This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Pitching
There's no shortage of options on the bump Friday, led by Justin Verlander ($11,100) vs. Texas. He's faced the Rangers twice already, struggling in one outing while dominating in the other. With the plethora of other options, I'd personally pass on Verlander for some savings, but you know what you're paying for here, and if it fits the budget, by all means, play him.
Luis Castillo ($10,600) faces the Giants for the second straight start. He put up 22.2 DraftKings Points (DKP) Sunday against them, striking out nine in seven frames. San Francisco has a .291 wOBA and 82 wRC+ against righties, and I don't feel great about their chances to make adjustments and beat Castillo here.
Tyler Glasnow ($10,400) rounds out the five-figure arms with a home matchup against the Yankees. His form has been excellent all season, but the Yankees rank seventh against righties with a .341 wOBA, while striking out 22.0 percent of the time. It's not the perfect matchup, which could make Glasnow attractive as a lower-owned GPP option.
The next cluster of arms offers some intriguing targets. Zack Greinke ($9,800) is next price-wise and gets a middle-of-the-pack Braves offense that has been pretty poor during their current West Coast road trip. Kenta Maeda ($9,200) falls into a similar category, as the Nationals haven't had much of a pulse over the last two weeks and are striking out 26.0 percent of the time against right-handers. Maeda himself hasn't been great, which could make him another GPP target who will be overlooked. Domingo German ($9,500) continues to impress, and while the Rays profile similarly to the Yankees offensively (.339 wOBA, 21.9 percent K rate), German and Glasnow could wind up in a duel. Jake Odorizzi ($8,800) is probably as low as I'd go and feel safe. He's in great form, and gets a bad Tigers offense that whiffs 26.4 percent of the time. And if none of those options work, we can always fall back on Zack Wheeler ($9,700) against Miami.
The bottom half of the pitching doesn't excite. Miami's Pablo Lopez ($8,100) may merit some GPP consideration. He's gone for 23.1 or more DKP in two of his last three, and the Mets have only a .140 ISO and 24.4 percent fan rate. He's not likely to get much run support, but there is some upside. I don't trust Dylan Covey ($6,200) at all, but he didn't get crushed in his last start against Boston and gets a woeful Toronto lineup here that Ks 27.2 percent of the time while ranking 29th with a .280 wOBA. Maybe he can give you five serviceable innings.
Key Value/Chalk
This starts, and could even stop, with the Rockies, in Coors Field, against a lefty in Eric Lauer who has allowed seven hits and six runs in three innings in Denver. Nolan Arenado ($5,700) is the chalky option, and his .527 wOBA, 220 wRC+ and .447 ISO more than support the price. Some more creative ways to get in on the Rockies include catcher Chris Iannetta ($4,200, .414 wOBA, .294 ISO), OF Ian Desmond ($4,300, .289 ISO) and/or Raimel Tapia ($5,100, .352 wOBA), whose recent surge may have priced himself out of interest. The San Diego side here isn't as appealing against a solid German Marquez ($9,100), so typical power bats Hunter Renfroe ($5,100, .359 ISO) and Franmil Reyes ($4,600, .347 ISO) make the most sense.
Having vowed to lead this section nightly with Rockies, Red Sox and Astros, I'll do as promised while phasing out this intro. Boston gets Erik Swanson ($7,700) and his .394 wOBA allowed to righties, making Mookie Betts ($5,100) your safe bet, while lefties Rafael Devers ($4,300) and Mitch Moreland ($4,400) have targetable LvR numbers. Houston faces Lance Lynn ($6,900), who hasn't been awful (3.65 FIP). He's allowing a .372 wOBA to righties, and the Astros have plenty of options to target there. Alex Bregman ($5,200, .427 wOBA, .299 ISO) is your safety net, while George Springer ($5,800), Carlos Correa ($5,000) and Robinson Chirinos ($4,100) all have ISOs of at least .269.
As much as I try to avoid featuring the Orioles anywhere, they continue to have exploitable matchups, and with a poor pitching staff, continue to find their way into high total games. More on the Angels later, but this game has a total of 10, so getting a piece on each side makes sense. Angels starter Trevor Cahill ($7,100) has a 7.50 FIP and is allowing a .497 wOBA to lefties. That vaults Dwight Smith ($4,800) and Jonathan Villar ($4,400) to the top of lists, while I wouldn't fault anyone in GPPs for trotting out Chris Davis ($3,100) in a few lineups for big savings.
Some stand alone options in positive matchups include Matt Chapman ($4,700) vs. Cody Anderson ($6,500), Derek Dietrich ($4,500, .425 wOBA, .441 ISO) and Jesse Winker ($4,300, .371 wOBA, .317 ISO) against Dereck Rodriguez ($6,300), and Carlos Santana ($4,200, team-best .345 wOBA) against Aaron Brooks ($6,800). Minnesota bats look too pricey to stack against Tyson Ross ($6,000).
Stacks
Diamondbacks vs. Julio Teheran (Braves)
David Peralta (OF - $4,700), Ketel Marte (2B/OF - $5,200), Jarrod Dyson (OF - $4,700)
Teheran hasn't been awful and his strikeouts are up, but he's still prone to giving up homers in bunches (eight in 44.2 frames). He's been very vulnerable to lefties, allowing a .343 wOBA, so targeting some opposite-handed bats seems prudent. Peralta is the stand-alone option, as he's boasting a .393 wOBA, 145 wRC+ and .238 ISO. Marte (.341 wOBA) and Dyson (.358 wOBA) are more LvR matchup plays than upside options, and the prices aren't great. Christian Walker ($4,600) has incredible numbers against righties (.418 wOBA, .310 ISO) if you want to go against Teheran's .294 wOBA allowed to righties.
Angels vs. Dan Straily (Orioles)
David Fletcher (3B/OF - $4,600), Tommy La Stella (2B/3B - $4,300), Jonathan Lucroy (C - $4,300)
Straily has been brutal, bringing a 7.43 ERA and 8.00 FIP into the contest. That puts all Angels in play, and if you can find a way to fit in Mike Trout ($5,700), please do so. This stack is a little unconventional, but designed to give some position flexibility, and moderate savings in a plus-plus matchup. Straily is allowing a .477 wOBA and a 1.148 OPS to righties. Fletcher counters with a .400 wOBA in this spot, La Stella a .382 wOBA and .301 ISO, and Lucroy a .372 wOBA. This may even be the right spot to gamble on an Albert Pujols ($4,000) long ball.
Phillies vs. Homer Bailey (Royals)
Rhys Hoskins (1B - $5,500), Cesar Hernandez (2B - $4,600), J.T. Realmuto (C - $4,500)
Hoskins is simply raking, boasting a .440 wOBA and .350 ISO, while Hernandez comes affordably at a second-tier position and a decent .364 wOBA. Realmuto hasn't really gotten going but seems at worst a stable choice with a .344 wOBA against a pitcher allowing a .353 wOBA to righties, and one who has allowed 10 runs over his last 13 innings.
