Tonight, the Milwaukee Brewers could become the first team to reach 80 wins, as they sit at 79-45 headed into the first game of tonight’s double-header with the Chicago Cubs. Only one other division leader is part of tonight’s 10-game featured DFS slate: the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will hope to bounce back after losing last night to the woeful Colorado Rockies.
With the stakes high for every team, especially playoff hopefuls, only the strongest teams and players will thrive. Here are two pitchers, three infielders, and three outfielders I’m targeting for tonight’s baseball action.
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PITCHER
Stud
Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, $10,500 – Woodruff’s name hasn’t historically screamed “must-start”, but this year, the 32-year-old has been quietly spectacular. He’s made seven starts in his return after missing all of the 2024 season after shoulder surgery and has pitched to a 2.08 ERA, recording 22 or more FPTS in five of those seven starts, and the team has won all seven games. Plus, he’s facing a high-powered Chicago offense at the right time: the Cubs have recorded the league’s second-lowest OPS since the All-Star break, with Kyle Tucker ($5,500) averaging 4.5 FPTS per game over his last 10 games and Pete Crow-Armstrong ($5,000) 3.9.
Value
Kai-Wei Teng, San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres, $5,000 – Admittedly, I’m just a Taiwanese-American who wants to see a countryman succeed, but it’s clear that Teng’s ceiling is high — on August 8, he pitched five innings of shutout ball (20.85 FPTS) against the Washington Nationals — and his salary is minuscule. I’d rather spend $5,000 on a guy who has a proven track record at the Triple-A level than on a hitter or on Austin Gomber ($4,500), who’s recorded more than 10 FPTS just twice in 11 starts. San Diego’s offense is fine overall — the ninth-best OPS since the All-Star break — but it’s scored a total of nine runs over the last four games.
INFIELDER
Stud
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cleveland Guardians, $5,800 – The Diamondbacks have unsurprisingly floundered somewhat since dealing Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez at the trade deadline, but it’s the man they kept — Marte — who has made headlines. Over his last 10 games, Marte has slashed .366/.422/.659, hitting two homers and driving in 12 runs (12.6 FPTS per game). He has a solid matchup against an out-of-form Tanner Bibee ($7,500), who’s given up four or more runs — earned or unearned — in seven of his last eight starts. The switch-hitting Dominican has also been much better against righties this season, posting a 1.017 OPS against them.
Stud
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels vs. Cincinnati Reds, $5,300 – Neto has been on a tear as of late, hitting five homers in his last 10 games and averaging 12.4 FPTS per game across that span, and though he only went one-for-five in the series opener last night, he was still able to make a fantasy impact (10 FPTS) because he stole his 22nd base of the season. The 24-year-old faces a tough matchup in Hunter Greene ($9,000), but Greene’s ERA has been 1.71 runs worse on the road than at home. Greene also throws predominantly four-seam fastballs, and Neto has posted a 57.0% hard-hit rate against four-seamers this season.
Value
Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago White Sox, $4,000 – Since I went with an ultra-cheap pitcher in Teng, I’ve gone for expensive options in the infield, which will continue with Baldwin, a strong National League Rookie of the Year contender. After a bit of a midseason slump, Baldwin has picked it back up, posting a .760 OPS and averaging 9.3 FPTS per game in his last 10 games. He’s also playing at lefty-friendly Truist Park, where he’s averaged 8.0 FPTS per game this season, and while Shane Smith ($7,000) has had a strong rookie season for an overachieving White Sox team, he’s allowed an OPS 62 points higher to southpaws. Smith also throws four-seamers 44% of the time, and Baldwin has been one of the league’s better hitters against the pitch.
OUTFIELDER
Stud
Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies, $5,100 – I want to fade Gomber, because I’m pretty confident that he’s going to be awful — after all, he’s pitched to a putrid 7.11 ERA at home this season — but Shohei Ohtani ($7,200) is a little too expensive for my liking and Teoscar Hernández ($5,400) arguably cost Los Angeles a win last night with his poor defensive effort. Thus, I’ll settle for Pages, who’s played up to his season standard over the last 10 games (seven FPTS per game) and had a pair of two-hit performances the last time the Dodgers played in Colorado. Gomber is a southpaw with reverse splits, but the .903 OPS he’s allowed to righties is still pretty poor.
Stud
Chandler Simpson, Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, $4,900 – Simpson is the epitome of a contact hitter, and he’s been in strong form lately, hitting .341 in his last 10 games (8.1 FPTS per game) to climb back above .300 for the season. Since the 24-year-old will never amount to much as a power hitter — he has just 12 extra-base hits in his career — he’ll need to rely on his elite speed in order to make an impact, and thankfully, he’s facing just the pitcher to do so. Carlos Rodón ($10,000) has consistently ranked below the league average in net bases prevented, and his windup isn’t the fastest, either.
Value
Lawrence Butler, Athletics at Minnesota Twins, $3,800 – This one’s relying on a small sample size to be legitimate: Butler has recorded 10 or more FPTS in three of his last five games, including a two-for-five performance that featured a solo shot (17 FPTS) last night. He’s also mashed the Twins this season, going seven-for-15 with a homer, three doubles, and five walks (17.2 FPTS per game) in the teams’ previous series. During that series, his best performance — a 31-FPT effort on June 2 — came against Joe Ryan ($9,800). Though Ryan is one of the league’s better pitchers, Butler has had an OPS 201 points higher against righties than lefties and Ryan has allowed an OPS 133 points higher to southpaws.
