Identifying the top high salary and value first baseman plays from around Major League Baseball for your July 16 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 check weather situations before locking in your DFS lineups.
High Salary
Hanley Ramirez, Red Sox (4,900): Ramirez enters play Saturday riding a seven-game hitting streak that includes five games of double-digit DK points. He’s hitting .353 against left-handers this season, so even though he’s hitless in seven career at-bats against CC Sabathia (5-6, 3.77 ERA), there is significant upside. Ramirez could be in for a nice game Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers (4,800): “A-Gon” is finally starting to round into form, having reached double digits in fantasy points in four of his last six games. He’s on pace for less than 20 home runs, but he’s still hitting .289 (.299 against righties). With the Dodgers’ expected run total over five (5.1), Gonzalez is a solid play Saturday against Arizona.
High Value
Eric Hosmer, Royals (3,600): Hosmer continues to be underpriced, considering the career year he is having. The All-Star Game MVP has a great matchup Saturday against Detroit Tigers righty Mike Pelfrey (2-8, 4.58 ERA). Hosmer is 5-for-12 with a double and home run in his career against Pelfrey, and he’s hitting .310 against righties this season. Hosmer offers great value at a sub-4,000 price.
Victor Martinez, Tigers (3,400): “V-Mart” might be 37 years old, but you’d never know it from looking at his numbers this season — .305, 17 HRs, 54 RBIs. Martinez is usually priced in the 4,000s, so there’s a great chance for value here at this price. He’s 9-for-25 (.360) with a pair of home runs in his career against Kansas City Royals lefty Danny Duffy (4-1, 3.09 ERA).
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