Major League Baseball has 12 games on the main DFS fantasy baseball slate this Friday as some exciting series get underway for the weekend. Five of the 12 games are divisional contests, while the Brew Crew heads to Coors Field, where summer conditions should lead to plenty of offense. To afford the surging stars and pay-up plays on the board, you may need to balance out your spending with a few MLB DFS Value Picks. In this post, we’ll examine my top three MLB DFS Value Picks, who all bring good upside at their low salaries.
- SP Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels, $7,700: Sasaki has 15+ FPTS in three straight starts and had 31.4 FPTS against the Angels on May 17. The Angels still have the highest K% in the MLB.
- 1B/OF Jared Young, New York Mets at San Diego Padres, $2,700: Young has 10+ FPTS in three of his last five games and is 6-for-23 (.261) over his last seven games with two homers and 8.0 FPTS per game.
- 2B Edwin Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals, $2,000: Reds top prospect hasn’t produced yet in the majors, but his great minor-league numbers give him great value potential at the minimum salary on DraftKings.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options, who come with low salaries but high ceilings this Friday.
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Best MLB DFS value plays
SP Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels, $7,700
The probable pitchers on Friday night don’t include many top “ace” options, but there are some very intriguing arms available in the mid-range salary section. Sasaki is surprisingly affordable since he has started to turn things around lately and gets a juicy matchup with the Angels as the latest chapter in the Freeway Series gets underway.
Sasaki faced the Halos three starts ago in their first series of the year and he posted a season-high eight strikeouts and 31.4 FPTS. He followed that up with 15.6 FPTS against the Brewers and 21.6 FPTS against the Phillies, continuing to trend in the right direction. The Angels lead the majors in K% and have been very boom-or-bust on offense. Based on how well Sasaki fared against them in his last outing against them, he has a lot of upside for a very affordable arm this Friday.
1B/OF Jared Young, New York Mets at San Diego Padres, $2,700
The Mets lost Young to a meniscus tear for over a month, but he returned to action last Tuesday and has stepped right back into a key role for the Mets’ lineup. He has been hitting cleanup in most of his starts over the last week, and he has gone 6-for-24 (.250) with a double and two homers in his eight games since returning to action.
Young has solid power upside and has produced 10+ FPTS in three of his last five games. Until Jorge Polanco (Achilles) returns, he should be either at 1B or DH in most contests, and on Friday, he offers good upside as a play under $3,000 with the ability to fit in the outfield or at 1B in his matchup against righty Michael King ($8,600).
2B Edwin Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals, $2,000
With Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) on IL, the Reds are giving Arroyo his first taste of the MLB. The 22-year-old switch-hitter has struggled so far, but he has enough upside to still be worth playing at only $2,000 since he frees up so much salary for other spots.
Arroyo is only 1-for-8 with a single and six strikeouts in his first three games with the Reds, but in Triple-A, he hit .323 with 11 homers, nine stolen bases, and a .412 wOBA. He just made it inside the MLB Pipeline top 100 prospects at No. 98 and is No. 3 for the Reds. He is exceptional in the field and should settle in at the plate over time.
Arroyo only had a 16.8% K% in Triple-A this year and a 16.9% K% in Double-A last year, so his strikeouts are likely just a result of him pressing early in his MLB career. He has both power and speed upside, so give him a look if you need a bargain play to round out your Friday night roster, saving tons of salary to stack stars around him.
