Major League Baseball has only two days left in the regular season, and with all 30 teams in action on Sunday at around 3:00 p.m. ET, Saturday night will be the final evening slate of the regular season. Since the Cubs-Red Sox game has moved to Tampa, there are seven games remaining on the main slate under the lights. As you build your fantasy lineups for the final evening slate of the season, getting just the right MLB DFS value picks is critical. The right bargains can give you a boost of production at a low cost, while also enabling you to spend more on superstar options in other spots.
To help you as you search through the bargain bin, check out these three MLB DFS value picks in this post, who bring big upside despite their small salaries:
- SP Ryan Johnson, Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners, $6,400: Johnson has turned his season around after a rough start and has averaged 18.9 FPTS in his last four games, with 17+ FPTS in four of his last six games. He had 25.3 FPTS against the Mariners earlier this month.
- OF Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres, $2,800: Lawlar homered Friday and is 10-for-36 (.278) over his last 13 games with a stolen base, three doubles, a triple, two home runs and a .381 wOBA.
- SS Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $3,200: In his last 10 games, he went 12-for-31 (.387) with one double, five stolen bases, and an average of 8.5 FPTS per game.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
SP Ryan Johnson, Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners, $6,400
Johnson has had a remarkable turnaround this season since arriving in the majors. The 24-year-old righty went 2-6 with a 7.36 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in his first nine MLB starts, but in his nine starts since then, he has gone 3-3 with a 2.39 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He has over a 20% K% in each of his last four games, totaling 24 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. Johnson has gone from a matchup to attack with fantasy bats to a strong option in MLB DFS Value Picks himself.
Over his last four starts, Johnson has averaged 18.9 FPTS per outing with 17+ FPTS in three of those four starts. His best outing during that span was two starts ago against the Mariners, when he allowed just one run on six hits over six innings with seven strikeouts for 25.3 FPTS. He’ll face the Mariners again in a rematch in Seattle on Saturday night, looking to put the finishing touches on his impressive rookie surge and claim a spot in the rotation for next season. Johnson is a great bargain at under $6,500, and he has a great opportunity to return value in this matchup on Saturday night.
OF Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres, $2,800
Lawlar hasn’t had the breakthrough fantasy season many were hoping for, but the former top prospect has been heating up down the stretch and looks ready to transition some of his minor-league success to Major League contributions. Lawlar hit his sixth homer of the year on Friday night in Arizona’s big win to keep the pressure on the Phillies in the NL Wild Card race. The 24-year-old righty has gone 10-for-36 (.278) over his last 13 games with a stolen base, three doubles, a triple, two home runs and a .381 wOBA.
He has five hard-hit batted ball events in his last four games with a 71.4% hard-hit rate, showing he’s locked in at the plate right now. With a favorable matchup against Walker Buehler ($6,800), the Diamondbacks will look to keep the pressure on the Phillies by beating the Padres at Petco Park this Saturday.
SS Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $3,200
Pratt didn’t start on Friday since he was battling an illness but he entered the game later in the contest after Joey Ortiz ($3,700) left with a bruised knee. Pratt is a great value if he’s back in the lineup on Saturday, since the 22-year-old righty has been surging to the end of his first regular season. He joined the Brew Crew for his MLB debut in June, but he has really found his stride over the last few weeks.
In his last 10 games, he went 12-for-31 (.387) with one double, five stolen bases, and an average of 8.5 FPTS per game. He and the Brewers are finishing the regular season at home against the Cardinals, and on Saturday, they’ll face lefty Quinn Mathews ($8,800), who has a 4.68 road ERA on the season. If Pratt gets back in the batting order, he’ll be a solid option in Saturday’s MLB DFS Value Picks.
