Identifying the top high salary and value first baseman plays from around Major League Baseball for your July 8 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
Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays (5,400): Encarnacion’s 0-for-4 on Thursday snapped a modest five-game hitting streak, but he’s in a solid spot to start a new one on Friday. Toronto faces Detroit righty Mike Pelfrey (2-7, 4.78 ERA) at the Rogers Centre, where plenty of runs are expected. Encarnacion has only homered once since June 28, so he’s due for a big performance. There is major upside here.
David Ortiz, Red Sox (5,300): Chris Archer must be sick of facing Boston and, in particular, Ortiz. “Big Papi” is 12-for-31 (.387) with four doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs against the Tampa Bay Rays right-hander in his career. Ortiz always costs a pretty penny, but he’s always a strong play against righties. That’s especially true when it’s Archer.
High Value
Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers (3,700): Gonzalez is on pace for less than 20 home runs this season, a far cry from his former days of 30-plus longballs. “A-Gon” still hits for a decent average (.281) and remains a key part of Los Angeles’ lineup. He’s particularly intriguing on Friday, given his personal success against San Diego Padres righty Andrew Cashner (11-for-32, four home runs).
Ryan Howard, Phillies (3,400): Howard’s best days are clearly behind him, but consider Coors Field a fountain of youth this weekend. Howard homered Thursday in the series opener, and on Friday draws a matchup with Colorado Rockies right-hander Jon Gray (5-4, 4.81 ERA). Howard again has home run potential with a cheap price.
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