Wednesday night features another solid slate of fantasy baseball on DraftKings with 10 games taking place under the lights. There is some potential weather to watch closely in Detroit, and the Braves-Yankees game that was scheduled to be on this slate has been removed since it is now part of a doubleheader. There are still plenty of options with 20 teams in action, and lots of different ways you can consider assembling your DraftKings squad.
As you build your DraftKings team, there are some key matchups to focus on. Based on form, matchup and expected opportunity, I’ve selected my favorite value plays and studs at each position in this post. As always, make sure to stay locked in to @DKLive on Twitter throughout the day and check the latest news in the DK Live app for any breaking news that should impact your roster.
Editor’s Note: Tonight’s Reds-Brewers, Dodgers-Giants and Mariners-Padres games have been boycotted and postponed.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $300K Gyroball [$100K to 1st]
Starting Pitcher
Stud
Jacob deGrom, NYM vs. MIA, $11,000 — The Mets are four games below .500 but still very much in the playoff hunt in this truncated season. They have gotten great work, as usual, from deGrom who is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 35 strikeouts in his 28 innings spread over five starts. This will be deGrom’s third straight start against Miami after he shut down the Marlins for six scoreless innings in a no-decision in his most recent outing. He had 25.1 DKFP and seven strikeouts in that game and will look to pick up right where he left off against an underwhelming Miami lineup.
Value
Dakota Hudson, STL vs. KC, $8,100 — Hudson is still working his way back to full strength after getting a late start to the season and has yet to work five innings in a start. He fell just one out short of that mark in his most recent outing while throwing 74 pitches against the Reds. Hudson fanned six in his four and two thirds innings while allowing just one hit on his way to 20.1 DKFP. He gets a good matchup at home against the Royals, who rank in the bottom five in the Majors in runs per game.
Other Option — Elieser Hernandez ($6,600)
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Catcher
Stud
Austin Nola, SEA at SD, $4,600 — Nola has been hitting in the heart of the Seattle order for most of the season, and he has started to heat up lately. He has gone 13-for-34 (.412) over his past eight games with three home runs, nine RBI and an average of 12.0 DKFP per contest. He had a home run and 22 DKFP in the series opener on Tuesday and has at least 14 DKFP in three straight.
Other Options — Willson Contreras ($5,100), Sean Murphy ($4,400)
Value
Jose Trevino, TEX vs. OAK, $3,500 — Trevino has collected multiple hits in five of his past six games with five doubles and a home run over that span. Robinson Chirinos ($3,900) is back from the IL, but Trevino has remained in the lineup and could get another start on Wednesday as the Rangers take on Mike Fiers ($7,800), who has given up 20 runs in his 31 innings this season and has a 1.55 WHIP. The Rangers could end up being a sneaky stack in what should be a high-scoring contest.
Other Options — Alex Avila ($3,200)
First Base
Stud
Eric Hosmer, SD vs. SEA, $4,200 — If you’re looking to add some of the always-entertaining “Slam Diego” Padres to your roster against Taijuan Walker, I suggest targeting Hosmer and the other left-handed bats since Walker has held righties to a .145 average this season while letting lefties mash him for a .289 average with four home runs and a .947 OPS. Hosmer has had a solid season when healthy, going 18-for-72 (.250) with six home runs and an .863 OPS. Four of those six homers have come in his past 10 games in which he has averaged 11.5 DKFP. He has at least nine DKFP in four of his past five games after posting 16 DKFP with a home run on Tuesday.
Other Options — Paul Goldschmidt ($4,700), Carlos Santana ($4,100)
Value
Todd Frazier, TEX vs. OAK, $3,600 — Frazier has settled into the middle of the Rangers’ batting order but his hit a bit of a slump. Maybe facing Mike Fiers is exactly what Frazier needs to get jump-started, though, since he has gone 7-for-24 (.292) against Fiers in the past with a double and three home runs. Frazier has hit better at home so far this season, so it also helps that the game is in the new Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Other Options — Dominic Smith ($3,800)
Second Base
Stud
Max Muncy, LAD at SF, $5,200 — Maybe when he’s done with the Dodgers, Muncy should move over to their division rivals since he apparently loves hitting at Oracle Park in San Francisco. In his 15 career games there, he has hit four home runs, a triple and four doubles while going 15-for-50 (.300). He hit his eighth homer of the season on Tuesday and has been turning things around after a slow start with a mini four-game hitting streak to raise his average to .194 on the year.
