This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
How has the MLB season been going for you so far? Have you found DFS success yet? The early season can be a tricky time to parse how to lay out your lineups. As time goes on, the more data we have to go on. Friday's features contests on DraftKings includes the 13 games starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. You have a lot of options. Here are the ones I like the best.
Pitching
Kyle Wright, ATL vs. MIA ($9,300): Wright has never gotten a chance to stick in the Braves' rotation, but maybe this will be the year. He's made two starts and has an 1.64 ERA and 0.89 FIP. Maybe he can't keep that going, but the Marlins ranked 29th in runs scored last year, so the matchup is on his side.
Freddy Peralta, MIL at PHI ($8,900): I'm not writing off Peralta after two iffy starts. Yes, he has an 11.87 ERA, but also a 5.07 FIP. Also, he's struck out 12.86 batters per nine innings after striking out 12.16 batters per nine last year. He's going to turn it around, and I'd even use him against a fairly formidable Phillies lineup.
Antonio Senzatela, COL at DET ($5,800): Senzatela has a 2.16 ERA to start this campaign, even though both of his starts have been at Coors Field. Now he gets to hit the road and get away from his hitter-friendly home ballpark. The Tigers have added some bats this season, but Javier Baez is injured, and they ranked 22nd in runs scored in 2021.
Top Targets
Sometimes a vaunted prospect lives up to the hype. That's been the story of Wander Franco ($5,300). His career slash line so far is .304/.355/.488. While Michael Wacha has a 0.96 ERA to start the season, he's on his fourth team in four years for a reason. Namely, he had a 5.11 ERA over the previously three seasons.
Tim Anderson ($5,700) has hit over .300 in each of the last three seasons, and this year he's slashed .333/.351/.528. If you want a guy to finish with more than 15 homers and 15 stolen bases in a season, the White Sox's leadoff man is your guy. Bailey Ober has made one good start and one bad start this season, and last year as a rookie he had a 4.55 FIP.
Bargain Bats
Hitting for average and speed are what Whit Merrifield ($4,700) is all about. His career average is .289, and he stole 40 bases last year. Chris Flexen doesn't allow a lot of homers, but that doesn't really impact Merrifield's skill set. Flexen has a career 4.85 ERA and also doesn't strike out opposing batters. He plays into Merrifield's hands.
I wanted to get a righty from the Angels against Orioles lefty Bruce Zimmermann, who has a career 4.71 ERA. My choice is Taylor Ward ($3,700), a righty outfielder who has started the year strong, slashing .316/.458/.526. Last year he did have an .849 OPS against southpaws.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Nick Martinez ($6,100): Trea Turner ($5,600), Freddie Freeman ($5,600), Max Muncy ($5,100)
Martinez joined the Padres with a career 4.77 ERA. That was all with the Rangers, though, and they had a tough home ballpark. Well in his first two starts with the Padres, Martinez has a 4.50 ERA, and he allowed three homers in his first home start of the season. New uniform, same results.
Turner's power hasn't quite arrived yet, but there's no reason to worry. He slugged .551 over the previous two seasons and has stolen more than 30 bases five times in his career. Freeman has an 1.028 OPS against righties since 2020, and he's hit .333 to start his time with the Dodgers. Muncy is a lefty who doesn't completely flail against southpaws, but facing a righty is still better for him. He's hit more than 30 homers in MLB's three last full seasons.
Rangers vs. Adam Oller ($5,200)): Corey Seager ($5,000), Marcus Semien ($4,100), Nathaniel Lowe ($3,300)
Oller has admittedly only made two starts in MLB. That being said, they've gone rather poorly. He's posted a 13.50 ERA. This will be his first home start, and Oakland has a pitcher-friendly ballpark, but I still have no faith in him. I'm happy to stack Rangers in this matchup.
In his last two seasons with the Dodgers and the start of this season with the Rangers, Seager has effectively played a full MLB campaign. Across those 158 games he's slashed .306/.379/.535. Semien is off to a bit of a slow start, but I tend to trust guys coming off a season in which they hit 45 homers and stole 15 bases. Lowe moved from the Rays to the Rangers last year and got his first chance to be a regular in a lineup. He responded with a .264/.357/.415 slash line with 18 homers and eight stolen bases. This year, he's hit .383 with a .420 OBP.
Giants vs. Patrick Corbin ($6,700): Darin Ruf ($2,400), Joey Bart ($2,800), Wilmer Flores ($3,200)
Corbin has been a disaster for the Nationals. Here are his ERAs in his four seasons with the team (including this season): 3.25, 4.66, 5.82, 7.50. Since 2020, he's allowed righties to hit .309 against him. The only problem? Finding righties in the Giants lineup is not easy. These are the three best healthy right-handed hitters the Giants offer, but this matchup is worth it.
Ruf has a .924 OPS against lefties since 2020, and since joining the Giants he's slashed .261/.374/.486. Bart is a catcher, and on DraftKings you need a catcher in your lineup. He's still relatively new to MLB, but he was considered a top catcher prospect – for some, the top catcher prospect – when he debuted. Flores will likely draw into the lineup due to injuries, but he hit 18 home runs last season and is a career .267 hitter. Also, since joining the Giants he has an .808 OPS at home.
