This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We've reached the final Friday of the regular season. Congrats on surviving the grind! 13 games await this evening's main slate, and it's absolutely loaded on the mound with seven arms priced in five-figures. That's headlined by Jacob deGrom ($11,600) who absolutely isn't must use, having allowed five runs in 12.1 innings against Atlanta to date, and 11 runs across his last three starts, spanning 15.0 innings.
Pitching
With so many top options, they seemingly all will come with low usage, so there's no real effort needed to differentiate. All are priced as such of a reason, so all come with appeal. Perhaps the best matchup belongs to Corbin Burnes ($10,300) who figures to be in a duel with Sandy Alcantara ($10,900) and the Marlins. Miami's K rate is a modest 22.9 percent, but the .294 wOBA and 94 wRC+ are what should lend itself to most stability than Burnes has possessed nightly.
I'd assume the 9k tier is going to be largely ignored given the slate's depth. Logan Gilbert ($9,800) would seemingly be in a good spot against Oakland, but they've gotten him for seven runs across 11 innings through two previous starts. I'd encourage targeting Merrill Kelly ($9,400) instead. He'll face the Giants for the sixth time, and he's been dominant thus far. Kelly is 3-0, allowing just six runs and 18 hits (.149 OBA) while striking out 30 in 35.1 innings.
Jack Flaherty ($7,900) looks like he could be the evening's slate buster. He's coming off of a 46 FDP outing against the Padres, and gets a step back Friday, facing a Pirates lineup that whiffs 25.2 percent of the time against righties, posting a .289 wOBA and 84 wRC+. But it's a lineup that got him for three runs across five innings on September 10, not striking out once. He'll need those strikeouts and run support to reach that 40 FDP threshold, as the innings/pitch count will remain limited.
Top Targets
I have no idea what to do with the Dodgers' lineup Friday. It's an obvious place to attack against Chad Kuhl, who has a 5.84 road ERA and 5.60 FIP, allowing a .437 wOBA and 1.032 OPS to righties. That should put Mookie Betts ($4,300) and Trea Turner ($3,900) on radars, but they're a collective 5-for-21 off of Kuhl, and the entire Dodger lineup is hitting .216 overall off of Kuhl. It's not enough to fade, but perhaps enough to not go overboard.
Staying out west, Manny Machado ($4,500) and/or Juan Soto ($3,900) look like solid building blocks. They have an identical .395 wOBA and 161 wRC+ against righties (Soto's since joining the Padres), sitting with a .233 and .176 ISO, respectively. Machado is in better form, but I prefer Soto here at the discount. White Sox starter Davis Martin doesn't have targetable splits, so it's another spot to not go overboard.
Bargain Bats
The price on Carlos Correa ($2,900) has to be a misprint. Sure, he hasn't homered since September 15th, but he's got 17 hits since then, which is remarkably stable for a sub-$3,000 price. And his .406 wOBA and 170 wRC+ against lefties lead Twin regulars, while a .252 ISO isn't anything to scoff at.
Aaron Civale's stuff is far better than the results he's had this season. But we can't ignore his struggles, and Royal bats are cheap across the board. Vinny Pasquantino ($2,500) has a .352 wOBA against righties, not a huge number but we don't need it to be at his price. He's hit safely in 12 of 13, with multiple hits in five of six. Drew Waters ($2,000) is bottom priced, and boasts a .370 wOBA and 141 wRC+ across 62 plate appearances.
Stacks to Consider
Mariners vs. Athletics (Ken Waldichuk): Eugenio Suarez ($3,500), Ty France ($3,200), Sam Haggerty ($2,100)
This seems to set up almost too obviously. Waldichuk isn't proving capable of getting big league hitters out, allowing 18 runs and 26 hits across 22.2 innings, resulting in a .439 wOBA and 1.050 OPS to righties. Mariner bats aren't priced up for this plus matchup, so we're all systems go. Suarez has a .406 wOBA, 174 wRC+ and .282 ISO against lefties. Haggerty is certainly the wildcard given his price tag, but he's mashed lefties to a .475/222/.306 slash across 72 plate appearances. France's splits aren't as inviting, so we'll trust the LvR matchup and his stable contact rates. Mitch Haniger ($2,900) is certainly in play as well.
Rangers vs. Angels (Reid Detmers): Marcus Semien ($3,800), Josh Jung ($3,300), Nathaniel Lowe ($2,900)
Rangers against lefties has been a thing all season, so Friday shouldn't be any different. They'll be facing Detmers for the fourth time, and he was brilliant once and terrible twice, resulting in 15 runs and 17 hits across 20.0 innings. Semien's splits against lefties are the worst of this trio, but he's homered three times over the last five games and brings the upside. Jung is very hit or miss, boasting a .447 wOBA, 198 wRC+ and .393 ISO to go with a 37.9 percent strikeout rate. Finally, Lowe sits with a .402 wOBA, 166 wRC+ and .202 ISO. If you're a BvP guy, Kole Calhoun ($2,100) could be a GPP target, going 4-for-8 with two homers off Detmers.
