We have a six-game MLB DFS main slate on Saturday night, which begins at 7:05 p.m. ET with the Yankees continuing their three-game series with the Orioles and wraps up at 9:07 p.m. ET with the Blue Jays and the Angels playing the second game of their three-game set. Our DraftKings lineup has a good mix of veterans and multiple value sleepers under $5K who are low-risk, high-reward options that are key in daily fantasy baseball tournaments.
2023 FANTASY RANKINGS & DOLLAR VALUES:
Cs | 1Bs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs | Top 300
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Single (3 points), double (5 points), triple (8 points), and home run (10 points). Two points for each RBI, run, base on balls, and hit by pitch. On the pitching side, it's 2.25 points per inning or 0.75 points per out. Strikeouts (2 points), earned runs (-2 points), and a win (4 points). Finally, a hit against, base on balls against, or hit batsmen is (-0.6 points). Additionally, a complete game is worth (2.5 points), and a complete game shutout is (+2.5 points).
MORE FANTASY: Full Cheat Sheet | All-Bust Team | Deep Sleeper Team
DraftKings MLB Picks 4/8: MLB DFS lineup for Saturday's GPP tournaments
Saturday night main slate — $50,000 budget
P Noah Syndergaard, Dodgers @ Diamondbacks ($7,600)
Since there isn't a lot of star power at pitcher for tonight's main slate, we will go with Syndergaard as one of our two starters. Syndergaard is coming off an excellent first start last week against the Diamondbacks. He allowed four hits, one earned run, and recorded six strikeouts in six innings pitched. Last season, Thor had seven starts where he produced six or more strikeouts. Syndergaard might not be the same pitcher he was earlier in his career with the Mets, but he can get guys out. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Syndergaard have similar success tonight, despite the Diamondbacks' offense averaging 6.88 strikeouts per game (fourth-fewest in the majors).
P Jhony Brito, Yankees @ Orioles ($7,000)
Speaking of strikeouts, the 25-year-old rookie starting pitcher might be able to rack up a few tonight against the Orioles. Baltimore's offense, which scored seven runs in Friday's win over New York, also tends to strike out a ton this season (10.29 Ks per game, second-worst in the majors). Brito pitched outstanding in his MLB debut last week at Yankee Stadium, allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out six batters in five innings of work against the Giants. If you had Brito in your MLB DFS lineup, he netted you 25.5 DK points. At a $7,000 salary, Brito is worth a flier as the Orioles are hitting .240 this season against right-handed pitching, but they also have a BABIP of .311.
C Will Smith, Dodgers at Diamondbacks ($5,800)
Smith is riding a six-game hitting streak heading into tonight's game against Arizona. The 28-year-old catcher is hitting .391 with three home runs, 10 RBI, and producing 15.7 DraftKings points per game this season. He has posted four double-digit fantasy performances, including a 14-point outing against Davies last Sunday in Los Angeles. The veteran catcher went 1-for-4 at the plate with a first-inning home run. Smith has hit Davies well over his career (.400 with 3 HRs and 6 RBI in 15 at-bats), making this a no-brainer play at catcher.
1B Freddie Freeman, Dodgers at Diamondbacks ($5,900)
The star first baseman is slugging .412 with a double, four walks, and two RBI in 17 career at-bats against Davies. Freeman did not do much in Friday night's defeat against Arizona (1-for-4 with 5 DK points) but went off in the series opener on Thursday for 21 DK points (2-for-5 with a home run and a double). DFS players hope Freeman can stay hot at the plate, as he's recorded two or more hits in three of his past five games.
2B DJ LeMahieu, Yankees at Orioles ($4,000)
LeMahieu must be in your DFS lineup tonight, as he's hitting a machine. The veteran infielder has recorded at least one hit in six-straight games and is slugging .292 at the plate this season. LeMahieu is averaging 10.4 DraftKings points per game in his past five games and hitting .667 in three career at-bats against Baltimore starter Cole Irvin.
3B Matt Chapman, Blue Jays at Angels ($4,500)
Chapman has been on fire to start the season, hitting .452 with seven RBI and six doubles. The veteran third baseman only had three DK points in Friday night's win over the Angels, but he's averaging 9.6 DK points per game in his past five games. The 29-year-old infielder hasn't hit a home run yet this season, but that doesn't scare us off of him. As long as he stays consistent at the plate (.583 BABIP), Chapman will continue to pay dividends in DFS.
SS Jorge Mateo, Orioles vs. Yankees ($3,600)
Even though we have Brito in our DFS lineup, we will still roster Mateo, who has gotten off to a fast start for the Orioles. The speedy shortstop is slashing .350/.435/.650 with two home runs and five RBI this season. He also has a major league-leading five stolen bases, which has made him a playmaker in MLB DFS. The 27-year-old has at least two hits in two out of the past three games and averaging 12 DK points per game over that span. If he can get one hit tonight and steal a base, Mateo will outplay his salary.
OF Kris Bryant, Rockies vs. Nationals ($5,300)
The veteran outfielder has played well this season for the Rockies, despite not hitting a home run yet. Bryant is slugging .344 with three doubles and three RBI while averaging 7.4 DK points per game. The 31-year-old has recorded a hit in eight-straight games and scored 17 combined DK points through the first two games of the Rockies' four-game set against Washington. Bryant has excellent numbers against Nationals starter Trevor Williams over his career, hitting .353 with two home runs, a triple, and six RBI (17 at-bats).
OF James Outman, Dodgers @ Diamondbacks ($3,400)
The rookie outfielder will be one of our deep sleepers for tonight's main slate. Outman is hitting .350 with two home runs, seven RBI, and scoring 11.3 DK points per game this season. The 25-year-old went 1-for-3 at the plate with a solo home run in Friday's loss (16 DK points). Outman has produced double-digit DK points in three of his past four games. He's also had at least two hits in two of those contests.
OF Jordan Walker, Cardinals @ Brewers ($2,700)
Our last play for tonight's main slate will be Walker, who has lived up to the hype of being one of the best prospects in baseball. The 20-year-old outfielder is hitting .321 with a home run, two doubles, and five RBI. Walker has the luxury of playing with Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, but he's holding his own. The young slugger has a seven-game hitting streak but only has two games with 10 or more DraftKings points. Brewers starting pitcher Eric Lauer is coming off a solid first start against the Cubs, but we saw the veteran allow 24 HRs to right-handed batters last season. Therefore, maybe Walker can run into a home run or at least an extra-base hit.
