Fantasy Baseball Picks Today: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Targets for Korea Series Dodgers vs. Padres

The Major League Baseball regular season is finally here! While most teams in the Majors still have just over a week left in Spring Training, the games that actually count start this Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea. You’ll need to be sure to set your alarm and get plenty of coffee ready since the first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 a.m. ET on Wednesday morning.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest offseason moves and will start the season in the spotlight by taking on their NL West division rivals, the San Diego Padres. The two international showcase games get the regular season underway in the Gocheok Sky Dome, which serves as the home stadium of the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO. It is a slightly hitter-friendly venue, according to park factor, but it isn’t the hitters’ paradise we’ve seen at some international venues.

The Dodgers will give the ball to one of their offseason acquisitions, Tyler Glasnow ($11,600) while the Padres will counter with veteran righty Yu Darvish ($10,600). Both lineups should be stacked with plenty of star power, so there are multiple good plays to consider for DFS contests on this one-game showdown slate.

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SHOWDOWN STRATEGY

Captain’s Picks

Tyler Glasnow ($17,400 CP) - No need to get cute on Day 1 of the regular season. Glasnow is the most expensive Captain’s Pick choice, but he’s also the strongest play on the board. Glasnow went 10-7 last year with the Rays with a 2.91 FIP and 12.15 K/9. He can be absolutely dominant when in top form and is the kind of high-strikeout pitcher to build around in any fantasy format, especially DFS.

When healthy over the last few seasons, he has been an elite ace, and he is poised to start his Dodgers career fully healthy after a strong Spring Training. Just how sharp has Glasnow been this spring? He finished his preseason by throwing 5 ⁄₃ scoreless and hitless innings last Tuesday against the Giants. He allowed just four hits all spring and struck out 14 in 10 innings. He’s probably not completely stretched out and ready to go nine innings, but his great lineup behind him should provide enough run support early to put him in line for the win. His strikeout potential gives him an extremely high ceiling, and his form makes him my favorite play to build around out of the gate for his Dodgers debut.

Freddie Freeman ($13,800 CP) - If you opt to go with Glasnow in a UTIL spot or leave him off your roster entirely, Freeman is my top bat to build around in this matchup. Freeman is the only member of the Dodgers with multiple home runs in the past off of Darvish. The lefty has gone 9-for-31 (.290) with three homers against Darvish in their past meetings. He also went yard three times this Spring Training, while going 9-for-32 (.281) with a .387 wOBA. Spring Training and small sample size aside, Freeman is a proven masher who is always a strong option to build around and almost always finds ways to return good value.

UTIL Plays

Mookie Betts ($9,800) - Betts is expected to be the Dodgers primary SS this season, which will be an interesting transition to watch. Regardless of where he plays in the field, his bat makes him an elite fantasy option in any Dodgers matchup. He had a sizzling Spring Training, going 15-for-34 (.441). He only had one home run and was caught in his only stolen base attempt, but he brings elite power as he showed with 39 homers last season and should be set to thrive atop the Dodgers’ power-packed lineup.

Jake Cronenworth ($6,800) - When Glasnow was hittable last year, it was mostly against lefties like Cronenworth. Left-handed hitters had a .247 average, nine homers and a .311 wOBA against Glasnow last year. Cronenworth is a pretty affordable lefty expected to hit in the middle of the order for the Padres this season. His season was cut short by a fractured wrist last year, but he has looked healthy this Spring Training with a home run, a stolen base and a .404 wOBA in 12 games. At his salary, he’s my favorite Padres option since his teammates feel like overpays against Glasnow.

James Outman ($6,400) - If you’re building around Glasnow or any big-name Dodgers’ bats, you’ll need to shop for some value, and Outman is a great place to get it. Last year in his rookie season, the lefty hit .248 with a .344 wOBA, 23 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 151 games. He has looked ready to improve that production this spring, going 10-for-27 (.370) with five extra-base hits including two home runs. Getting him at barely over $6,000 in his matchup with Darvish is a nice salary-saving play.

Fades

Manny Machado ($8,600) - None of the high-priced Padres bats look like great plays to me since they’re in a tough matchup against Glasnow and are coming off largely disappointing seasons. Of the group, Machado feels like the biggest reach since he is also working his way back from an elbow issue that required offseason surgery. He played 10 games in Spring Training but is likely not ready to play the field yet so will serve as the team’s designated hitter for this two-game Korea Series. He did not hit a home run this spring and has never faced Glasnow in his career.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.