The MLB DFS main slate on FanDuel and DraftKings features 10 games, and there’s no shortage of star power on the slate. When making those MLB DFS lineups, the decision begins on the mound as Shohei Ohtani, Logan Webb, and George Kirby toe the rubber this evening. There are quite a few value options available as well, if looking to save some money on the mound, highlighted by Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Brandon Pfaadt making his second career big league start. Given Pfaadt’s price tag, expect his MLB DFS ownership to be quite high on the main slate. Additionally, with Aaron Judge’s return to the New York Yankees’ lineup and one of the higher implied run totals on the board, per Vegas Odds, the Bronx Bombers figure to be one of the more popular MLB DFS stacks today. Leading up to lineup lock this evening, be sure to check the MLB starting lineups for today, as well as our weather center for all things MLB DFS weather. This article is full of great value plays for MLB DFS today, and when used in conjunction with our MLB DFS Playbook, you should have no shortage of options for your MLB DFS lineups today. Without further ado, here are my MLB DFS picks that will provide your cash and tournament lineups with solid production at an affordable price.

 

MLB DFS Value Pitchers

Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks

I know Pfaadt was bad in his major league debut, but to be $1,300 cheaper than Patrick Corbin, and $700 cheaper than Drew Rucinski is borderline criminal by DraftKings. His ownership is likely to be rather high, especially in cash games, given the matchup and the salary flexibility he will provide, given that DraftKings is nearly paying us to use him tonight. The Marlins are a bottom-five offense in terms of wRC+, OBP, SLG, and ISO against right-handed pitching, and Pfaadt should fare much better against this lineup compared to the Texas lineup that tattooed him for seven earned runs on nine hits (4 HR).

Michael Wacha, San Diego Padres

Wacha is relatively cheap tonight, especially on DraftKings, and it’s hard to deny how good of a matchup he has tonight. Over the last two weeks, the Minnesota offense has gone ice cold, hitting just .194 with a 27 percent strikeout rate. Albeit a low ceiling, Wacha has posted a 2.45 ERA over his last two starts, and he’s done an exceptional job of limiting hard contact of late. The Minnesota lineup doesn’t feature many good BvP numbers against Wacha, and as a whole, the Twins rank in the bottom five in baseball in batting average and strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers. We will need to keep an eye on the weather here, as we could pivot away from Wacha if there's an increasing chance that the game gets delayed and cuts his night short.

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers

This Mariners lineup is reeling of late. They have the worst strikeout rate in baseball over the last two weeks, and the fourth-highest overall against left-handed pitchers. Only the Dodgers have a lower batting average than the Mariners against southpaws this season, and Seattle ranks in the bottom three in OBP, SLG, wOBA, and wRC+. Heaney can rack up strikeouts in bunches, and while his last start was less than ideal, he had back-to-back quality starts prior to that. The price point is more affordable on FanDuel, but he’s not a cash game pitcher by any means. 

 

MLB DFS Value Hitters

Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees 

During his six-game hit streak, Rizzo is slashing .375/.464/.500 with one home run, four runs scored, and two RBI. Some of those counting stats don’t look great, but Aaron Judge’s return to the lineup tonight should rejuvenate this New York lineup. Beyond the morale boost from Judge’s return, Rizzo is in a prime spot against Oakland’s Drew Rucinski, seeing as the Oakland right-hander has served up a .571/.684/1.000 slash line to left-handed hitters this season. Rizzo has an .817 OPS and .190 ISO against righties this year, and Rizzo loves his home park, as proven by his .358 average, 1.077 OPS, and 198 wRC+ at home this season. Rizzo is a near lock at just $3,100 on FanDuel.

JJ Bleday, Oakland Athletics

With the return of Judge to the Yankees lineup, I expect there to be some higher ownership numbers there, especially with Drew Rucinski on the mound for Oakland. If you want to bring someone back on the other side of this game, look to outfielder JJ Bleday. He’s hitting .364 on the year, and has a .412 average and .824 SLG against right-handed pitching. New York’s Clarke Schmidt has served up a .400 average and .738 SLG to left-handed hitters, and while Schmidt has been better at home this year, he’s been far from dominant, and allows a ton of hard contact. Bleday is rather cheap on both FanDuel and DraftKings, and he is a logical play on the opposite side of a Yankees stack.

Matt Mervis, Chicago Cubs

Jack Flaherty was absolutely bludgeoned in his last start, and even if you remove that shellacking, he still has a 3.94 ERA (5.16 FIP) and 5.91 BB/9 on the season. Simply put, you want to get your left-handed hitters in there against Flaherty, as he has allowed a .463 OBP, .621 SLG and 2.35 HR/9 to left-handed hitters this season. Mervis hasn’t set the world on fire since coming up, but he has hit safely in three of his four starts, and he is hitting .333 against righties. The young slugger is making hard contact when the bat finds the ball, and the price is simply still too cheap for a guy who can leave the yard on any given swing. If you want a mini-stack of the Cubs tonight, you can pay up for Bellinger, or look at Ian Happ on FanDuel ($3,100).

Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

Turang’s overall upside is a bit capped, but he’s riding a six-game hit streak where he has slashed .421/.500/.474 with one double, three runs scored, and two stolen bases. There should be plenty of runs scored in this game, most likely coming from the Dodgers side, but I love the Milwaukee left-handed bats against Noah Syndergaard. Lefties have a .538 SLG and .378 wOBA against Syndergaard this season, and Thor’s two road starts this year have been brutal. He’s always been worse on the road for his career, but his two road starts this season (@ PIT, @ ARI) have resulted in a 14.63 ERA, .415 BAA, and 2.13 WHIP. Turang can run, too, and we all know that Thor simply cannot hold runners. Teams have and will continue to run rampant on Syndergaard, and Turang will easily provide a quality ROI if he can get a single or walk, a stolen base, and a run scored, something that is very, very doable against the Los Angeles right-hander.

Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox

You do not need a catcher on FanDuel, so I’m less inclined to use Grandal over there. However, on DraftKings, where you need a backstop, Grandal is very affordable ($3,400) and in quite a good matchup. He has three multi-hit games over his last six outings, and he’s hitting .293 with an .821 OPS against righties this season. He also gets to face a familiar foe in Jordan Lyles, and Grandal is 9-for-25 with a .438 wOBA in his career against the veteran right-hander. Furthermore, Lyles has a 5.63 ERA and 2.25 HR/9 at home this season, and he’s been absolutely crushed of late, allowing 13 earned runs on 13 hits over his last nine innings of work. Gavin Sheets ($2,600 FD, $2,500 DK) makes for an affordable pairing with Grandal if you want multiple Chicago bats in your lineup. We will need to keep an eye on the weather here.

Austin Slater, San Francisco Giants

Happy Patrick Corbin day! Corbin is coming off his best start of the season, and the Giants haven’t been the best against left-handed pitching, but when Corbin is on the slate, we have to attack him. He has a 5.73 ERA on the road, and he’s allowed a .292/.329/.467 slash line to right-handed hitters this season, not to mention a 1.64 HR/9. Slater doesn’t play much against righties, but he’s served as the team’s leadoff hitter in each of their last three starts against southpaws. Slater should be in a good spot to pay off his cheaper price tag, and if the Giants get to Corbin, Slater and Co. will get to square off against a Washington bullpen that has served up a 5.51 ERA and 1.47 HR/9 over the last two calendar weeks. If you choose to stack against Corbin tonight, so long as Slater is leading off, he’s a very affordable piece of the San Fran puzzle. Oh, I almost forgot, but Slater is 5-for-10 in his career against Corbin.