This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
All player prices are as of Friday, June 5
Pitchers
Jake Odorizzi, TB (Fri. at SEA), $8600 – As much as I'm getting sick of writing about Odorizzi, he's easily my favorite option for a pitching-starved Friday night. He's one of just four pitchers costing more than $8000, and the other three have tougher matchups. Meanwhile, Odorizzi heads to pitcher-friendly Safeco Field to face a Mariners team that ranks 28th in strikeout rate (23.5 percent) and 21st in wRC+ (90) against right-handed pitchers. Best of all, Odorizzi is still underpriced relative to his talent level and past performance, as discussed last week.
Drew Hutchison, TOR (Sat. afternoon vs. HOU) – Hutchison's results have been pretty ugly this season, but he's nowhere near as bad as the 5.26 ERA might seem to indicate, even if he does give up too much hard contact. He's still above average at striking out batters, making him a strong and affordable GPP option against a Houston team with MLB's second-highest strikeout rate (24.9 percent). Just don't use Hutchison for cash games, as both he and the Houston lineup are quite familiar with the long ball. It wouldn't be surprising to see Hutchison put up 25+ DK points, but it's also quite possible he finishes in the negatives.
Jason Hammel, CHC (Sat. night at WAS) – While Hammel isn't going to maintain this level of dominance, he showed significant improvement last season, and now seems to be taking another legitimate step. His 2.82 ERA is backed by an incredible 69:7 K:BB ratio through 67 innings, with his jump in strikeout rate (26.3 percent) supported by an improved swinging-strike rate (11.2 percent) and decreased contact percentage (76.6). I'm not saying he keeps it up, but Hammel should still be a nice option at under $9000 for a middling matchup with the Nationals. He's ultimately probably more of a No. 2-3 starter than an ace, despite the ridiculous total of 28 strikeouts in his last three starts.
Chris Archer, TB (Sun. at SEA) – Archer's price will come up from the insanely low $8900 it sat at for his last outing, but he'll still be a bargain in a highly favorable matchup. He's arguably been the best pitcher in baseball this season, and he's coming off back-to-back starts with 12+ Ks and no walks. While there's obviously a lot to be said for going against the grain in GPPs, there are better ways to differentiate your lineup. Follow the herd toward 2015's biggest breakout star.
Other options:Carlos Martinez, STL (Fri. at LAD), $9100; Raisel Iglesias, CIN (Fri. vs. SD), $5600; Danny Salazar, CLE (Sat. afternoon vs. BAL); Jesse Chavez, OAK (Sat. afternoon at BOS) Felix Hernandez, SEA (Sat. night vs. TB); Carlos Carrasco, CLE (Sun. vs. BAL); Collin McHugh, HOU (Sun. at TOR)
Batters
C/1B Buster Posey, SF (at PHI), $4300 – While he hasn't been very productive lately, Posey has an ideal opportunity to turn things around, facing a pillow-soft Philadelphia rotation while aiming for the short porches at Citizens Bank Park. With Cole Hamels not scheduled to pitch this weekend, Giants stacks will be more than viable all three days as Jerome Williams (Friday), Severino Gonzalez (Saturday) and Sean O'Sullivan (Sunday) take the mound.
1B Lucas Duda, NYM (at ARI), $4200 – Not only does Duda get to escape spacious Citi Field, but also he gets to face a slew of hittable right-handed pitchers at batter-friendly Chase Field. It's no secret that he crushes righties, so Jeremy Hellickson, Chase Anderson and Josh Collmenter should make for easy pickings. Even though he's cooled off from last week's torrid stretch, Duda figures to have a huge series.
