Major League Baseball gets the first weekend of May underway with another great fantasy baseball slate this Friday night. There are nine games on the main slate of contests, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET. Of the nine matchups, only two are divisional matchups. Both divisional matchups are from the West as the Astros host the Mariners and the Padres visit the Diamondbacks. The marquee matchup on the board, though is a possible NLCS preview between the Dodgers and the Braves in Los Angeles.
Whether you’re targeting one of those contests or another matchup you really like, you may need to balance out your roster with some inexpensive plays. If you need to mix in a few bargain plays to stretch your cap space, check out these three bargain plays that should be able to return great value at their low salaries.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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SP JP Sears, Oakland Athletics vs. Miami Marlins, $6,100
The A’s and Marlins meet this weekend in a matchup of two of the worst offenses in the MLB. Sears gets the start on Friday night and has been one of Oakland’s best starters this season. He gave up seven runs in his last start, which pushed his ERA from 3.38 to 4.64 to go with his 4.83 FIP. In his three starts before that outing, the 28-year-old lefty had been very effective, allowing just one run in 17 1⁄3 innings with 14 strikeouts. Even in that start where he gave up those runs to the Orioles, he had eight strikeouts and went 6 1⁄3 innings to still earn double-digit DKFP. He has double-digit DKFP in four straight starts with over 25 DKFP in two of those outings. Sears has 22 strikeouts in 23 2⁄3 innings over those four starts, and that potential is enough to make him a good bargain option against the Marlins. Miami has only hit .224 as a team this season with a .275 team wOBA that is the second-lowest in the majors. Against lefties like Sears, the Marlins hit just .213 with a .258 wOBA and 63 wRC+. Sears should be able to post a strong start and could be dominant if he returns to the form he flashed in mid-April.
OF Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland Guardians, $2,900
Adell was once one of the top-hitting prospects in all of baseball, but he struggled to adjust to the MLB in his first few call-ups. Maybe he just needed everyone to stop paying attention, because he has found a great groove for the Halos over the past few weeks and seems to have claimed the second spot in the order after the injury to Mike Trout. Before going 0-for-5 on Wednesday, Adell had hit safely in eight of nine games, going 12-for-31 (.387) with three doubles, three home runs and a .526 wOBA. He had an impressive 66.7% hard-hit rate over that span with five barrels. He has cut his strikeout rate from around 40% in his earlier call-ups to around 25%, and he may finally be delivering his long-awaited breakthrough. He has both power and speed potential, so getting him at under $3,000 in a key lineup spot with so much ceiling is a great way to fill a bargain outfield spot. He’ll take on Tanner Bibee ($8,500) on Friday night at home, where he has hit .308 with a .456 wOBA in 12 games this season.
1B Dominic Smith, Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins, $2,600
The Red Sox have added several utility pieces to their team over the last week, including Smith, who they signed after he opted out of his deal with the Rays. Smith made an instant impact on Wednesday in his Red Sox debut, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single. Smith should find regular playing time while Masataka Yoshida (thumb) and Triston Casas (ribs) are out, and he brings some nice left-handed power production. He had 12 homers with a .306 wOBA last year with the Nats and posted a .375 wOBA with two homers in Triple-A this season. He and the Red Sox’s other lefties will be in a great matchup against Chris Paddack ($6,300), who has shown some flashes of potential but has also allowed lefties to post a .414 wOBA against him while compiling a 5.88 ERA and 4.83 FIP over five starts. Smith’s salary is well under $3,000 which will leave you plenty of salary to add some other power bats into your lineup around him. He also keeps your ceiling high with his own potential power production.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K 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.
