Zach Thompson dives into Friday night’s featured MLB DFS slate on DraftKings to find undervalued players to put in your lineups.
After a few days off following the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball is back this Friday with all 30 teams on the field. The Red Sox and Cubs start the ceremonial second-half with a matinee at Wrigley, and three more games start just before 7:00 p.m. ET, leaving 11 games and 22 teams on the main slate for DFS contests. As you build your roster and stack the stars you think have high ceilings, check out these three affordable options that offer great value at low salaries. Even though they’re cheap, these MLB DFS value picks should be in good spots to outproduce their affordable price tags.
The weather looks like it will be mostly cooperative with the return to play this Friday, and some stadiums should be especially favorable for offense, with Coors Field and George M. Steinbrenner Field in play and the wind forecasted to be blowing out at Dodger Stadium. Be sure to check back before first pitch for any updates on the weather and to confirm these MLB DFS value picks are slotted into good spots in the lineup.
Check out the full range of MLB coverage from the team at DraftKings Network, since these bargains are just one piece of the MLB DFS picture to consider.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
SP Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians vs. Athletics, $7,800
It’s a solid group of starters overall this Friday, but Cecconi is the top option under $8,000 in my MLB DFS value picks. Cecconi went 4-4 in his 10 starts for the Guardians before the break, compiling a 3.44 ERA, 4.26 FIP and an even stronger 3.89 xFIP. He’s racked up 56 strikeouts in 55 innings on the season and has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last seven outings.
Ceconni earned 29.55 fantasy points in his most recent start, last Wednesday against the Astros, setting a season-high with nine strikeouts and allowing just two runs on five hits over seven innings. The 26-year-old righty has worked at least six innings in three of his last four starts and earned at least 18 fantasy points in four of his six most recent outings, and during that stretch, he earned 21.55 fantasy points in this same matchup with seven shutout innings in Sacramento against the A’s.
The Athletics do have a strong lineup and are not pushovers anymore, but Cecconi has been good enough to play despite the matchup, and with a fully rested bullpen, his risk is a little lower than normal on Friday.
2B/OF Angel Martinez, Cleveland Guardians vs. Athletics, $2,900
The Guardians also bring one of the top bats in my MLB DFS value picks for Friday, with Martinez expected to hit second in the order against lefty JP Sears ($6,200) in one of the better spots on the board. Sears has been up and down this year, and the 23-year-old Martinez has established himself as a nice piece of the next wave for Cleveland.
Martinez is still only hitting .236 on the season, but does have eight homers and six stolen bases. The switch-hitter is hitting .301 against lefties with four of those homers and a .361 wOBA. He went 10-for-38 (.263) over his last 10 games before the break, and eight of those 10 hits were for extra bases, with five doubles and three homers. He averaged 9.6 fantasy points per game over those 10 contests.
His positional versatility and strong splits make him a great play under $3,000, especially if he hits second against Sears.
1B Andrew Vaughn, Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers, $2,700
Vaughn was on a great roll before the break and will look to pick up where he left off. After joining the Brew Crew in mid-June in a trade from the White Sox in exchange for Aaron Civale, Vaughn spent a few weeks in Triple-A before joining the major league team when Rhys Hoskins (thumb) landed on the injured list. Since joining the Brewers, he is 6-for-14 (.429) with two home runs, two doubles and 10 RBI in five games, averaging 13.2 fantasy points per game.
He probably won’t keep up that level of production long-term, but he can definitely be a help to the Brewers, who are overstocked with left-handed bats. Vaughn and the Brewers open the ceremonial second-half in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium with the wind blowing out.
Vaughn offers strong upside if you go cheap at first base, allowing you to stuff high-priced bats throughout the rest of your roster.
