The Major League Baseball schedule this Friday is a fun one with every team in action at some point during the day. Eight games are in the afternoon with more teams holding midday home openers, while seven games fill up the featured Friday night MLB DFS slate with plenty of options. To include all the games scheduled for under the lights, the contests for Friday night start a little early at 6:45 p.m. ET.
As you get your roster together for Friday night’s contests, there are several value plays that stand out as great options for your MLB DFS lineups. In this post, we’ll take a look at a few of my favorite bargain plays, and be sure to check out the full range of MLB DFS coverage available from the team at DK Network.
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SP Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals, $7,200
Max Meyer ($7,400) against the winless Braves is sure to be a popular option after his strong start last week, but that could also be a situation where Atlanta’s bats go off in their home opener. I actually think Pfaadt is a safer play with a similar ceiling as he and the Dbacks head south from NYC to DC and take on the Nationals. So far this season, Washington has the second-highest K% in the MLB, while hitting .213 as a team. They do have some power, but their strikeout rate makes them a favorable matchup for Pfaadt.
The Dbacks locked up the 26-year-old righty with a five-year, $45 million extension a week ago. He was very efficient in his first start of the season, needing just 78 pitches to get through six innings against the Cubs, but he gave up three runs and took the loss with only 13.3 fantasy points. This spring, he looked sharp with 14 strikeouts in 15 innings, including a seven-strikeout, five-inning performance against the Padres in mid-March. He has a strong enough strikeout upside to be a good start against the Nats on Friday night, as he goes up against Jake Irvin ($6,500) in a favorable matchup with a good chance at a win.
1B/2B Jonny DeLuca, Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers, $3,200
The Rays have been a great source of value bats in the early going this season, and DeLuca was one of the options I highlighted as a good best ball value coming into the season. So far the 26-year-old righty is off to a good start. He’s 7-for-16 (.438) with a pair of walks, a triple and three stolen bases in three attempts.
Jonny DeLuca smokes it in the gap and ends up with a triple! pic.twitter.com/mjjnvtv7Qt
— Jake (@TBRaysCentral) April 2, 2025
DeLuca has double-digit fantasy points in three of the last four games, and even though he’s hitting at the bottom of the order, he’s been productive enough to be an excellent value in the outfield.
3B/SS Josh Smith, Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays, $2,300
On the other side of that Texas-Tampa matchup in Arlington, Josh Smith brings some great salary relief and can slide to either position on the left side of the infield to fit into your roster construction. Smith is helping to fill in for Josh Jung (neck) at 3B while also covering shortstop when the Rangers use Corey Seager ($5,200) as a DH.
Smith started each of the last three games for the Rangers in Cincinnati and went 2-for-10 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and an average of 6.3 fantasy points per contest. He brings great upside for a player who is so cheap if he’s in the lineup on Friday against Zack Littell ($8,500), who had good numbers overall last season but struggled on the road with a 4.54 ERA, a 4.08 FIP, and a 1.46 WHIP. This will be his first road start of this season.
