This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
14 games are on tap Friday evening, with only the Dodgers-Marlins 6:40 p.m. EDT first pitch omitted. 11 pitchers come in at $9,000 or higher, with the top two sitting in very favorable, and obvious, matchups.
Pitching
Gerrit Cole ($11,000) leads the way, and it couldn't be more obvious to deploy him where affordable against lowly Oakland, even if the recent results haven't been perfect. Joe Musgrove ($10,800) has a similarly favorable matchup against Kansas City, but his form is also variable of late. Given the insignificant discount, I prefer Cole.
Spencer Strider ($10,000) always comes with strikeout upside, and he's been pretty good against top offenses over his last five starts (18 hits, eight runs, 37 Ks across 26.1 innings) but the price point here isn't overly friendly. If living in this second range of arms, Justin Steele ($9,800) stands out. He gets a Milwaukee lineup that fans 26.1 percent of the time against lefties while posting just a .292 wOBA and 86 wRC+. Longevity isn't his forte, but he's managed three straight quality starts with a 37 FDP floor.
Sliding down the pitching tiers, Glenn Otto ($7,700) looks like a very viable pay down option. The matchup is a nightly target against Detroit, and their continued dreadful offense that has a 25.1 percent K rate, 69 wRC+, .101 ISO and .263 wOBA. Otto has also averaged 24.9 FDP across his last seven starts. Cade Cavalli ($7,300) in his Major League debut, seems more like a fun play than a wise choice, but there is potential. He's shown great strikeout upside at Triple-A, and faces a Reds lineup with a 24.2 percent strikeout rate. And finally, Bailey Falter ($6,200) can offer you lots of offensive flexibility. He's put up 74 FDP total in his last two starts, which included one against Friday's opponent in the Pirates. Pittsburgh looked listless against Atlanta over the past three days, and fan at a 26.1 percent clip against lefties.
Top Targets
Bryse Wilson is allowing a .424 wOBA and 1.007 OPS to lefties. Bryce Harper ($4,000) launched two homers while on rehab, and has a .423 wOBA, 174 wRC+ and .311 ISO against righties. I'm absolutely building around him Friday, and his price point makes the Phillies lineup easily stackable as well.
Royals' starter Kris Bubic is allowing lefties to post a .458 wOBA and 1.074 OPS against him, so Juan Soto ($4,300) looks to be a promising option if he returns to action. If not, taking a stab at either Jake Cronenworth ($3,100) or Trent Grisham ($2,700) could yield a surprising return.
Bargain Bats
Mike Minor continues to labor through outings, last time allowing five runs to the lowly Pirates. Friday's opponent in the Nationals are equally lowly, but if we trust the .416 wOBA and .989 OPS he's allowing to righties, we can chase some power from Luke Voit ($2,700) or Nelson Cruz ($2,700).
JP Sears has been surprisingly good for the A's, but he'll face a gauntlet of bats that hit lefties well Friday in the Yankees, who have five regulars with a wOBA north of .370. If we assume you can't afford Aaron Judge ($5,000), pivots include Anthony Rizzo ($3,500), Andrew Benintendi ($3,000), DJ LeMahieu ($2,900) and/or Gleyber Torres ($2,900), with the latter being my singular preference.
The Blue Jays are another lineup to consider when looking for value. Angels' starter Reid Detmers has been feast or famine, so I don't want to go all in if he's really good Friday. But it's not the obvious suspects with positive numbers against lefties for Toronto, giving us some value. Teoscar Hernandez ($3,100) has a .319 wOBA, 160 wRC+ and .317 ISO, while Santiago Espinal ($2,300) sits with a .381 wOBA and 152 wRC+. Whit Merrifield ($2,700) and Danny Jansen ($2,300) also have faired well if in the lineup.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Rockies (Chad Kuhl): Pete Alonso ($3,800), Francisco Lindor ($3,600), Brandon Nimmo ($2,700)
Kuhl has a 6.08 road ERA and 5.89 FIP, allowing a .425 wOBA and 1.006 OPS to righties, and a .365 wOBA and .845 OPS to lefties. He's been worse against lefties at home, giving us some pause when considering how to attack him. As such, I'm happy to just roll with the top of the Mets lineup, which has been slumping and gives us a bit of a discount. The Mets do tend to go lefty heavy against righties, which puts Daniel Vogelbach ($2,700) and/or Tyler Naquin ($2,100) on radars, but I dont see a reason to chase or pay down. Give me the core of this offense in a favorable matchup.
White Sox vs. Diamondbacks (Tommy Henry): Jose Abreu ($3,400), Luis Robert ($3,100), Eloy Jimenez ($3,000)
Chicago's lineup is usually very stackable when facing a lefty, but thanks to some slumps and injuries, it's not as must play as usual Friday. Still, the price points and upside of this trio remains elite. Abreu comes in with a .406 wOBA, 170 wRC+ and .209 ISO against southpaws, while Robert sits at .420/179/.169. Jimenez hasn't found his groove yet against lefties, but has hit safely in 16-of-19. Arizona's starter here in Tommy Henry has a 6.10 road ERA and 6.12 xFIP.
