Major League Baseball is ready to get the first weekend of August started with an 11-game main slate on DraftKings this Friday night. The action on the main slate starts at 7:05 p.m. ET with five games scheduled to get underway right around that time. There is some weather to keep an eye on in the early East Coast contests before the focus shifts to the Midwest and West Coast, where the weather is expected to be much clearer. Of the 11 games on the main slate, six are divisional contests with two games from the AL East at the beginning of the schedule and a big NL West showdown to close out the night.
As usual, it’s vital to keep up with the latest updates leading up to game time. You can monitor all the latest injury, weather and lineup news by installing the DK Live app and following DraftKings Network on X (@DKNetwork). I’m also on X (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the regular season races play out and we get geared up for what should be an outstanding postseason.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24416202/sportsbook.jpg)
Bet at the top rated Sportsbook!
View the latest odds and bet online legally at the top rated Sportsbook! Place a bet now at DraftKings Sportsbook!
PITCHER
Stud
Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers ($8,300) – The risk factor with Darvish is clear since he’s facing the potent Dodgers lineup, but he brings enough upside at this very affordable salary to be worth taking the risk on this Friday. Darvish has been priced at least $1,000 more than this in nine of his 17 starts on a multi-game slate this season. He’s discounted due to matchup, but has been in very strong form lately and brings a good ceiling.
In three of his four starts since the All-Star break, Darvish has produced at least 27 DKFP, including in his most recent start when he held the Texas Rangers scoreless for six innings with nine strikeouts to pick up his eighth win of the season and 32.5 DKFP. Darvish also had strong outings against the Phillies and Blue Jays but was knocked around by the Pirates in a weird outing. He’s had a few clunkers which have spiked his ERA, but on the season, he has 117 strikeouts in 107 innings with a 4.53 ERA and 4.11 FIP. Picking a pitcher from the Dodgers is definitely risky, but Darvish delivered 26 DKFP in a home win over Los Angeles earlier this season, and the upside he brings at barely over $8K can help your lineup have a high ceiling while leaving you plenty to spend on big bats.
Other Option – Luis Castillo ($10,200), James Paxton ($9,000)
Value
Mike Clevinger, Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians ($6,900) – Clevinger was not traded at the deadline and will make his second straight start against his former team on Friday when he and the White Sox visit Cleveland. Clevinger has been limited to 13 starts this season with Chicago and has gone 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA and 4.68 FIP.
He returned from the IL last Saturday after being sidelined with right biceps inflammation for six weeks. He produced 20.1 DKFP in his return with five scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and three strikeouts. The Guardians are a good matchup for him once again on Friday night, and he should be set to work deeper into the game. He produced over 15 DKFP in four of his last five starts and six of his last eight. While his strikeout numbers have dropped since leaving Cleveland in 2020, he still brings enough upside to be worth considering as a value play as he returns to Progressive Field Friday night.
Other Options – Jordan Montgomery ($8,100), Dean Kremer ($7,200)
INFIELD
Stud
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals at Philadelphia Phillies ($5,500) – Witt arrived in the Majors last season as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball and had a strong season overall. He has been even better in year 2 and has almost matched his production in 40 fewer games. In his 108 games this year, he has 19 homers, 31 stolen bases, a .269 batting average and a .332 wOBA. He has been especially outstanding since July 1 and has hit .342 (38-for-111) with seven homers, eight stolen bases and an average of 11.9 DKFP per contest. He has been even better in his 10 most recent games, averaging 15.5 DKFP per contest, highlighted by three ceiling games of over 30 DKFP. Witt has an extremely high ceiling due to his power and speed combo, and he’s putting up impressive numbers despite the ongoing struggles of the team around him.
Stud
Josh Jung, Texas Rangers vs. Miami Marlins ($4,700) – Jung has been one of the keys to the Rangers lineup being so productive this season. The 25-year-old has settled in at the Major League level and hit .274 with 21 homers and a .347 wOBA. He’s an especially strong DFS option whenever the Rangers are facing a lefty. He has hit .337 against southpaws like scheduled opposing starter Jesús Luzardo ($9,500) on the season with eight of his 21 home runs and a .422 wOBA. Jung picked up two hits on both Wednesday and Thursday and has averaged 8.2 DKFP over his 10 most recent contests.
