Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Targets, Values for April 29

On Saturday, Major League Baseball has games packed in all day long, including a pair of doubleheaders as well as the first game of the Mexico City Series. In this post, we’ll focus on the best plays on the five-game night slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. There are several interesting pitching matchups on this slate, along with some potential smash spots for big offensive production.

As always, make sure to keep a close eye on pregame lineups and the latest player news by installing the DK Live app and following DK Live on Twitter (@dklive). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the season continues.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]

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For up-to-the-minute news, analysis, and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Live on Twitter @dklive.

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PITCHER

Stud

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($10,500) – Kershaw is off to a strong start to his 16th season in the Majors, and the 35-year-old lefty is the top pitching option on this slate by a wide margin. He comes in with the highest salary by a full $1,000, but he’s by far the safest and strongest option to build around on the mound Saturday night.

In his first five starts of the season, he has gone 4-1 with a 2.32 ERA and 3.54 FIP. Kershaw has produced over 25 DKFP in three of his five starts, including each of his past two outings. His most recent home start was his most impressive of the season, holding the mighty Mets to just three hits in seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and 36 DKFP. His BABIP against has been extremely low at just .228, which could mean some regression is on the way at some point, but he also has 32 strikeouts in his 31 innings, so he still brings a high ceiling with punch-out potential. The other options on this slate don’t come close to matching his upside and consistency, so even though he’s the most expensive option, he has to be a strong consideration on Saturday night.

Other Options – Corbin Burnes ($9,500), Nathan Eovaldi ($8,800)

Value

Yonny Chirinos, Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox ($6,600) – Behind Kershaw and Corbin Burnes ($9,500), things get pretty sketchy in the starting pitching market. Of the 10 scheduled starting pitchers, there are only a few who are viable options. Even though he’s not the official starter and will work behind an opener, Chirinos is in the conversation due to the lack of other strong values. Chirinos doesn’t have quite as high a ceiling as a traditional starter since he won’t pitch as many innings.

His innings have been effective in his first three games this season, working out of the bullpen each time. He went three perfect innings in his most recent appearance, which was also against the White Sox. He retired all nine of the batters he faced with two strikeouts for 10.8 DKFP on just 37 pitches. In his three games, Chirinos hasn’t allowed a run in his 9 ¹⁄₃ innings while striking out five and allowing just three hits. He doesn’t bring an ultra-high ceiling, but he is solid enough to stand out among the available options Saturday, especially with a pretty good shot at the win against Lance Lynn ($7,600). Chirinos’s affordable salary will also help balance out Kershaw’s hefty price tag and give you room to build around big bats.

Other Options – Lance Lynn ($7,600), Jhony Brito ($5,600)

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INFIELD

Stud

Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox ($5,800) – Franco is hitting .292 through his first 26 games this season and brings a high ceiling due to his combination of speed and power. He has four homers and five stolen bases to go with his .374 wOBA and .226 ISO. Franco is averaging 9.5 DKFP per contest and has double-digit DKFP in three of his past six contests.

Stud

Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees at Texas Rangers ($4,400) – Rizzo moved into the second spot in the Yankees’ lineup on Friday night in place of the injured Aaron Judge ($6,400; hip), who is expected to be sidelined for this contest as well. Rizzo reached base three times and finished with nine DKFP Friday and is hitting .295 on the season with five homers, a .389 wOBA and .211 ISO. Four of those five home runs have come in his past 15 games, during which he’s hitting .304 (17-for-56) with a .410 wOBA. In addition to good form and a premium lineup spot, Rizzo has a good history against Nathan Eovaldi ($8,800), going 10-for-28 (.357) with five extra-base hits, including a home run.

Other Options – Nolan Arenado ($5,000), Nathaniel Lowe ($4,600)

Value

Brandon Drury, Los Angeles Angels at Milwaukee Brewers ($3,700) – Drury started the season slowly after joining the Angels this offseason, but he has caught fire over the past few games. He has been a streaky hitter throughout his career and looks to be hopping on a heater. In his past five games, he has gone 10-for-19 (.526) with four home runs, two doubles and a triple, boosting him to an impressive .775 wOBA and .842 ISO over that short stretch. Sure, facing Corbin Burnes ($9,500) isn’t ideal, but Burnes hasn’t been lights out this season, which could open the door for Drury to keep rolling. He also brings some added roster flexibility with his dual eligibility at 1B and 2B.

