This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It's a busy Friday for MLB. Even if you are going to be watching playoff hockey or playoff basketball, or are so into the NFL Draft you'll be checking out rounds two and three, you can get MLB DFS lineups in. There are 13 games on the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. Onto the DFS recommendations!
Pitching
Shota Imanaga, CHC at BOS ($9,600): Imanaga did not get the shine of Yoshinobu Yamamoto coming over from Japan, but he's been stellar to start his MLB debut campaign. He has a 0.84 ERA through four starts, though he's had three easy opponents alongside the Dodgers. Boston is above average in terms of runs scored, but Imanaga is a lefty, which makes him a tough matchup for Boston's lineup.
Zach Eflin, TAM at CWS ($9,300): Yes, it's the matchup to a degree, because the White Sox are terrible. However, Eflin's 3.68 ERA undersells his performance, I believe. He's had three very good starts and two tough outings, but he also has a 13.00 K/BB rate. I'm expecting another very good outing for Eflin in this one.
Jose Butto, NYM vs. STL ($7,100): Unlike Eflin, Butto has been far from elite, or even good, at avoiding walks. That being said, through three starts he has an 1.65 ERA and 2.59 FIP. The Cardinals have scuffled offensively. In particular, they have 16 homers in 25 games. Only one team is worse, and of course it is the White Sox.
Top Targets
Is Adolis Garcia ($5,300) getting back to mixing power and thievery? He had 27 homers and 25 stolen bases in 2022, but last year his swiped bags ticked down to nine while his home runs ticked up to 39. This season, though, he has seven homers and four stolen bases. Being at home is nice for Garcia, who has an .876 OPS at home since 2022. It will also be nice for him to face Graham Ashcraft, who has a career 4.85 ERA.
Other than his three homers, J.T. Realmuto ($4,900) is off to a slow start, but he has a long track record of producing more from a fantasy-minded perspective than most catchers. Also, he has really struggled at home the last couple seasons while excelling on the road. In fact, he had a .951 OPS in away games in 2023. Joe Musgrove has a 5.74 ERA through six starts this year, and though he is a righty, he's decidedly worse against right-handed hitters. Since 2022, righties have hit .269 against him.
Bargain Bats
Every season with the Rays, Isaac Paredes ($4,600) has seen an uptick across the board in terms of his slash line. This year he's slashed .284/.366/.523 and he's hit six homers in 24 games. What's been significant is his improvement against his fellow righties specifically. Well, righties have hit a whopping .303 against Chris Flexen since 2022, and he has a career 5.00 ERA as well.
Quietly, Jacob Young ($2,700) has all the makings of a stolen-base machine. He has six stolen bases in only 16 games this year. That comes after he had 13 swiped bags in 2023, and that was in only 33 games. Young has also yet to be caught stealing! His base-running skills seem to be his one plus trait as a hitter. Jesus Luzardo is struggling to start 2024, as through five starts he has a 5.06 FIP and has issued 4.50 walks per nine innings.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles vs. Athletics (Ross Stripling): Gunnar Henderson ($6,000), Anthony Santander ($4,500), Cedric Mullins ($4,400)
Striping has moved across the bay and has given the Athletics the kind of performance they should have expected. He had a 5.36 ERA with the Giants in 2023 and this year his ERA is 5.34 through five starts. Both lefties and righties have hit Stripling well, but since he is right handed, I do have three guys that hit left handed.
Henderson is looking to go right from AL Rookie of the Year to AL MVP. He's slashed .309/.373/.649 with eight homers, five stolen bases, and three triples. Santander is a switch hitter, and while he's been better against lefties, he had a .798 OPS versus righties last season. Additionally, since 2022 he has an .810 OPS at home. Mullins has produced counting stats like he's done in the past when healthy, as he has five home runs and five swiped bags. Even last year, when he was often banged up and limited to 116 games, he had 15 homers and 19 stolen bases.
Atlanta vs. Guardians (Logan Allen): Austin Riley ($5,700), Marcell Ozuna ($5,400), Orlando Arcia ($4,200)
Allen does at least keep his fellow lefties in check. Beyond that…he's not much of a pitcher at this level. He had a 3.81 ERA as a rookie, but with a 4.18 FIP. This year, through five starts, he has a 5.06 ERA and 5.50 FIP. In his career, righties have hit .276 against him, so stacking three right-handed hitters against Allen is the way to go.
Riley is off to a slow start, but given that he's had more than 30 homers and 30 doubles in each of his last three seasons, I believe he will turn it around. His issue is that he's struggled against lefties thus far, but that won't continue. Riley had a .941 OPS against southpaws last year, and an 1.084 OPS in 2022. Ozuna has made up for Riley's slow start, and then some. He's slashed .344/.416/.678 and already hit nine homers. That includes an 1.054 OPS against lefties. Arcia has left power than his teammates, but he has hit .302 from the shortstop position. Plus, last year he had an 1.006 OPS against southpaws.
