With 10 teams filling up the player pool, finding some great MLB DFS value picks is one of the keys to maximizing your fantasy lineup’s production across the board. The right bargain plays can help with some serious production of their own, while also helping to save significant salary cap space to use on stars in other spots.
To help you as you search through the bargain bin, check out my three MLB DFS value picks in this post, who bring big upside despite their small salaries:
- RP Cooper Hjerpe, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago White Sox, $6,200: Hjerpe looked excellent in his MLB debut, retiring 12 batters in a row with six strikeouts and 25 FPTS. Hjerpe is coming back from Tommy John surgery, but the lefty has a good strikeout ceiling and great value potential as the bulk reliever Saturday.
- 1B Joc Pederson, Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks, $3,200: Pederson is a boom-or-bust play with strikeout potential and plenty of power. He posted double-digit FPTS in three of his last four games with multiple at-bats. and is 9-for-35 (.257) in his last 15 games with four homers, a double, and a 15.4% barrel rate.
- C Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers, $2,900: In his last 17 games, Stephenson is hitting .298 with a .378 wOBA, three doubles, three homers and 12 RBI. He typically hits in the heart of the order vs. lefties and is 3-for-5 with 2 HR in hic career vs. Kyle Harrison.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
RP Cooper Hjerpe, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago White Sox, $6,200
Hjerpe made his MLB debut last Sunday out of the bullpen as a long reliever after Kyle Leahy ($8,000) got the start. The Cardinals are reducing Leahy’s workload down the stretch, which should leave Hjerpe a chance to pick up a win since Leahy isn’t likely to get through the minimum five innings. Hjerpe dominated the Rockies in his debut, picking up 25 FPTS with four hitless innings, racking up six strikeouts. It doesn’t get much cleaner than 12 up, 12 down and six punchouts!
The lefty worked across four levels of the minor leagues this year, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 61 strikeouts in 42 innings as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. The 6-foot-3 southpaw has a unique delivery and could cause problems for the White Sox, who tend to be a little lefty-heavy. With a salary just over $6,000, Hjerpe doesn’t have to do a lot to be the top pitching option in Saturday’s MLB DFS value picks, and he has the upside to be one of the best options on the board if he buigls on his momentum from his first outing.
1B Joc Pederson, Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks, $3,200
Pederson has had an inconsistent season at times for the Rangers, but he is up to 26 homers on the year and typically gets looks out of the leadoff spot against righties. He will likely be in that spot on Saturday night against Brandon Pfaadt ($7,100), who has let lefties hit .265 with a .772 OPS and 12 of the 13 homers he has allowed this season.
Pederson had a pair of hits with 10 FPTS on Friday and has three games of double-digit FPTS in his last four games with multiple at-bats. Pederson is 9-for-35 (.257) in his last 15 games with four homers, a double, and a 15.4% barrel rate. He can be boom-or-bust with plenty of strikeout potential, but he has been able to produce good power lately and is in a good enough matchup to bring strong upside.
C Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers, $2,900
Stephenson is a switch-hitting catcher who brings nice upside at what can be a tricky position to fill for under $3,000. Stephenson typically hits in the heart of the Reds’ batting order against lefties, and he should be in a good run production position against the Brewers.
Stephenson is hitting .298 with a .378 wOBA over his last 17 games with three doubles, three homers and 12 RBI. He averaged 7.6 FPTS per game during that stretch and has hit safely in four of his last six contests. Stephenson also has a good history in Saturday’s specific matchup against lefty Kyle Harrison ($8,900), going 3-for-5 with a pair of homers against Harrison in the past. The Brewers could be due for a bit of a letdown after clinching a spot in the postseason in yesterday’s 20-0 rout. If he remains in the heart of the hitting order, Stephenson could help the Reds bounce back as one of Saturday’s top MLB DFS value picks.
