Can’t wait for the weekend to get your daily fantasy baseball on? Yeah, neither can we. After all, it’s the best way to build up that bank account before spending it all out on the town.
That’s why we scoured for premium players at a reasonable salary to fill out DraftKings lineups. While it won’t fill out your lineup completely, here’s a look at some of the best options at multiple positions with our strategy and primer for June 26.
Pitcher: Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs ($9,800)
For those who want to pony up the dollars for Max Scherzer, be our guest. But for those who are looking to shell out less than $10,000 for a premium starter, Jake Arrieta is the best option on Friday.
Arrieta is coming off one of his best starts of the season against the Minnesota Twins. After compiling seven strikeouts and just four hits allowed in the complete-game shutout, Arrieta has a good matchup on Friday night.
His last game against the St. Louis Cardinals didn’t go as planned, but he shut them out for seven innings earlier in the season. With the hurler holding the Cards to a combined .211 average with no home runs, Arrieta offers solid value as a No. 1 pitcher.
Catcher: Brian McCann, New York Yankees ($4,300)
Sticking with the theme of having a great matchup, Brian McCann has the best out of any catcher. Averaging over eight fantasy points in his last 10 games, the Yankees backstop will now face a young Houston Astros pitcher who has struggled in his last two starts.
Vincent Velasquez was erratic in his last outing despite allowing just two hits in 3.1 innings. With McCann hitting .288/.355/.525 against righties with nine home runs, expect huge numbers from the 10th-year player in Houston.
First Baseman: Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics ($4,200)
Whether he’s slotted as a catcher or first baseman, Stephen Vogt needs to be in every lineup. The Oakland Athletics utility player has been raking recently and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
His six hits over the last two games continued a seven-game hitting streak and marked the third time he’s had a trio of hits in the last four starts. That all equates to an average of over 12 fantasy points per game during that stretch.
Vogt doesn’t have an easy matchup with Edinson Volquez making the start for the Kansas City Royals. But with 12 of his 13 homers and a .578 slugging percentage against right-handed pitching, Vogt will continue streaking for DraftKings owners on Friday.
Second Baseman: Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,000)
Justin Turner is currently more on fire than his red hair. In the last eight games that he’s started, the Dodgers infielder has five homers, 11 RBI, two doubles and a triple. That, my friends, is what we call torching hot.
Turner should have no issues remaining productive.
Outfielder: Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies ($4,400)
At this point, is there anything Charlie Blackmon can’t do? The 28-year-old slugger is crushing home runs and cruising to doubles with relative ease. Compiling five multihit games over the last seven starts, the production certainly warrants plugging him in as a No. 2 outfielder.
Coming at a price of just $4,400, Blackmon is a steal for owners against Tim Hudson. Holding an 8-for-24 clip with a .429 OBP against the Giants veteran, the surging outfielder is a no-brainer to slot into every lineup.
DraftKings is hosting one-day MLB contests! Claim your free entry by clicking on the link and making a first-time deposit!
Follow R. Cory Smith on Twitter for more MLB DraftKings advice.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com