Major League Baseball is ready to get the weekend started with a very nice 12-game slate on DraftKings. One of the dozen games on the slate gets an elevation boost from taking place at Coors Field while four games are divisional contests between familiar foes, including the latest series in the in-state rivalry in the Lone Star State. You can find my favorite plays from the 24 teams in action on the main slate listed below.
As usual for DFS fantasy baseball, be sure to keep up with the latest player news and lineups leading up to game time. You can do that by installing the DK Live app and following DraftKings Network on Twitter (@DKNetwork). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the dog days of summer continue.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
James Paxton, Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays ($10,300) – Paxton has had an incredible bounce-back season with Boston after pitching just 1 1⁄3 innings over the past two seasons combined due to injury. He has been very solid in his eight starts this season, going 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA and 3.42 FIP. He has 54 strikeouts in his 42 1⁄3 innings and has at least seven strikeouts in each of his last four starts that weren’t cut short due to injury. He had over 22 DKFP in each of those four starts before being forced to leave after four innings on Saturday due to knee soreness. He still pitched well, allowing only one run on two hits before leaving.
Paxton will be pitching on an extra day of rest, and as long as the knee isn’t an issue, should be set up for success. In his last nine games pitching in his native Canada, the Big Maple has gone 5-2 with a 3.40 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 53 innings. He has been one of the most consistent options on this slate and is worth considering even though the Blue Jays are not an easy matchup.
Other Options – Pablo López ($9,900), Jon Gray ($9,300)
Value
Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles vs. Minnesota Twins ($8,100) – Kremer has also been solid this season and has already matched his career-high with eight wins. He has compiled a 4.50 ERA and 4.89 FIP in his 16 starts along with 77 strikeouts in 88 innings. While Kremer doesn’t usually dominate, he finds ways to keep his team in the game and limit the overall damage. He has been especially sharp in his last seven starts with at least five strikeouts in each outing, a 3.98 ERA, and an average of 16.6 DKFP per outing.
Kremer has produced over 20 DKFP in three of his past five outings and went a season-high seven innings in his most recent start. He has slightly better numbers at home, where he’ll face the Twins on Friday night. Despite still being tied for first in the AL Central, the Twins have lost four of their last five games and only managed three total runs while being swept in a three-game series against the Braves. They are hitting only .224 with a .294 team wOBA and an average of 3.3 runs per game in June, all of which rank in the bottom seven in the Majors for that timeframe. They also have the highest K% of any team this month at 28.0%. The matchup should be a good spot for Kremer to stay hot and return value Friday night.
Other Options – Tommy Henry ($6,600), Bryan Hoeing ($5,600)
INFIELD
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins ($6,400) – Olson and Shoehei Ohtani ($6,500) have been staging an epic battle for the MLB lead in home runs, and Ohtani has a three-homer lead after hitting four homers in four games against the White Sox. Olson has a slightly better matchup on this slate, though, and continues to be an outstanding run producer from the middle of Atlanta’s batting order. He has eight home runs in his past 12 games and has hit .286 (14-for-49) with 17 RBI and a .486 wOBA over that span. He’s hitting .257 with a .418 wOBA against righties this season, and he should be in a smash spot against righty Bryan Hoeing ($5,600) and the Marlins.
Stud
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Angels ($5,400) – While the Diamondbacks’ young outfielders get plenty of deserved fantasy attention, don’t overlook their veteran infielder who has also been carrying the offense. Marte has hit .370 over his past 15 games with six homers and a .507 wOBA. On the season, he’s up to a .226 ISO and .381 wOBA. Arizona visits Anaheim to take on the Angels this weekend, and they’ll start the series with a matchup against Griffin Canning ($8,300), who has given up 10 homers in his past 10 starts and has actually been more effective against lefties than righties like Marte.