Value

Emmanuel Rivera, Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies ($3,000) – This NL West matchup at Coors Field will be heavily targeted across the board for offense (more on the matchup below), and Rivera will offer some nice salary relief if he gets another start. He was called up from Triple-A earlier this week after hitting .348 with a pair of homers in 27 games with the Reno Aces. He has gone 4-for-7 (.571) since joining the Major League team and has hit second in each of the D-backs' two most recent contests. Both those games were against left-handed starters, so it remains to be seen if he’ll be a regular against righties as well. If he’s in the lineup, he’ll be a great buy at just $3K in such a favorable scoring environment.

Other Options – Brian Anderson ($3,600), Miguel Vargas ($2,600), Paul DeJong ($2,500)

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OUTFIELD

Stud

Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies ($5,600) – You’ll definitely want exposure to this matchup between Arizona and Colorado (more below in stacks). Carroll is the hottest hitter on either side of the matchup and has been very impressive in the first 27 games of his second season in the Majors. He’s hitting .312 with a .400 wOBA on the season, but he has been even better over his current seven-game hitting streak. He has gone 11-for-23 (.478) during that stretch, with four doubles, a triple and three stolen bases. He has 10 thefts on the season, which has helped him average 9.6 DKFP per contest on the year and 12.7 DKFP per game during his current hitting streak. Carroll usually hits third in the order against righties, and he’s one of the top pay-up options to consider Saturday in the outfield.

Stud

Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($5,500) – On the home side of the Coors Field contest (also highlighted below), Bryant is a strong option to consider. After a rough first season in Colorado, he has been able to stay mostly healthy this season and is hitting .309 with a .443 wOBA and three home runs. Two of his three home runs have come against lefties, and throughout his career, he usually excels against southpaws. In this matchup, he brings a very high ceiling and is a great way to start your Rockies stack.

Other Options – Adolis Garcia ($5,700), Mookie Betts ($5,300)

Value

Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($3,200) – Doyle is another outfielder with a high ceiling in the Mile High City. The 24-year-old made his Major League debut on Monday and has started every game for the Rockies since then in CF. Doyle has gone only 3-for-14 (.214) with six strikeouts to stay under the radar, but he has also shown glimmers of fantasy potential with a double and a pair of stolen bases. During his hot start to the season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, Doyle hit .306 with five home runs and a .438 wOBA. His power and speed potential give him plenty of ways to produce as long as he keeps patrolling center field, where he has already made some very nice defensive plays as well.

Value

Willie Calhoun, New York Yankees at Texas Rangers ($2,300) – The Yankees are having to play some cheap bats with Judge, Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) and Harrison Bader (oblique) all sidelined. Calhoun played most of his career with the Rangers before signing with the Yankees this offseason. In his 10 games, he is 8-for-34 (.235) with a .241 wOBA. However, he does have a 40.7% hard-hit rate, per Statcast, which could indicate success is coming. He’s a very cheap OF option with upside, as he faces his former team and Eovaldi on Saturday.

Other Options – Alek Thomas ($3,200), Luke Raley ($2,900), Jake Bauers ($2,000)

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STACKS

Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies – The Coors Field effect is definitely part of it, but the starting pitchers in this matchup have also both struggled, which is why this game has an over/under of 12.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook while no other game on this slate has an over/under over nine runs. Both sides make sense as a stack and are highlighted quickly here.

The D-Backs will face Noah Davis ($5,900), who has allowed nine hits and three walks over 9 ²⁄₃ innings this season, although he has limited the damage to two runs in his two road starts. Coming home to Coors Field, he’ll have to reduce traffic allowed or he’ll end up getting crushed. You can definitely start with Ketel Marte ($5,500) and Josh Rojas ($5,700) at the top of the order, but both come with a hefty price tag. If Rivera starts, he’ll be a great option along with Carroll, who is one of the best plays on the slate. Christian Walker ($4,100), Lourdes Gurriel ($4,700) and Geraldo Perdomo ($4,300) are good midrange options to round out the stack, while Alek Thomas ($3,200) is also a cheap option to tack on as well.

Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks – The Rockies are also a stack to consider at home. They’ll be taking on 25-year-old lefty Tommy Henry ($5,000), who like Davis, has looked not quite ready for prime time in his time in the Majors. He allowed three runs on four hits and four walks in 4 ¹⁄₃ innings in his first start of the season after posting a 6.33 ERA in four starts in Triple-A.

Bryant and Doyle are my two favorite options on a points-per-dollar basis in the Rockies lineup. Charlie Blackmon ($4,900) and Jurickson Profar ($3,700) also make sense at the top of the lineup ahead of Bryant, while Ryan McMahon ($4,900), Elias Díaz ($4,200) and C.J. Cron ($5,200) are solid mid-range producers to complete the stack. As punt plays, you can also consider Ezequiel Tovar ($3,100) and Alan Trejo ($3,000).

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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.