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Thursday’s main DraftKings MLB slate starts at 7:05 p.m. ET. For up-to-the-minute news related to today’s DraftKings MLB slate, download the DK Live app and follow DK Live on Twitter at @dklive.
The idea of this fantasy baseball rankings page is to rank the top DraftKings options in each salary range, helping you make quick decisions when debating which players to roster for the upcoming main DraftKings MLB slate.
One of the best ways to find hitter value in DraftKings MLB contests is through lineup slot upgrades after pricing has been set. These lineup slot upgrades often do not happen until teams release lineups a few hours before the game locks. Check back before lock to see potential updates to the rankings.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds
| Teams | Moneyline | Total Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | Moneyline | Total Runs |
| SF Giants | +117 | Over 9 |
| CIN Reds | -137 | Under 9 |
| TB Rays | -162 | Over 9 |
| BAL Orioles | +140 | Under 9 |
| NY Yankees | -132 | Over 8 |
| TEX Rangers | +110 | Under 8 |
| WAS Nationals | +110 | Over 10 |
| CHI Cubs | -130 | Under 10 |
| HOU Astros | -122 | Over 8.5 |
| OAK Athletics | +102 | Under 8.5 |
| MIA Marlins | +106 | Over 8 |
| PHI Phillies | -127 | Under 8 |
| PIT Pirates | +165 | Over 8.5 |
| ATL Braves | -195 | Under 8.5 |
| BOS Red Sox | +115 | Over 10 |
| TOR Blue Jays | -136 | Under 10 |
Pitchers
All
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
| Drew Smyly | SP | PIT | $8,400 |
| Vince Velasquez | SP | MIA | $7,500 |
Hitters
Studs ($5,000+)
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | OF | PIT | $6,100 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 1B | BOS | $6,000 |
| Mookie Betts | OF | ARI | $5,600 |
| Bryce Harper | OF | MIA | $5,300 |
| Freddie Freeman | 1B | PIT | $5,200 |
Midrange ($4,000-$4,900)
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
| Justin Turner | 3B | ARI | $5,000 |
| Max Muncy | 1B/2B | ARI | $4,900 |
| Teoscar Hernandez | OF | BOS | $4,700 |
| Will Smith | C | ARI | $4,600 |
Salary Relief ($3,900 and under)
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Position | Opp | Salary |
| Adam Duvall | OF | PHI | $3,900 |
| Hunter Renfroe | OF | TOR | $3,700 |
| Kike Hernandez | 2B/OF | TOR | $3,500 |
Offense Notes
Balanced Pricing Should Make Braves the Most Popular Stack
Thursday night’s slate has just four games, but it seems like a large percentage of the field is going to be targeting the Atlanta Braves lineup on offense. Ronald Acuna ($6,100) might generally be hard to afford, but Freddie Freeman ($5,200) is actually priced down a bit from where he usually is, and a few other hitters are actually below $4K. There aren’t any true aces on this slate either, so getting a Braves stack to align with a couple of mid-tier pitchers won’t be hard to do and as a result it’s going to be a common strategy for much of the field. The matchup against Wil Crowe ($6,200) is a good one, and it’s going to look pretty appealing to most DFS players on Thursday.
The Next Tier of Teams
The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Dodgers should all be less popular than the Braves, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be unowned either, and it’s not clear if simply moving off the Braves to one of them is going to be contrarian enough to be a sufficient way to differentiate in GPPs. That doesn’t mean these are bad stacks — they all have a pretty good chance to be the top offense on the slate — but playing a second-tier offense is still going to be fairly common strategy with limited options on such a small slate. Building stacks with lower-owned/bottom-of-the-order pieces from these teams could be one way to go, but there are probably other offenses that provide more of an edge due to even further suppressed ownership.
Leverage From Teams Facing Popular Pitching
With Thursday’s slate being so small and condensed, there’s more merit than usual to stacking against the higher-owned pitchers. The three arms that clearly seem to be top priorities are Sandy Alcantara ($9,300), Drew Smyly ($8,400), and Vincent Velasuez ($7,500), and the offenses against them are very likely going to have suppressed ownership as a result. The Phillies in particular look like a really strong target, as Alcantara isn’t really a great pitcher but may simply be the best of the below-average choices that this slate is providing. The Phillies are probably a bit more expensive than they should be too, but the upside is clearly there especially with how talented the top-end hitters in their lineup are.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]
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