Other Options – Corey Seager ($6,000), Alex Bregman ($4,600)
Value
Andrew Vaughn, Chicago White Sox at Oakland Athletics ($3,200) – Vaughn and the White Sox are in Oakland for the weekend after splitting a four-game set with the Angels. Vaughn hit safely in all four of those games and is hitting .316 with three homers, a .342 ISO and a .434 wOBA over his past 10 games. In that span, he has averaged 10.4 DKFP per contest. He and the White Sox should be a good source of value plays against Luis Medina ($5,800), who is 1-7 with a 6.84 ERA and 6.03 FIP while allowing 2.03 HR/9 so far this season. Nine of his 11 homers allowed have come to righties, so Vaughn and the other right-handed White Sox have good power potential in this matchup.
Value
Andy Ibáñez, Detroit Tigers at Colorado Rockies ($3,000) – Ibáñez would be a good value at $3K against a lefty like Austin Gomber ($5,400) wherever this game was being played. The fact that it’s at Coors Field makes him an even better option. Recently, Ibáñez has been hitting third against left-handed starters and has excelled in the split all season with a .335 wOBA and three of his five homers. He’s hitting .301 with a .371 wOBA in June and has hit safely in eight of his past 11 starts with 12 hits including four extra-base hits over that span.
Other Options – Ryan O’Hearn ($3,500), Anthony Volpe ($3,200), Maikel Garcia ($3,100)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins ($6,600) – Acuña has been an absolute fantasy force this season, averaging a league-leading 12.7 DKFP per game with 19 home runs and an NL-leading total of 36 stolen bases. Acuña has six steals and four homers over his past 10 games, and he has averaged 15.3 DKFP per game over that span, reaching at least 14 DKFP in four straight games and five of his past six. He has a .448 wOBA and .307 ISO in June and has added 13 stolen bases on top of that elite production. He has become an option to consider on just about every slate since there are so many ways he can go off and produce a big game. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed pounding the Marlins. He has 24 career homers in 78 games against Miami, the most he has against any single team.
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers at Kansas City Royals ($6,100) – Betts has a chance to join Acuña in the 20-20 club by the end of the season if he stays aggressive on the bases. He has two stolen bases in his past four games to get to seven on the season and already has smashed 20 homers. He has five homers and four steals in his past 19 games while hitting .267 with a .359 wOBA. He showed his high ceiling with at least 20 DKFP in three of his past four games and is in a good matchup to keep rolling as the Dodgers head to KC, where they’ll face Alec Marsh ($4,000) in his MLB debut. Marsh posted a 4.62 ERA and 1.52 WHIP at Double-A and Triple-A this year and will only be starting because Jordan Lyles (illness) is unavailable. He may not be ready for this challenge, setting up the Dodgers for a high-scoring night.
Other Options – Shohei Ohtani ($6,500), J.D. Martinez ($5,500), Luis Robert Jr. ($4,700)
Value
Harrison Bader, New York Yankees at St. Louis Cardinals ($3,600) – Bader is back in St. Louis for the first time since the Cardinals traded him to New York last August. He comes in hot after picking up multiple hits and at least 10 DKFP in three of his four most recent games with four doubles during that span. In his past five games, Bader is 8-for-21 (.381) with a .420 wOBA and seems to be finding his footing after missing three weeks with a hamstring issue.
Value
Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($2,200) – The Pirates have been extremely hot and cold this season, but one of the most exciting things going for the Buccos has been the arrival of Davis, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Davis only spent 10 games in Triple-A but has been very successful in making the jump to the Majors. In his 10 games in Pittsburgh, the 23-year-old is hitting .351 with one home run, two stolen bases and a .396 wOBA. He has hit safely in each of his last seven games, going 12-for-27 (.444) with multiple hits in three straight games. He has hit third in the lineup in all three of those contests and should continue to be in the heart of the order for this home series against the Brew Crew. Davis is still available as a bargain at barely more than the minimum salary, and he can help unlock some of the bigger bats from the Braves or other high-ceiling stars you want to build around Friday.
Other Options – Ezequiel Duran ($3,600), Luis Matos ($3,200), Blake Perkins ($2,100)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
