The MLB season is coming down the home stretch and it’s a great time to get in on some DraftKings action. Wednesday features a nine-game main slate, starting at 7:05 p.m.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Jacob deGrom, NYM at PHI, $10,400 - This is much too cheap a salary for deGrom, who is in line to win his third consecutive NL Cy Young. He has a 1.67 ERA and has scored at least 24 DKFP in five consecutive fights. Even though a matchup against the Phillies looks tough on paper, the numbers don’t support it. Philly has a 98 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, so this is a neutral matchup.
Value
Brady Singer, KC at DET, $6,200 - Singer’s last start might have been a breakout outing. He nearly pitched a no-hitter against the Indians, finishing with 36.2 DKFP in eight scoreless innings. Singer only surrendered one hit in the outing. With his price still cheap, I am hoping that he can build on his last start in a plus matchup against the Tigers. Detroit has an 84 wRC+ against right-handed pitching and a higher strikeout rate against righties than any other team in the league.
CATCHER
Stud
Travis d’Arnaud, ATL at BAL, $4,600 - One of the best hitting catchers this season, d’Arnaud has reached base in 14 consecutive starts, bringing his DKFP average up to 8.7 per game. In the past, he’s always had issues staying healthy and it looks like he’s benefiting from the shortened season. The 139 wRC+ for d’Arnaud is career-best mark.
Value
Daulton Varsho, ARI at LAA, $3,300 - Unfortunately, Varsho no longer has the minimum price salary he had a week ago, but the uptick in salary is justified. Also, it’s not likely he’s one of the most expensive catchers now or anything, he’s still really cheap. Considering Varsho has scored at least 12 DKFP in six of his last eight starts, his salary still has room to increase.
FIRST BASE
Stud
Freddie Freeman, ATL at BAL, $5,700 - Freeman is quietly making his way into the MVP discussion, moving to second in the NL in WAR behind Fernando Tatis. This is coming with huge fantasy numbers. Freeman is riding a 10-game hitting streak and has scored at least 14 DKFP in six of his last seven games.
Value
Hunter Dozier, KC at DET, $4,000 - It’s about time that Dozier saw an increase in his salary. Team rarely let him face lefties and for good reason. Against southpaws, Dozier has a .583/.667/.833 slash line. With the Tigers sending a lefty to the mound in Tarik Skubal as their starter, we know Dozier will get at least a couple of plate appearances against a weak lefty.
SECOND BASE
Stud
Ozzie Albies, ATL vs. BAL, $4,500 - Albies continues to rake for Atlanta as it runs away with the NL East. Albies is on a five-game hitting streak and averaging 13 KDFP during this stretch. Playing in a hitter’s park against the weak Orioles’ pitching, he should keep up his strong fantasy performances.
Value
Jose Altuve, HOU vs. TEX, $3,400 - Altuve was activated from the IL yesterday and even though he didn’t pick up a hit, he did walk and score a run. Even if he isn’t quite back to full strength, the salary is much too cheap for a player of his caliber. Altuve was priced over $5,000 prior to getting hurt and one of the top fantasy players at second base over the last few years.
THIRD BASE
Stud
Alex Bregman, HOU vs. TEX, $4,800 - Like Altuve, Bregman is also making his way back from injury. Houston activated him from the IL last week and it looks likes his finding his way at the plate again. Bregman is on a three-game hitting streak and has his cheapest salary of the season. There are only a handful of times his salary has drifted below the $5,000 mark this year.
Value
Austin Riley, ATL at BAL, $4,000 - This is a really tough position to find a viable cheap option. At least with Riley, he has power upside. He’s blasted seven homers this season after 18 homers last season in limited plate appearances in what was his rookie campaign. Riley has made some improvements in his approach from a year ago and has decreased his strikeout rate while upping his walk rate.
SHORTSTOP
Stud
Francisco Lindor, CLE at CHC, $5,600 - This is not the tough matchup against Jon Lester from previous years. He has a 5.05 ERA and his diminished velocity is making it tough for him to get out hitters. This is especially true for righties and Lindor is averaging 23.5 DKFP in his last two games.
Value
Adalberto Mondesi, KC at DET, $3,900 - What an odd season for Mondesi. After struggling all season and massively disappointing the fantasy community, he broke out of his slump in a big way by hitting homers in three straight games last week. After not homering all season, he put together a six-game stretch with four homers and six stolen bases. Mondesi is always a variance play, but he has massive upside relative to his salary.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mike Trout, LAA vs. ARI, $6,300 - Tied for the major league lead in homers, Trout is having his normal strong season at the plate. Unfortunately, it isn’t leading to team success and the Angels are likely going to miss the playoffs unless they do something crazy like win out. Not that the motivation aspect matters because Trout is likely going to crush in any situation. He’s averaging 11.4 DKFP.
Value
Michael Brantley, HOU vs. TEX, $3,300 - Like many of the Astros’ hitters, Brantley is wildly underpriced tonight. Since he has a 144 wRC+ and averages 8.3 DKFP, it’s hard to figure why he’s so cheap tonight. In addition, we can expect increased production throughout the Astros’ lineup now that everybody is getting healthy in time for a playoff run.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $200K 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 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.