MLB Opening Day, in all its glory, has come and gone. Now we face the first smaller slate of games of the year. Even though most of the league’s best pitchers took the mound yesterday, and 20 teams have the day off, Friday’s games still feature plenty of stars with the likes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Julio Rodriguez, and Jose Ramirez. If you want to fit some of those players in your MLB DFS lineup, and with only ten teams worth of players to choose from, finding some MLB DFS value plays on DraftKings and FanDuel is as essential as ever. If Opening Day didn’t go your way, or if it did and you want to keep it rolling, consider these MLB DFS Value Plays to help build your MLB DFS lineups for day two of the season.

 

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MLB DFS Value Pitchers

Dustin May, Los Angeles Dodgers 

Do you remember how good Dustin May was two years ago before he got shut down? Let me remind you. He had a 37.6% K-rate in his five starts with a 0.96 WHIP. He returned to pitch last year and made six starts to end the year, so this isn’t his first start coming back from TJ. He has looked solid this spring and could have a big season opener against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers are -180 favorites to win, and he has a ridiculous strikeout upside.

MLB DFS Value Hitters

Andres Gimenez, 2B, Cleveland Guardians

Newly extended Andres Gimenez is in a great spot here. Sure, he is facing one of the better pitchers of the slate in Robbie Ray, but Gimenez slashed .336/.400/.487 against lefties last year. Even when Robbie Ray won a Cy Young, he had the league’s 5th highest HR/9 (1.54). He is only a value on DraftKings as the 9th-priced 2B, compared to FanDuel where he is the most expensive 2B (excluding Altuve who isn’t playing but is still on the list).

Xander Bogaerts, SS, San Diego Padres

Xander Bogaerts demolishes lefties. Last year Xander had a 1.038 OPS against lefties, and only five players had a higher OPS against lefties. Only one player (The NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt) had a higher average against lefties. Xander had a great Padres debut yesterday and I am trusting him to continue that here against Kyle Freeland. He is cheaper than Jeremy Pena on DraftKings, who was below league average last year against right-handers (91 wRC+) and is facing Lance Lynn. He is a value on FanDuel as well, being $200 cheaper than the aforementioned Gimenez. 

Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies

I highlighted Tovar as a player that was mispriced on Opening Day, but he was held to just a single. Even so, I am going to double down on him for Friday’s slate. Now he probably isn’t going to score you points like Xander will. Still, Tovar is starting SS with good plate skills and a decent home run/stolen base potential for barely above the minimum salary (Still only $2,100 on DraftKings). He gives your lineup a lot of flexibility elsewhere while not being a wasted spot. 

Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox

When Eloy is healthy, he is one of the best hitters in baseball, but his inability to stay healthy has always hurt his fantasy value. For daily fantasy, though, we only care about his longevity for a few at-bats, so while he is healthy, in the lineup, and not one of the most expensive outfielders, I will put him in a lot of lineups. He went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts yesterday, but that doesn’t bother me.

Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

I know Carroll is facing my value pitcher pick, but his price is too low not to highlight as a value option. Carroll is the Diamondbacks' starting centerfielder, and though he batted 7th on Opening Day against the lefty Urias, he will likely move to the leadoff spot against May tonight. This Diamondbacks lineup is sneaky good now and Carroll's fantasy upside is enormous while leading off with his power and speed.

Jarred Kelenic, OF, Seattle Mariners

Kelenic was terrible last year in the majors, but he still dominated in AAA. Kelenic’s swing has looked awesome this spring, and his potential is still sky-high. Kelenic was a top prospect that seemed about as can’t-miss as they come. I think we will finally see him do what everyone wanted him to do last year when he was called up. I love Kelenic at his low price in a decent matchup against Hunter Gaddis and I think there is a great opportunity to stack some other Mariners with him here.

Honorable Mentions:

 

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