Zach Thompson gives his top studs and value plays for today’s fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET.
DraftKings has a solid seven-game fantasy baseball slate on the board this Wednesday to help us make the turn and head towards the end of the week. Major League Baseball has a few afternoon games and a few early games on the schedule before things wrap up under the lights. It should be a fun slate of matchups, including two potential AL playoff previews in the Tigers-Yankees and Blue Jays-Astros series, along with the Wild Card races heating up in both leagues. With 14 teams in the player pool, plenty of options are available at almost every position and price point. With some great matchups to attack and strong plays at a variety of price points, let’s dive in and take a look at my top MLB DFS picks from Saturday’s slate.
As always, it’s important to check your fantasy baseball roster before the first pitch for starting lineups and the latest weather forecasts. Overall, the weather looks clear for the main slate, but check back for any updates on availability before the games begin.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]!
PITCHERS
Stud
Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds, $9,000: The Reds are chasing the Wild Card race, while the Padres hold a Wild Card spot and are just two games behind the Dodgers for the division lead. The two teams split the first two games of the series, and the Padres will give the ball to Pivetta for the finale. Pivetta has impressed in his first year as a Padre, going 13-5 with a 2.85 ERA and 3.41 FIP. His strikeout rate is down from his last two years in Boston, but he has been especially effective at Petco Park.
Pivetta has allowed two runs or fewer in 12 of his last 13 starts, compiling a 2.02 ERA and 3.24 FIP over that span. At home, he has a 2.39 ERA and 2.95 FIP on the season and is averaging 22.8 DraftKings points per outing.
The Reds aren’t an easy matchup right now, but Pivetta’s price at just $9,000 makes him a great place to start your lineup without breaking the bank for one of the top aces on the board, although his former Red Sox teammate Chris Sale ($10,000) has also been dealing lately. Pivetta has been very consistent and reliable, especially at home, and he’ll look to help the Padres secure a series win on Wednesday.
Value
Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves, $7,000: Taillon will be returning from a quick trip to the injured list with a strained groin, which has kept him out of action since August 24. He has been fairly effective when available this season but has landed on the injured list multiple times. In his 19 starts, he is 9-6 with a 4.15 ERA and 5.02 FIP. He won each of his last two starts before his IL stint, earning 19.9 and 17.45 fantasy points in those two outings to bring his average to 14.3 fantasy points per outing on the year.
He allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 games, with a 3.81 ERA and 4.70 FIP. Taillon isn’t typically a strikeout pitcher, but he did have six punchouts in his rehab start last week. While he is not low-risk since he’s coming off the injured list and could have a limited pitch count, he still brings the highest upside of the bargain starting pitchers available on this slate. Each of the other options comes with even more risk and potential issues, so I prefer Taillon as a little more of a known commodity in what should be a favorable matchup against the disappointing Braves.
INFIELD
Stud
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays vs. Houston Astros, $5,100: Guerrero has multiple hits in six straight games coming into Wednesday’s matchup against Jason Alexander ($6,700), who has been surprisingly effective filling in the Astros’ rotation. Guerrero should be able to keep crushing against Alexander, though, and the Blue Jays could bring his nice roll to a hard stop on Wednesday night. Guerrero comes into the matchup with an eight-game hitting streak and has gone 18-for-34 (.529) over that stretch with three doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored, and five RBI, while also adding a stolen base.
Guerrero is back over .300 for the season and has picked up his power numbers, which were a little lower early in the season. He continues to post some of the best metrics in baseball and hit the ball hard consistently. He dealt with a minor hamstring strain in late August but has clearly put that issue behind him and is ready to anchor your DFS lineups this Wednesday night.
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies, $4,800: Betts’ overall numbers this season are still well below his career norms, but he has started to find his way over the last few weeks. Betts and the Dodgers will take on Kyle Freeland ($5,000) on Wednesday night, who is coming off a great start but has struggled most of the year.
Betts is hitting .333 (42-for-123) over his last 31 games with five doubles, six homers, 22 runs scored, and 21 RBI. He homered and doubled on Tuesday for 21 fantasy points, and he has at least 14 fantasy points in four of his last six games. He is on the strong side of his wOBA splits at home and against lefties. In his career against Freeland, he’s just 8-for-39, but six of those eight hits have been for extra bases, including a pair of home runs.
Value
Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies, $3,200: Edman (ankle) has missed over a month dealing with a right ankle sprain, but he’s expected to be activated on Wednesday and makes a nice bargain play against Freeland. He is 5-for-12 with two homers in his career against the veteran lefty.
Edman was hitting only .228 before landing on the IR, but he does have 12 homers, just one short of his career-high. He had 10 hits in his last 10 games before landing on the injured list, and went 4-for-14 (.286) with three walks in his five-game rehab stint.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $5,000: Arozarena has had a few impressive hot streaks this season and is on another one coming into Wednesday’s matchup against the Cardinals. He homered and had four RBI on Tuesday for 20 fantasy points, and has averaged 18.3 fantasy points over his last four games.
He’s up to 27 homers and 27 stolen bases on the season and could post the first 30-30 season of his career with a strong finish. Arozarena’s averaging 15 fantasy points per game against the Cardinals this year and 11.4 fantasy points per game over his last 11 contests. He has six multi-hit games in his last 14 contests and is hitting a solid .288 over that span.
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays, $4,300: Alvarez is still available at a reduced salary since his long injury layoff and has shown he can be a great value as he works his way back to full strength. He had 11 fantasy points in the series opener in Toronto, going 3-for-5 with a double.
He has multiple hits in six of his last nine games, going 19-for-38 (.500) with two doubles, two homers, and an average of 11.9 fantasy points per game. Alvarez is only 3-for-16 in his career against Jose Berrios ($7,200), but two of his three hits have been home runs.
Value
Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $3,200: Robles can be part of a nice mini-stack in the outfield with Arozarena, depending on how the Mariners’ lineup looks. Robles served a seven-game suspension after he threw his bat at a pitcher during a rehab game at Triple-A Tacoma, but he has been back in the lineup and producing good numbers since returning to right field last week. He has played four games since returning, and he has gone 5-for-16 (.312) with a double, a stolen base, and an average of 7.5 fantasy points per game.
Robles has both power and speed potential as he works his way back into rhythm, and he and the Mariners take on Michael McGreevy ($5,300) on Wednesday night, who has allowed 11 runs on 20 hits, including four homers, over his last three starts. The Mariners start the day with a 1.5 game lead over the Rangers for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, with four teams within five games of them in the hunt for the playoffs.