This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Only lovers of the Rays and Reds may be disappointed Friday. The 6:40 p.m. ET start between those two teams is not included in the DFS slate on DraftKings, but all other 28 teams are in the mix. That means a ton of daily fantasy options. To try and help, here are my lineup recommendations for you.
Pitching
Sonny Gray, MIN at TEX ($9,700): Gray has a 2.47 ERA, and after not qualifying for a win in his first four starts, he's got at least five innings in six of his last seven outings. The Rangers are 16th in runs scored, but they have done that with a sub-.300 OBP.
Jose Urquidy, HOU at OAK ($8,200): Urquidy has gotten on his game, as he has a 2.16 ERA over his last four starts. I fully expect him to keep it up with a matchup against the Athletics. Oakland is last in team OPS, and soon enough I expect them to be last in runs scored as well. As a Tigers fan, I look forward to that day.
Lucas Giolito, CWS vs. DET ($7,800): Speaking of the Tigers, Giolito gets a chance to face the team that remains last in runs scored for now. It's been a rough season for Giolito, but at least he's struck out 10.63 batters per nine innings. At the very least, he'll be able to mow down a few Tigers.
Top Targets
While he hasn't been quite as good as last season when he had 30 homers and 30 stolen bases, Cedric Mullins ($5,500) has had another fine campaign. He's hit .263 with seven home runs and 16 stolen bases. Plus, over the last 21 days he has a .900 OPS. Now, Michael Lorenzen has been scratched, and now lefty Reid Detmers is starting. However, Detmers has a career 5.50 FIP, has allowed 1.83 home runs per nine innings and doesn't yield many strikeouts. A pitcher getting a spot start in modern MLB is likely only going a few innings anyway, so Mullins should be alright.
Cleveland's offense is built around Jose Ramirez ($5,200), as he has slashed .285/.369/.570 with 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Last year he had 36 homers and 27 swiped bags as well, his second 30-20 season. In his career, Brady Singer has a 4.55 ERA, including a 4.30 ERA this season.
Bargain Bats
It's not surprising that Rowdy Tellez ($5,100) had greatly preferred to hit against righties (.841 OPS) given that he is a lefty. However, he's also greatly preferred his home ballpark this season. Tellez has an 1.028 OPS at home in 2022. Milwaukee is hosting Pittsburgh on Friday, and JT Brubaker has a career 4.93 ERA.
With a lefty on the mound for the opposition, the Giants are going to bring out all the righties they have and that includes Austin Slater ($3,200). Slater, who has five homers and five stolen bases, has a .906 OPS against lefties since 2020. By the way, that lefty is Blake Snell, who has a 5.13 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Nationals (Erick Fedde): Dansby Swanson ($5,300), Austin Riley ($5,200), Matt Olson ($4,300)
Fedde's 4.29 ERA is not good but better than his career 5.06 ERA. He's allowed fewer home runs than usual, but in his career he's allowed 1.46 home runs per nine innings. There is plenty of data at this point that Fedde is a below-average pitcher, and the Braves are an above-average lineup, including these three.
Swanson is having a breakout campaign fitting of a one-time first-overall pick to the tune of a .298/.355/.492 slash line with 14 homers and 14 swiped bags. Last year Riley changed his batting approach and posted an .898 OPS. This year he's slashed .276/.344/.542 with 21 home runs, proving that wasn't a fluke. Olson is the one key lefty for the Braves. He has an .847 OPS against righties this year and has 12 home runs.
Cardinals vs. Phillies (Kyle Gibson): Nolan Arenado ($4,900), Tommy Edman ($4,000), Nolan Gorman ($3,600)
In his first full season as a Phillie, Gibson has a 4.91 ERA. On the road, that ERA is 6.34. He is also coming off a start where he allowed four home runs. Gibson also has allowed righties to hit .284 against him this year, so having a righty and a switch hitter works for this stack.
Arenado has been on fire for the last three weeks, as he has an 1.111 OPS. He also has 17 home runs after having 34 last season. Edman doesn't have much power, though he does have seven home runs. However, he has 19 stolen bases after he had 30 last year. The second Nolan is a rookie who is a lefty with seven home runs in 42 games. Against righties he has a .785 OPS.
Royals vs. Guardians (Aaron Civale): MJ Melendez ($4,200), Whit Merrifield ($4,200), Andrew Benintendi ($4,000),
Last year Civale had a 3.84 ERA, but that was belied by a 4.82 FIP. Now, this year his ERA has soared to 7.04, with a 9.90 ERA on the road. Lefties and righties are both roughing him up, and he's allowed 1.57 home runs per nine innings this year as well.
You can slot Melendez in as your catcher, and a .418 slugging percentage with nine home runs in 55 games is definitely strong enough for somebody in that position. Merrifield has four home runs and 14 stolen bases, and he swiped 40 bags last season. He also has an .816 OPS over the last three weeks. In terms of making reliable contact, Benintendi is having the best campaign of his career. He's hit .319 with a .388 OBP as he sits on the presumed trading block. That includes an .850 OPS against righties.
