This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A large 14-game slate awaits Friday evening, with only the Brewers-Cubs matinée off the board. There's ample depth on the mound, but seemingly no obvious must use, or slate breaker. We should see lots of diverse lineups tonight.
Pitching
If paying up Friday, I think you start by choosing between Aaron Nola ($10,700) or Blake Snell ($10,500). Nola is in terrific form, posting 40+ FDP in three straight and four of five. He'll face the Mets for the fifth time this season, and despite going 0-3, he's allowed only eight runs across 24.1 innings, striking out 29. Most of that damage was done in his second start of the year, as the last three have all yielded 40+ FDP. Snell gets a Nats' offense that is just woeful. He seems to be harnessing his wildness, earning quality starts in three of his last four, striking out 34 across 23.2 innings while allowing only three runs. He also posted 58 FDP against Washington last time out.
Tyler Anderson ($9,600) stands out in the next tier of arms. Simply, the Marlins rank last in the league with a .264 wOBA and 71 wRC+ while striking out a whopping 28.4 percent of the time against lefties.
The 8k tier is intriguing. Lance McCullers ($8,900) has upside, both from his own potential and Atlanta's strikeout proclivity, but it's his first start against a real offense, so maybe it's more wait and see. Patrick Sandoval ($8,700) doesn't have a quality start since July 9 and the Tigers have faired far better against lefties. Finally, there's Brady Singer ($8,600), who has posted 43 FDP or better in five of his last six facing a Rays lineup that whiffs 24.6 percent of the time.
I went to this pay down well in his last start with middling success, but I'm right back on the Matt Manning ($6,800) train as a value option Friday. The matchup is almost as obvious as Anderson's above, with the Angels striking out 26.8 percent of the time against righties, though posting a better but not scary .301 wOBA and 95 wRC+ against righties.
Top Targets
Manny Machado ($4,600) is on a heater, and it's caused his price to rise to a point where it's difficult to roster him. But with a 10-game hitting streak that seen eight multi-hit outings and 14 RBI, in a matchup against Paolo Espino, continued success can be anticipated.
Machado, and the anchor to a stack below are somewhat obvious top plays Friday, so perhaps there's some low usage in the Dodgers' top bats, who are always in play nightly, moreso against lefties even if it's a talented one like Jesus Luzardo. Trea Turner ($4,100) is slightly discounted due to cool start to the month, while Mookie Betts ($4,500) isn't, but both remain double-digit point threats nightly.
Bargain Bats
There's surprisingly ample value in the Giants-Rockies Coors field matchup, where lefty Alex Wood faces Jose Urena. On the Rockies side, Brendan Rodgers ($3,400) has a team-high .392 wOBA and 140 wRC+, but only a .184 ISO. If we want to seek a tad more power, Randal Grichuk ($3,100) enters into play with a .252 ISO to go with a .382 wOBA. Urena meanwhile is allowing a .399 wOBA and .915 OPS to lefties at home, which makes the Giants stackable despite recent horrible form. I'll fall back on some very limited BvP numbers here. Brandon Belt ($3,100) is 4-for-5 with two doubles of Urena, while Brandon Crawford ($2,900) is 4-for-7 with a homer and a double.
Bryse Wilson continues to struggle, and is allowing a .497 wOBA and 1.176 OPS to lefties at home. The Reds also struggle most nights, so we're targeting the matchup more than the lineup itself, and there's a void of left-handed bats to choose from as well. Jake Fraley ($2,600) can be an exception, having homered in two of his last three and has a decent .389 wOBA, 147 wRC+ and .264 ISO against righties. Mike Moustakas (2,300) is an even deeper reach should he return from IL.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals at Diamondbacks (Tommy Henry): Paul Goldschmidt ($4,800), Nolan Arenado ($3,900), Albert Pujols ($2,400)
Henry has been better at home, and hit harder by lefties, but the Cardinals lineup has been so good against southpaws all year, we'll trust that sustained success to make a mark here. Goldschmidt is arguably as hot as Machado, and the price reflects that. His splits are simply obscene, boasting a .562 wOBA, 273 wRC+ .407 ISO and just an 11.3 percent soft-contact rate. That makes Arenado's .411 wOBA, 170 wRC+ and .402 ISO seem small. Pujols' recent power surge makes this stack affordable, but we're really homer searching by including him. But he's gone deep four times in his last six, and has a .451 wOBA, 198 wRC+ and .338 ISO in this spot.
Rangers at Twins (Dylan Bundy): Corey Seager ($3,600), Nathaniel Lowe ($2,800), Marcus Semien ($2,400)
Bundy's splits are all over the place. At home, he has a 2.83 ERA against 5.83 on the road, but a 4.50 xFIP/4.29 on the road don't seem in line. He's also allowing a .363 wOBA to lefties at home against .225 to righties, while on the road it sits at .322/.377. The point being is he can't be trusted, as further evidenced by not having a quality start since June 24. The Rangers got Bundy for four runs across five innings in an earlier matchup to boot. Seager leads the team with a .346 wOBA against righties, far from ideal but it is what it is; he's the best option. Lowe gives us another lefty at a cheap price to target Bundy's home struggles. Then there's Semien, whose price has slipped so far it's hard not to just plug him in and hope. He's had moderate success against Bunday, going 7-for-24 (.292) with an .846 OPS.