Other Option — Ketel Marte ($4,800)
Value
Kolten Wong, STL vs. KC, $3,300 — Wong lost his seven-game hitting streak on Tuesday, going 0-for-3 with a walk. He’s still a solid option, though, since he has been hitting the ball well this month going 10-for-35 (.286) with a double, six walks and a pair of stolen bases so far in August. Wong has been locked in atop the Cardinals’ lineup and has scored 11 runs in his 18 games as a result. He has good upside as the Cards take on Jakob Junis ($7,300), and he could emerge as a regular fantasy contributor if he continues to steal bases.
Other Options — Jason Kipnis ($3,100), Luis Guillorme ($2,200)
Third Base
Stud
Nolan Arenado, COL at ARI, $4,900 — Arenado against a lefty is always a good play, and since this matchup isn’t at Coors Field, the Rockies’ star is under $5K. Arenado took Sunday off after a bit of a slump and has returned with back-to-back solid games to start this series, going 3-for-7 with two doubles, two RBI and two walks for a total of 25 DKFP. He gets a friendly matchup against Robbie Ray ($6,900), who he has gone 15-for-42 (.357) against in the past with six doubles, a triple, three home runs and a 1.193 OPS.
Other Options — José Ramírez ($5,300), Justin Turner ($4,700)
Value
Evan Longoria, SF vs. LAD, $3,800 — Longoria has hit a bit of a resurgence this season with the Giants, hitting .292 with three homers and a healthy .805 OPS. Over his past seven games he has been even better, averaging 12.1 DKFP by going 12-for-28 (.429). The 34-year-old collected four hits on Tuesday and is 10-for-27 (.370) with a double, two home runs and a 1.030 OPS against southpaws on the season while also enjoying his time at home, where he has gone 20-for-49 (.408) with a 1.102 OPS. When he started his recent run, I had to talk myself into playing him, but now I have to have a really good reason to go another direction at the hot corner.
Other Option — Eduardo Escobar ($3,900), David Bote ($2,800)
Shortstop
Stud
Marcus Semien, OAK vs. TEX, $5,400 — SS is a loaded spot on this slate, and there are lots of great options to consider. I really like Semien, though, going up against lefty Kolby Allard ($6,800), who has given up 10 runs in his past two starts. Semien has typically offered more power against left-handed pitchers throughout his career and has picked up back-to-back three-hit games in the first two games of this series in Texas. He had 26 DKFP with his fifth homer of the season on Tuesday and seems to be finding a nice rhythm after a slow start.
Other Options — Trevor Story ($5,300)
Value
Jake Cronenworth, SD vs. SEA, $3,800 — Cronenworth is another Padres left-handed bat to consider. He filled in very well for Hosmer earlier in the season and has become a super-sub playing all over the field for San Diego. He is hitting .342 on the season with a 1.010 OPS in his 25 games. He has gone 12-for-30 (.400) over his past eight games while producing 11.25 DKFP per contest.
Other Option — Isiah Kiner-Falefa ($3,500), Adalberto Mondesi ($3,000)
Outfield
Stud
Charlie Blackmon, COL at ARI, $5,600 — I know; it’s weird to consider the Rockies solid options on the road, but that’s what happens when they’re facing Robbie Ray in a hitter-friendly setting at Chase Field. Blackmon has slowed down a little bit lately and his average has dipped to .395, but he should be able to get back on track against Ray even though it’s a lefty-on-lefty matchup. Blackmon has gone an impressive 23-for-49 (.469) in his career against Ray with a double, a triple and five home runs along with three stolen bases. That’s a large sample size and plenty of success, so pay up for Chuck Nazty and expect that success to continue.
Value
Trent Grisham, SD vs. SEA, $3,900 — Grisham has been hitting leadoff against right-handed starters and is showing the breakout potential the Padres were hoping for when they acquired him from the Brewers this offseason. He went 4-for-5 with three homers and 51 DKFP last Saturday night against Houston and has gone 12-for-37 (.324) over his past eight games. Hitting at the top of the emerging Padres lineup puts him in a good spot to produce against Walker.
Sam Haggerty, SEA at SD, $3,300 — Haggerty has been a journeyman minor leaguer with Cleveland and the Mets but has found a nice niche in Seattle, where he has taken over as LF and No. 2 hitter. Haggerty offers good stolen base upside with three steals over his first six MLB games to go with his 7-for-25 (.280) start that includes two doubles, a home run and three RBI. He’s a very affordable option with a high ceiling.
Other Options — Jorge Soler ($4,100), Stephen Piscotty ($3,600), Leody Taveras ($3,100)
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $300K Gyroball [$100K 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 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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