The Major League Baseball season is officially starting its second week of action with 14 games spread throughout the afternoon and evening on Friday. The main slate on DraftKings locks at 7:20 p.m. ET and includes ten teams scheduled to take the diamond under the lights. The five games include the second game of the season at Coors Field and a game with the potential for weather issues in Atlanta.
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 $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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 Angels at Arizona Diamondbacks ($9,700) – Kershaw just keeps on dealing. The 35-year-old began his 16th season in the MLB with a strong six innings against these same Diamondbacks, striking out nine and allowing one run on four hits for 31.1 DKFP. The young Dbacks are a little lefty-heavy, so Kershaw has been on a nice run of success against them, going 2-0 last season against Arizona with just one run allowed over 13 innings with 15 strikeouts.
In 2021, it looked like Kershaw’s career was winding down, but he’s had a remarkable bounce-back in the past two seasons. He may not have the elite strikeout upside he brought in his prime, but he still brings a great ceiling in this good matchup. Having the Dodgers’ lineup providing support against Madison Bumgarner ($7,000) should give him a good shot at a win as well.
Other Options – Brandon Woodruff ($10,000), Patrick Sandoval ($8,500)
Value
MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies ($6,500) – Taking a pitcher at Coors Field always brings some extra risk, but the Coors Field elevation effect isn’t quite as strong this early in the season since the heat of summer hasn’t arrived. In fact, yesterday’s home opener was a 1-0 win for the Rockies. Gore’s Nationals fell to 1-6 on the season with the loss, but they do have some interesting young fantasy options, including Gore, who was a top prospect in the Padres’ system before coming to Washington in the Juan Soto ($5,700) deal.
Gore earned the win in his first start of the season by limiting the Braves’ impressive lineup to just one run on three hits over 5 1⁄3 innings. He did walk four but also struck out six on his way to a solid 21.8 DKFP outing. The control is a concern for the 24-year-old lefty, but he still has way too much upside to be priced this low, especially given the other options available on this limited slate.
Other Option – Jack Flaherty ($7,500)
INFIELD
Stud
Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves ($5,400) – Bogaerts has slotted into the leadoff spot for the Padres against lefties like Jared Shuster ($6,200), and he’ll be a great option to build around if the weather holds off in Atlanta. In his first seven games with San Diego, Bogaerts has gone 9-for-25 (.360) with three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and an average of 12.9 DKFP per contest. Last season, he hit .382 against lefties with a .446 wOBA. Shuster was hammered by the lowly Nationals in his first start of the season, so this is a prime spot to stack the Padres on Friday night if the weather cooperates.
Stud
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels ($5,500) – Guerrero had three hits and a home run in each of his past two games and has started the season on fire. He has reached base safely in all seven of his games, going 11-for-27 (.407) with a .490 wOBA, .259 ISO and 63.0% hard-hit rate, according to Statcast. Guerrero continues to dominate exit velocity and should continue to be one of the top sources of offense on a nightly basis. He gets a decent matchup against lefty Patrick Sandoval ($8,500) as the Blue Jays continue their season-opening road trip with a stop in Anaheim for the weekend.
Other Options – Austin Riley ($5,400), Ketel Marte ($4,500)
Value
Elehuris Montero, Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals ($3,100) – Montero picked up three hits on Thursday in the Rockies’ home opener and is 8-for-24 (.333) with a double and a home run for a .359 wOBA over his first six games of the season. He has at least 8.0 DKFP in four of his six games this season and has averaged 7.2 DKFP per contest. Last season, he had a .346 wOBA against lefties, so the matchup with Gore should be a good one for him to return value as an affordable play at 3B.
Value
Miguel Vargas, Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,400) – Vargas appears to be on track to return from a thumb injury that has kept him on the bench for the Dodgers’ past two games. He was available off the bench Thursday after being hit on the thumb on Monday. If he gets the start, he’s a great value to consider since he has posted exactly 11 DKFP in each of his three most recent starts. The promising rookie has shown a lot of discipline, walking nine times in just five games and going 3-for-18 (.375) with a double and four runs scored. Vargas hit .304 last year at Triple-A Oklahoma City with a .397 wOBA, 17 homers and 16 stolen bases. He hit .351 with a 1.082 OPS against lefties at Triple-A, so getting him as a bargain vs. Bumgarner should be a strong option to consider.
