Identifying the top high salary and value third baseman plays from around Major League Baseball for your June 30 DraftKings lineup.
Our goal is to help you win DraftKings contests with consistently strong lineups. To accomplish that, we’ll be highlighting some higher salary players worth paying up for, and some value picks that will help you save salary in key areas. These picks are specifically for DraftKings lineups, so all references to prices and fantasy points are based on DK figures.
As always, be sure to double-check final MLB lineups and monitor weather situations before locking in your DFS lineups.
High Salary
Matt Carpenter, Cardinals (5,500): Carpenter will cost a pretty penny on Thursday, but he still might be worth it. He enters play having hit safely in seven of his last eight games, a stretch that features four games of double-digit fantasy production. He’s hitting .309 this season against righties and has enjoyed personal success against Kansas City Royals veteran Chris Young (3-for-4, HR) in the past.
Kris Bryant, Cubs (5,400): It’s basically already reached a point where Bryant, still just 24 years old, is more or less matchup-proof. Bryant and the Cubs draw a meeting with New York Mets left-hander Steven Matz (7-3, 3.29 ERA) on Thursday. Matz is dealing with a sizable bone spur in his pitching elbow, though he’s expected to pitch through it. If it affects him moving forward, however, Bryant and company could be among the first to benefit at the plate.
High Value
Martin Prado, Marlins (3,400): The 32-year-old Prado is just a professional hitter. His .316 average is tied for eighth in the National League and his 92 hits are tied for fourth. Prado has seven hits over his last four games, three of which produced double-digit fantasy-point totals. He should be able to stay hot against Atlanta Braves righty Mike Foltynewicz (2-2, 3.51 ERA).
Danny Valencia, Athletics (3,200): Valencia is most certainly a GPP-only play on Thursday, given his matchup with San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (8-4, 1.99 ERA). However, this isn’t a totally blind dart throw. Valencia is hitting .392 against lefties this season, and he doubled in his only previous at-bat against Bumgarner. It’s a small sample size, but it’s something.
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