The Major League Baseball regular season is winding down, but on Saturday night, plenty of games are on the main slate for DraftKings DFS fantasy baseball contests. The games are spread throughout the evening, starting at 7:05 with a huge series for the AL Wild Card race in Texas. Looking through the matchups to pick just the right MLB DFS value picks is one of the keys to maximizing your fantasy lineup’s production across the board on each slate, since the right bargain plays can help with some serious production of their own and also 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:
- SP Andrew Alvarez, Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals, $6,500: Alvarez has been very productive even with awful win luck. He hasn’t won since July 1 even though he has allowed three runs or fewer in 10 straight starts. He has 15+ FPTS in four of his last six outings with 34 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings and 17.3 FPTS per outing.
- OF Dustin Harris, San Diego Padres vs. Miami Marlins, $3,200: Harris is 22-for-59 (.373) with two doubles, two triples and five stolen bases in 20 games with the Padres. He has hit safely in eight straight, going 13-for-31 (.419) with three stolen bases, two triples and an average of 13.8 FPTS per game.
- SS/OF Mauricio Dubon, Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros, $3,200: Dubon has a seven-game hitting streak during which he has gone 12-for-26 (.462) with two doubles, a triple and two stolen bases for an average of 11 FPTS per game.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
SP Andrew Alvarez, Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals, $6,500
Alvarez has impressed in his second season in the majors, making 15 starts and working 102 innings while putting together a 3.35 ERA, 3.26 FIP and 8.7 K/9. Alvarez has had a hard time coming up with wins despite his strong starts, though, not earning a single victory in his last 10 outings. Even without the Ws, he has been effective. In his last eight starts, he has a 2.40 ERA and has allowed three runs or fewer in each outing.
In his last start, he held the Angels to just one hit in seven innings, picking up eight strikeouts and racking up 28.8 FPTS in a no-decision. He has at least 15 FPTS in four of his last six starts, totaling 34 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings over that span and averaging 17.3 FPTS per outing. While he does continue to struggle with control at times, he has been able to limit hard contact and effectively work out of trouble.
Alvarez has been especially effective in his road outings with a 3.27 ERA away from Nationals Park. In this matchup in St. Louis, he’ll face a Cardinals offense that has cooled off coming down the stretch and relies heavily on some key lefties. It should be a solid matchup for him to again return value, with the potential for even more production if he finally gets some run support in this matchup against Michael McGreevy ($6,000).
OF Dustin Harris, San Diego Padres vs. Miami Marlins, $3,200
Harris started the year with the White Sox and played six games with them before landing on waivers, where the Astros claimed him. He played 11 games with the ‘Stros before being designated for assignment and ultimately returning to the White Sox on a minor-league deal. When he wasn’t back in the majors by July 1, he opted out of that contract and agreed to another minor-league deal with the Padres. He joined their MLB roster 20 games ago on August 24, completing his tour of three potential playoff teams in just one season.
Since joining the Padres, Harris has proven what the playoff teams saw in him, going 22-for-59 (.373) with two doubles, two triples and five stolen bases. He doesn’t have a lot of power potential but has hit safely in each of his last eight games, going 13-for-31 (.419) with three stolen bases, two triples and an average of 13.8 FPTS per game. He’s been hitting second in the order between Fernando Tatis Jr. ($4,700) and Manny Machado ($5,600), and his contact skills and speed have allowed him to put up very solid fantasy numbers at this very affordable salary. He makes sense as one of today’s MLB DFS Value Picks since he is so hot coming into what should be a favorable matchup against righty Eury Perez ($8,400) and the Marlins.
SS/OF Mauricio Dubon, Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros, $3,200
Dubon is another former Astro who is playing a key role for a playoff team, and he picked up two hits and 8 FPTS on Friday against his former team in Atlanta’s 8-2 win. Dubon has played multiple roles with the Braves this season, and most recently, he has been playing LF and a little bit of SS.
He has hit safely in seven straight games, going 12-for-26 (.462) with two doubles, a triple and two stolen bases for an average of 11 FPTS per contest. He has multiple hits in four of his last five games and continues to find ways to contribute. On the year, he’s hitting .272 and has 11 homers and nine stolen bases and a .314 wOBA. The super-sub comes in with enough momentum to be a good value just over $3,000, and he can either slot into the outfield or at SS depending on how the rest of your roster comes together. He’s one of the best MLB DFS Value Picks for this Saturday night as he and the Braves take on Hayden Wesneski ($7,900) in the second game of this important interleague series.
