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The MLB playoffs are underway and it’s a great time to get in on some DraftKings fantasy baseball action. Below, we take a look at Friday’s main DraftKings slate, which locks at 2:08 p.m. ET.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Fall Frenzy [$50K to 1st]
Pitcher
Stud
Yu Darvish, CHC vs. MIA, $9,000 - Hopefully, you (Yu) caught the news yesterday. Darvish was in a great spot for a big game, but then it got rained out despite the lack of bad weather in the forecast. If you liked Darvish yesterday, you have the same reasons to like him today. He gives Chicago a great chance to extend its season. Darvish posted a 2.01 ERA and averaged 25.8 DKFP in the regular season. In his 12 regular season starts, he only allowed multiple runs in four of them. Oddly, Darvish is $700 cheaper than he was yesterday.
Value
Jack Flaherty, STL at SD, $8,400 - No, he isn’t actually cheap, but we only have three starting pitchers to choose from right now since the Padres haven’t named a starter. After Sixto Sanchez closed his season with back-to-back starts with negative DKFP, I have more confidence in Flaherty my SP2. Even though Flaherty wasn’t as great as he was a year ago, he still has plenty of fantasy upside since he is striking out 10.93 hitters per nine innings.
Catcher
Stud
Willson Contreras, CHC vs. MIA, $4,400 - Contreras is coming off another strong season at the plate. It’s tough to find much offense from catchers and he has an above-average wRC+ in all five of his big league seasons. Contreras is also on a nice three-game stretch where he is averaging 16.67 DKFP with a pair of homers.
Value
Yadier Molina, STL at SD, $3,600 - A future Hall of Famer, Molina’s career is winding down, but he still provides value to the Cardinals, especially in big moments. After a bit of a down season at the plate, he’s turned up his game for the playoffs. Molina has five hits in two games this series and is averaging 12.5 DKFP.
First Base
Stud
Paul Goldschimdt, STL at SD, $5,000 - The Cardinals lost last night despite a big game from Goldschmidt. He did everything he could to keep St. Louis in the game, including hitting a long home run in the ninth inning when it looked like the Cardinals were dead. Goldy has homered in both games of this series and is one of the top options to pay up for today.
Value
Jesus Aguilar, MIA at CHC, $3,600 - The only cheap first basemen playing today are going up against Darvish. This means we want to pay up at the position. There isn’t a good reason to go after any of these Marlins hitters unless it’s just for the purposes of being contrarian to gain leverage against the most popular pitcher on the slate.
Second Base
Stud
Jake Cronenworth, SD vs. STL, $4,600 - This is the inverse of the first base situation. Cronenworth is the only player I expect to start with second base eligibility who is priced over $4,000 and I don’t view him as a strong option. There are cheaper players at the position that I expect to have better games.
Value
Kolten Wong, STL at SD, $3,800 - Wong homered last night, extending his current hitting streak to nine games. He’s hit well since moving into the leadoff spot for the Cardinals and I think the pricing is a bit off here. Wong should be the most expensive second baseman on the slate.
Third Base
Stud
Manny Machado, SD vs. STL, $5,400 - The Padres’ offense was on fire last night and Machado played a big part of the fireworks. He tied the game up at six by hitting back-to-back homers with Fernando Tatis Jr. Both shots we no-doubters and invigorated a Padres team that looked like its season was coming to a close.
Value
Kris Bryant, CHC vs. MIA, $3,900 - The Cubs only mustered one run in the first game of the series against the Marlins. With Sixto Sanchez struggling lately, the matchup might not be all that difficult even though Sanchez was very hyped during his rookie season. Bryant homered in each of his final two regular season games, so there is some hope that he’s rounding into form despite having the worst season of his career.
Shortstop
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., SD vs. STL, $5,600 - Tatis could end up being the highest owned player on the slate. He hit two homers yesterday to help extend the Padres’ season, finishing with 37 DKFP. It looks like he is completely over the wrist injury that bothered him during the final month of the regular season.
Value
Miguel Rojas, MIA at CHC, $3,800 - You are going to want to roster Tatis at shortstop. Rojas is here just because I have to mention somebody. He’s in a terrible spot against Darvish, but he’s also the only player at the position priced under $4,000. If you are desperate to save money at shortstop, he’s the only option.
Outfield
Stud
Wil Myers, SD vs. STL, $5,100 - Like Tatis, Myers also hit two homers yesterday. His two-run shot in the eighth was the dagger and gave the Padres a comfortable lead heading into the ninth inning. With both Tatis and Myers hitting two homers, they joined Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as the only pair of teammates to hit two homers in a playoff game in baseball history.
Value
Tommy Pham, SD vs. STL, $3,700 - It’s easy to forget how good Pham is since he spends so much time on the injured list. Unfortunately, he hurt his hand yesterday, putting some doubt into his availability for today. Assuming he plays, he’s too good for this salary. Pham’s hand has been banged up all series and it’s stopping him from producing. In the first games of the Wild Card round, he’s averaging 15.5 DKFP.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Fall Frenzy [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is gehrenberg) 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 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.
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