2B/3B Luis Valbuena, HOU (at TOR), $4000 – Valbuena provides most of his value through the long ball, as he's on pace for 35 home runs but just 62 RBI, sporting an odd .192/.261/.417 slash line. That makes him a solid GPP option in quite a few matchups, but this weekend's slate appears especially favorable for home runs. The Blue Jays will toss Aaron Sanchez, Drew Hutchison and R.A. Dickey at the Skydome, with those three pitchers having already allowed a combined 26 home runs this season. Hutchison is probably even more prone to the long ball than his statistics to date indicate, and Dickey has long been one of MLB's most homer-friendly pitchers. Sanchez hasn't been too bad from that perspective this season, but his 39:37 K:BB ratio hints at impending disaster.
2B/SS Wilmer Flores, NYM (at ARI), $3400 – Though he won't ever be mistaken for a good big-league hitter, Flores does offer excellent power for his position, albeit with very limited on-base skills. The home-run upside is what we're looking for in GPPs, and Flores is a reasonably priced shortstop with power who figures to bat fifth or sixth in the lineup. He also gets to face a weak Arizona pitching staff at Citi Field, though he'll unfortunately be up against all right-handed starters.
1B/OF Ben Paulsen, COL (at MIN), $3600 – With Justin Morneau (concussion) likely to miss at least a few more days, Paulsen is my favorite batter for the upcoming weekend, assuming his price stays in the $3500-4000 range. The outfield eligibility is a huge bonus, and he's mashed to the tune of a .333/.393/.647 slash line since being called up in mid-May. Most important, the Rockies will be playing at Coors Field, facing a trio of right-handers in Tom Koehler, David Phelps and Jose Urena.
OF Cameron Maybin, ATL (vs. PIT), $3300 – Consider me shocked by Maybin's productivity this season, as I've never been a fan in any way, shape or form. Not that I think he'll maintain his strong .268/.353/.413 slash line, but he's at least done enough to keep a spot near the top of Atlanta's lineup, and he still has good speed with a bit of power. Even if we assume he'll regress, Maybin is a nice bargain at $3300 this weekend. I just won't be using him Sunday against Gerrit Cole.
Other options:C Jonathan Lucroy, MIL (at MIN), $3600; 1B/OF Brandon Moss, CLE (vs. BAl), $4400; 1B Justin Bour, MIA (at COL), $3500; 2B Jason Kipnis, CLE (vs. BAL), $4800; 1B/2B Logan Forsythe, TB (at SEA), $3200; 3B Kris Bryant, CHC (at WAS), $4500; 3B/OF Alex Guerrero, LAD (vs. STL), $3100; SS Troy Tulowitzki, COL (vs. MIA), $5100; 3B/SS Ruben Tejada, NYM (at ARI), $2900 OF Hunter Pence, SF (at PHI), $4700; OF Michael Brantley, CLE (vs. BAL), $4700; Charlie Blackmon, COL (vs. MIA), $4700; Billy Burns, OAK (at BOS), $3700
Lineup Stacks
Friday
Yankees vs. LAA's Jered Weaver
Mets at ARI's Jeremy Hellickson
Indians vs. BAL's Chris Tillman
Marlins at COL's Eddie Butler
White Sox vs. DET's Kyle Ryan
Blue Jays vs. HOU's Roberto Hernandez
Rockies vs. MIA's Tom Koehler
Giants at PHI's Jerome Williams
Saturday afternoon
Padres at CIN's Michael Lorenzen
Marlins at COL's Kyle Kendrick
Blue Jays vs. HOU's Brett Oberholtzer
Brewers at MIN's J.R. Graham
Reds vs. SD's Odrisamer Despaigne
Saturday night
Tigers at CWS's John Danks
Braves vs. PIT's Jeff Locke
Mariners vs. TB's Alex Colome
Cubs at WAS's A.J. Cole
Sunday
Mets vs. ARI's Josh Collmenter
Indians vs. BAL's Bud Norris
Rockies vs. MIA's Jose Urena
Brewers at MIN's Mike Pelfrey
Red Sox vs. OAK's Kendall Graveman
Giants at PHI's Sean O'Sullivan
Astros at TOR's R.A. Dickey
