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.

Major League Baseball has a split schedule this getaway day, with several games getting early starts to allow for travel later in the day. After those early matchups, DraftKings has a very solid eight-game main DFS fantasy baseball slate, which begins at 7:05 p.m. ET this Wednesday. With 16 teams in the player pool, plenty of strategies and options make sense at a variety of price points. Let’s dive in and break down the matchups to find the best MLB DFS picks from Wednesday’s slate.

As always, it’s important to double-check your fantasy baseball lineup before the first pitch and adjust based on starting lineups and the latest weather forecasts. The weather could be an issue in several spots this Wednesday, with rain in the forecast for Tampa, New York, Minnesota, Kansas City and Colorado. It’s definitely an iffy weather forecast, so be sure to follow along leading up to first pitch to see which games are likely to be impacted.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]!

PITCHERS

Stud

Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays, $9,000: As of Wednesday morning, it looks like the rain in Tampa will be cleared or clearing by first pitch. If the forecast holds, this game could have a late start, but it shouldn’t need to be stopped mid-game, which is usually when the situation spoils starting pitchers. If the weather cooperates, Gausman is a great play at this price. The 34-year-old righty is 10-10 on the season with a 3.44 ERA and 3.57 FIP, but he’s been especially effective lately, allowing two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts with a 2.02 ERA and 2.90 FIP.

He is coming off three straight dominant outings against strong competition in the Yankees, Astros and Brewers. He earned 27.35, 27 and 45.45 fantasy points in those three outings. Against Houston in his most recent start, he threw a complete game, a two-hit shutout with one walk and nine strikeouts.

He will be facing the Rays for the second time this season, and the first time didn’t go well for him. He allowed six runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings back in May. Since he has been so much better lately, and the Rays have faded from contention by going 2-9 in their last 11, I expect a very different result in this rematch on Wednesday night. Double-check the weather, but as long as the rain holds off, Gausman has a great chance to return elite value at this mid-range salary.

Value

Luis Gil, New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins, $7,300: The Yankees are five games behind the Blue Jays for the division lead, but they have the top AL Wild Card spot with a good shot of making the postseason barring a late-season collapse. They’ve split the first two games of their series in Minnesota and will send Gil to the mound Wednesday night if the weather cooperates. Gil is coming off a strong six-inning outing against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, in which he allowed no hits but four walks in six shutout innings to earn his fourth win of the season and post 23.1 fantasy points.

After missing the first half of the season with a strained lat, he has found a good groove lately, earning at least 17 fantasy points in three of his last four outings and five of his last seven. He’s 4-1 in his eight starts since he typically gets good run support and has a 2.83 ERA despite a 5.58 xFIP. The Twins’ lineup is thin since the team sold off so many pieces at the trade deadline, but they have scored 16 runs in the first two games of the series. Even though they’re not a totally favorable matchup, Gil should be able to return good value at just over $7,000 if he can make a normal, uninterrupted start. Check those pre-game forecasts!

INFIELD

Stud

Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers, $5,600: The Phillies have taken the first two games of this series against the Dodgers, and Harper has posted double-digit fantasy points in each win. He has a history of postseason heroics and seems to be gearing up for another big playoff run. Harper has been limited to 123 games for the Phillies this year due to a few injuries, but he has hit 27 homers and hit .264 with a .239 ISO and .367 wOBA overall.

He’s been especially hot lately, hitting safely in six of his last eight games while going 9-for-28 (.321) with two doubles, three homers, a .486 wOBA and a 60% hard-hit rate. Harper actually has strong reverse splits this year, hitting .281 against lefties with a .363 wOBA. While he will be in a lefty-lefty matchup against Blake Snell ($9,500), he’s still a strong option to build around as the Phillies look to finish off a statement sweep in Los Angeles.

Stud

Jose Caballero, New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins, $4,100: Caballero has been outstanding for the Yankees since the team snagged him from the Rays at the trade deadline. Caballero led the American League in stolen bases last year and has an MLB-leading 46 stolen bases this season, but his bat has also been very productive since his arrival in New York.