Other Options – Marcus Semien ($5,800), Rafael Devers ($5,100), Alec Bohm ($4,000)
Value
Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Mets ($3,800) – Mountcastle went 4-for-4 with 18 DKFP to stay red hot as the Orioles beat the Blue Jays on Thursday. Mountcastle had at least 15 DKFP in each of the four games in Toronto, averaging 18.5 DKFP per game. Since the All-Star break, Moutcastle has gone 22-for-49 (.449) with seven doubles, two homers and a wOBA over .475. He has hit second in the order in the past two games, which is a great production spot for him. He has hit .351 against left-handed pitching this season with a .340 ISO and .444 wOBA. Especially if he’s batting second again, he’s a great play on Friday against Mets’ lefty David Peterson ($6,300).
Value
Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox ($2,100) – When the Guardians traded Amed Rosario ($4,000) to the Dodgers, an opportunity opened for the team to call up Rocchio, who is the No. 5 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline. Rocchio can move to multiple positions in the infield and is eligible at 3B and SS to bring salary relief this Friday. In his 89 games at Triple-A, the 22-year-old hit .291 with three homers, a .361 wOBA and 19 stolen bases. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and seven DKFP on Wednesday after being called up, and he should continue to get plenty of playing time down the stretch. He is known as a line-drive hitter with a high baseball IQ, which should allow him to be a relatively low-risk option at such a bargain price.
Other Options – Triston Casas ($3,700), Maikel Garcia ($3,700), Jose Caballero ($2,600)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros at New York Yankees ($6,000) – As a power-packed left-handed hitter, Alvarez profiles perfectly for the short RF porch in Yankee Stadium. In his 11 career games, he hit six home runs with a .357 batting average, .494 wOBA and .452 ISO. He’ll also be on the strong side of the splits in this matchup with Luis Severino ($6,500), who has allowed lefties to post a .449 wOBA against him this season. Alvarez has quickly resumed his production after a six-week layoff due to a right oblique injury. He hit safely in each of his seven games since returning with a .400 (10-for-25) batting average, two doubles and two home runs.
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($5,300) – Yelich had three more hits on Thursday, continuing a great surge over his past 35 games. The 31-year-old has hit .333 (48-for-144) with seven home runs and six stolen bases to average 11.2 DKFP per game. He has raised his season batting average to .291 with a .368 wOBA and 131 wRC+. On Friday, he and the Brewers are home in a favorable matchup against the Pirates and prospect Quinn Priester ($6,200), who has struggled to a 9.19 ERA, 7.23 FIP and 1.72 WHIP in his first three MLB starts.
Other Options – Kyle Tucker ($5,700), Julio Rodriguez ($5,300), Jarren Duran ($4,400)
Value
Tyler O’Neill, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Colorado Rockies ($3,500) – Even though this matchup isn’t at Coors Field, it should have plenty of offense with Chris Flexen ($6,100) starting against Adam Wainwright ($6,000). O’Neill is a great mid-range way to get exposure to what should be a high-scoring game. He got Thursday off after homering and Tuesday and Wednesday. Those were his first two long balls since missing over two months with a back issue. In his 12 games since returning, he has produced 8.7 DKFP per game with a .310 (13-for-42) batting average, four doubles, a stolen base and a .410 wOBA. He has good home splits and good splits against righties, so he should be set for success on Friday.
Value
Matt Wallner, Minnesota Twins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,400) – Wallner had a .407 wOBA in 67 games at Triple-A and has exactly replicated that in his first 26 games in the majors as well. He has flashed impressive power potential with five home runs in his past eight games, averaging 11.1 DKFP per contest. The lefty should continue to get playing time while Joey Gallo ($3,100) covers 1B while Alex Kirilloff (shoulder) is on the IL. He does have a high strikeout rate but brings enough power to offer solid upside from this salary under $2.5K.
Other Options – Sal Frelick ($3,900), Jake Bauers ($2,600), Trayce Thompson ($2,300)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
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 skills 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.