Other Options – Christian Walker ($3,800), Jeimer Candelario ($2,900), Brice Turang ($2,500)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($6,000) – Trout went 0-for-3 on Opening Day but has hit safely in each of his five games since then, going 7-for-16 (.438) with two doubles, a home run and seven walks. He has a 66.7% hard-hit rate on the year, according to Statcast, with at least one contact even with a max exit velocity over 104 in five of his six games this season. Trout and the Angels will face familiar foe Chris Bassitt ($8,100) with his new team from Toronto in their home opener. Trout is 7-for-17 (.412) in his previous matchups with Bassitt with three extra-base hits including a home run.
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks ($5,900) – Betts moved to 2B to fill in for Vargas but will likely return to the outfield for Friday night’s contest. He has gone 6-for-24 (.250) with a home run in the early part of the season, but there doesn’t seem to be much cause for concern since he had a 60.0% hard-hit rate and 13.3% barrel rate. He has a .382 wOBA and .208 ISO as well, and he has a good history against Bumgarner, going 5-for-15 (.333) with two home runs in past matchups.
Other Options – Ronald Acuña Jr. ($6,200), J.D. Martinez ($4,700)
Value
Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers ($2,800) – Burleson has started four straight games for the Cardinals hitting second and playing LF while Lars Nootbar (thumb) is on the injured list. After going 0-for-4 in his debut, Burleson has hit safely in three straight games, going 5-for-12 with a home run and two RBI. Last season, the 24-year-old lefty struggled in 16 games in the Majors but hit .331 with 20 home runs in 109 games in Triple-A. Burleson’s long-term fit is tricky to figure out, but for as long as he’s hitting second in a good lineup, he’s a very good bargain play under $3K.
Value
Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($2,600) – There’s also a young value on the other side of this NL Central matchup in Mitchell, who has three home runs in his past two games for the Brewers. Milwaukee just completed a three-game home sweep of the Mets with 26 runs scored. Mitchell drove in the final run of the series with a walk-off homer on Thursday after coming off the bench. He has gone 6-for-20 (.300) in the early part of the season with a .494 wOBA and an unsustainable 210 wRC+. He can’t stay so hot forever, but he does bring a ton of upside with both his power and speed potential.
Other Options – Jurickson Profar ($3,700), Trayce Thompson ($2,800), Jordan Walker ($2,700)
TEAMS TO STACK
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks – The Dodgers got to Bumgarner in his first start of the season last week, scoring five runs in four innings and rolling to a 10-1 victory. In that game, Trayce Thompson ($2,800) crushed three homers, including a grand slam against MadBum in the first. Last season, Bumgarner was 1-2 against the Dodgers with nine runs and four home runs allowed in 17 innings. Betts, Vargas and Thompson are right-handed hitters who make sense against the veteran lefty along with J.D. Martinez ($4,700), Miguel Rojas ($3,300), and Will Smith ($5,500) if he’s in the lineup. You can even play lefties Freddie Freeman ($5,600) and Max Muncy ($4,600) since they bring high ceilings even in a lefty-lefty matchup.
Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies – The Nats could actually offer an intriguing value stack as they visit the Rockies even without Coors Field ballooning stats yet. They’ll face José Ureña ($6,100), who only lasted 2 1⁄3 innings in his first start of the season before giving up four runs on five hits, four walks and a home run. He didn’t get a single strikeout in that outing and only got five swings and misses on 71 pitches. He struggled in Spring Training as well, so Washington should have a chance to post some runs. Especially for a team at Coors, they are incredibly cheap with Luis García ($3,300), Joey Meneses ($4,500), Jeimer Candelario ($2,900) and Dominic Smith ($3,200) projected to be in the top four spots in the order. You could also take a flier punt play on CJ Abrams ($2,400) or Victor Robles ($2,300) at the bottom of the order since both bring power and speed potential.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K 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.