Welcome to another fun evening of MLB action with the 2022 season in full swing! We get a nice six (DraftKings and Yahoo) or eight (FanDuel) game MLB DFS slate tonight, and finding value is always going to be critical. If you want to (and you should) afford some studs, that strategy has to be balanced out from a cost perspective – and we are here to help. Just make sure to note the differences between sites tonight and the different start times. Another interesting note is what appears to be soft pricing on DK for some starting pitchers. 

 

 

Pitchers

 

 

DraftKings – $7,900

I’m not sure what is going on with Shohei Ohtani’s price on DK, but we can't ignore him tonight against Texas. The right-hander only made it through 4.2 innings against the Astros to begin the season but, in that time, he only allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out nine. Ohtani was lifted after just 80 pitches, but he still finished with 23.5 DK points. That is enough for me at this price. 

 
 
FanDuel – $6,700

Targeting against Pittsburgh on Wednesday didn’t go particularly well with Kyle Hendricks. At Joan Adon's price point, though, we have to take some chances. Despite what we saw yesterday, the Pirates are still not a very good team. I’m thinking Adon settles down and looks better after a rough first start to the season. In 4.1 innings, Adon allowed four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three – but I’m chalking some of that up to nerves. 

 

 

DraftKings – $7,100; FanDuel – $7,000; Yahoo – $31

Casey Mize had a rough start to the season, but it was a tough match-up against the White Sox. So, I’m comfortable giving him another shot as a cost-savings measure. Tonight, he takes a step down in weight class in facing the Royals and things should look better for Mize after he pitched to a 3.71 ERA (4.71 FIP) last season. Mize did pitch into the sixth inning against Chicago but he couldn’t record an out and ultimately allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out just two batters. If we want a cause for optimism, Mize didn’t walk a batter and he also showed good control last season. 

 

 

Hitters

 

 

FanDuel – $3,100

Nelson Cruz has yet to get going this season, as he's batting just .167 with one home run and three RBI to this point. After missing Tuesday’s game with groin tightness, Cruz returned to the lineup yesterday and went hitless for the fourth time in seven games this season. Despite all of this, Cruz is simply too cheap tonight and the fact that he’s likely batting third against JT Brubaker shouldn’t be discounted either. 

 

 

DraftKings – $2,500; FanDuel – $2,600; Yahoo – $14

I know that I highlighted Casey Mize above against the Royals tonight, but it’s also hard to ignore Bobby Witt Jr. at this price. Kansas City appears to be committed to slotting the rookie into the second spot in the order and letting the talent take over. Witt only has two hits in 20 at-bats so far this season, but we have still gotten solid DFS performances out of him in three of five games – he's totaled three RBI, three runs scored, a walk and a stolen base, A premium spot in the batting order does help here and I also feel comfortable with Witt Jr. against the Detroit bullpen. 

 

 

DraftKings – $3,400; FanDuel – $3,500; Yahoo – $19

After touting him on the seasonal side as a waiver wire pickup, I didn’t want to make today the Connor Joe show – but it’s hard to ignore him at this price. Joe continues to bat leadoff for Colorado and tonight he faces a very hittable left-hander in Justin Steele. The fact that Joe is hitting at Coors Field makes him even more attractive. In his five games so far this season, Joe has three performances with double-digit DK points and he has yet to put up less than seven DK. Joe enters tonight hitting .316 with two home runs, three RBI, and seven runs scored (with at least one per game). 

 

 

DraftKings – $2,600; FanDuel – $2,900; Yahoo – $10

If you are looking to stack Coors Field tonight – and I certainly understand why – going after Kyle Freeland works from a strategy perspective. We get the platoon advantage with Clint Frazier and he’s also expected to bat lead-off for the Cubs. Frazier has two doubles in his first 10 at-bats of the season and tonight is as good a time as any for him to get going offensively. 

 

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