In his 33 games with the Yankees, Caballero is hitting .270 with three homers and a .364 wOBA, while stealing 13 bases in 15 attempts. He entered Tuesday’s game as a pinch runner and stole a base, and he has at least five fantasy points in six straight games and has averaged 10.5 fantasy points per game over his last six contests. Caballero has been playing more often while Anthony Volpe (shoulder) deals with a partially torn left labrum, and if Caballero is back in the lineup on Wednesday, he’ll be a solid mid-range play with lots of upside due to his speed and his improved hitting as well.

Value

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays, $2,500: The Blue Jays brought back IKF after the Pirates placed him on waivers at the end of August. The 30-year-old has filled in as a utility player and has the potential to be a good value with eligibility at both 2B and 3B if he gets the start against the lefty Ian Seymour ($8,300) on Wednesday night.

Kiner-Falefa is hitting .267 on the season with just one homer and 15 stolen bases. He has gone 6-for-19 (.319) with a double, four runs scored, four RBI, and an average of 6.3 fantasy points per game in his six contests with more than one at-bat. He doesn’t bring an extremely high ceiling like the picks highlighted above, but he is a nice way to save some salary and still get consistent production from a spot in a very good lineup.

OUTFIELD

Stud

Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Angels, $4,900: The Brewers-Angels matchup is one of two games scheduled for indoors, so the weather won’t mess with picks from this game. Chourio has been excellent since his return from a hamstring injury that sidelined him in August. The 21-year-old had an impressive rookie season in 2024 and has almost matched those numbers this year, even though he has played more than 25 fewer games. He has 20 homers this season, just one short of last year’s total, and is just four RBI and four stolen bases short of last year’s total. He’s hitting .280 this season with a .342 wOBA after hitting .275 with a .339 wOBA last year.

Chourio brings a great blend of speed and power, giving him a very high ceiling on any slate, and he has produced double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games. Since returning from the injured list at the end of August, Chourio is hitting .309 (17-for-55) with four doubles, three homers and a .388 wOBA. He hasn’t attempted a stolen base since his return, but he still brings enough potential to be a solid play just under $5,000. He can be a cheaper alternative to the monster outfield bats at the top of the player pool, or he can stack alongside them if you go cheap in other spots.

Stud

Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers at Houston Astros, $4,500: Langford went 0-for-4 on Tuesday in a loss to the Astros, but he did get a walk and a stolen base to still produce seven fantasy points. Langford now has 21 homers and 20 stolen bases while hitting .245 on the year with a .338 wOBA. He has averaged 9.4 fantasy points per game this season against the Astros.

He’s hitting .253 with four homers and four stolen bases in his last 25 games, and typically hits in a premium spot near the top of Texas’ batting order. The Rangers have a favorable matchup against Cristian Javier ($6,500), who has allowed four runs in each of his last two outings and is still working his way back into a groove after Tommy John surgery forced him to miss most of the season.

Value

Bryce Teodosio, Los Angeles Angels at Milwaukee Brewers, $2,400: Teodosio is an intriguing bargain basement option since he has been producing strong numbers down the stretch for the Angels and could be playing his way into a larger role next season. He has been limited by injuries this season to 25 minor-league games and 40 games in the majors. He hit .330 with a .404 wOBA and 10 stolen bases in the minors, and he has been translating those numbers to MLB success from the bottom of the Angels’ order in September.

Teodosio is 9-for-31 (.290) over his last 10 games with two doubles, two triples, two stolen bases and an average of 6.3 fantasy points per game. He had six straight games with at least seven fantasy points during that run, and he brings potential speed and run-scoring potential as a “second leadoff” hitter batting ninth in front of the top of the order when it flips. Along with Denzer Guzman ($2,000), Christian Moore ($2,500), and Logan Davidson ($2,200), Teodosio is part of the next wave of solid hitting prospects for the Angels. They’re getting auditions over the last few weeks of the season, and they can be solid bargains with good upside in Milwaukee.