This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Eleven games are featured in Friday's main slate at FanDuel, getting underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. All 22 pitchers are listed, though there appears to be uncertainty in what the Marlins are doing. Only one comes with a five-figure price tag with just four more sitting in the $9,000 tier. If you think that suggests offense will be more available than usual, you'd be correct based on betting odds. No game has a run total under 8.0, and while nothing checks in at double-digits, five games come in with slate-high 9.0 run lines. Atlanta and Minnesota lead the way with expected team totals of 6.4 apiece.
Rain has a chance to shorten this slate, with New York, Cleveland and Cincinnati looking like potential trouble spots. Light winds blowing in at Cleveland and Minnesota won't help us, while a minor wind blowing out in Atlanta could assist.
Pitching
Spencer Schwellenbach, ATL vs. MIA ($9,300): All eyes for cash and GPP lineups are going to focus here and on Joe Ryan against the White Sox. Given the prices, Ryan likely comes lower used given the increase, so I may target him more for tournaments, but Schwellenbach looks like a fine option for both given the discount. Don't use him expecting his last outing to repeat, but rather that he's been worth 30+ fantasy points in four straight and in five out of seven, faces a depleted low-quality lineup and should get run support, making a win and a quality start probable. In the pay-up category, I may look at Kutter Crawford if I wanted a significantly lower rostered option in GPPs.
Yusei Kikuchi, HOU vs. TB ($8,900): Loyal readers of my FanDuel columns throughout the years know I never trust Kikuchi and usually target hitters against him. But I don't like much else on this slate, so here we are. Tampa didn't sell off all their offense, just most, and scored only two runs Wednesday. Overall, they previously hit lefties well, but had a targetable 24.4 percent strikeout rate. Kikuchi has allowed current Rays to hit just .241 against him (14-for-58) with a .744 OPS and a massive 35.9 percent strikeout rate, giving him serious upside potential.
Randy Vasquez, SD vs. COL ($7,300): The pay-down choices Friday aren't overly appealing. This comes down to matchup versus talent. If you back talent, Shane Baz merits consideration. I'm backing the matchup, as Colorado comes with a targetable 25.4 percent strikeout rate off righties and a below-average 83 wRC+. The concern is Vasquez is erratic and combustible, having allowed nine runs and 14 hits against the Rockies in two starts, lasting just 6.1 innings while striking out two. Before his last outing, he was in a decent groove, allowing just five runs across his last 30.1 innings. Colorado has an expected run total of just 3.2, so if Vasquez's form resurfaces and the Rockies' strikeout trends manifest, there's easily 3x potential.
Top Targets
Jose Urena hasn't been as bad as you'd expect and his splits are especially tough on lefties. Pair that with the fact he likely doesn't throw many innings and I'll pause on stacking Red Sox players. Still, Rafael Devers ($3,900) would appear to be in a great spot, boasting a team-leading .469 wOBA, 203 wRC+ and .387 ISO off righties.
Minnesota makes for an easy stack given their high run total expectancy. But they have nothing of note in terms of hot hitters at the moment. Also, who knows how the White Sox piece together eight or nine innings on the mound? Royce Lewis ($3,800) has cooled considerably but remains the top option in this lineup. I don't love him, but he seems like a set-it-and-forget-it piece in this spot.
Freddie Freeman ($3,600) isn't guaranteed to return from his personal absence, but if he does, the price decrease makes him an easy, stable entry into the Dodgers' lineup. And if he remains out, Cavan Biggio ($2,500) gets more at-bats and has homered in two of his last four.
Bargain Bats
Atlanta still isn't manufacturing runs. While they'll be a popular stack, I'd prefer to just chase power. Matt Olson ($3,300) has five homers in his last six. Orlando Arcia ($2,600) has three in his last five and is riding a 12-game hitting streak. Even Austin Riley ($3,500) isn't priced too high Friday and has eight hits and two homers in his last five. Based on Arcia's surge, he hit fifth last night, so this does make for an affordable top/middle-of-the-order stack if that's your thing.
Tyler Phillips has been borderline dominant for Philadelphia in four starts, but he's coming off of a complete game, 105-pitch outing, so I'm curious if there will be some fatigue Friday. Seattle doesn't have a bat priced north of $3,200. Consider Justin Turner ($2,600) for a potentially cheap, non-zero fantasy point option to round out lineups. He's got 11 hits during his current six-game hitting streak.
Paul Blackburn just faced the Angels and allowed four runs over five innings. He has allowed at least four runs in four of his last five starts. But how invested do you want to be in Los Angeles? He's been far worse on the road, too, so his new uniform doesn't change that. He's been more vulnerable to same-handed hitters. If we pair that with a small BvP sample, Taylor Ward ($2,900) emerges, going 3-for-8 with two homers off Blackburn
Stacks to Consider
Padres vs. Austin Gomber (Rockies): Jurickson Profar ($3,600), Manny Machado ($3,300), Xander Bogaerts ($3,000)
Gomber has been decent against this lineup overall, allowing a .256 batting average and .718 OPS across 131 plate appearances. But he has peculiar home/road splits, being worse away from Coors Field (5.73 ERA away, 3.83 at home) while allowing homers at an identical 1.6 per nine rate. Bogaerts makes for a great stand-alone play, riding a 10-game hitting streak, collecting 20 total hits in that span. Profar has been great all year and has a team-leading .361 wOBA and 140 wRC+ off lefties. Machado is a bit of a wild card and is here simply to get a top-of-the-order, traditional lineup stack. He doesn't have positive numbers off lefties and is just 5-for-28 off Gomber. Jake Cronenworth ($2,800) is 8-for-29 off Gomber, while Jackson Merrill ($2,700) has positive lefty vs. lefty splits if you want to pivot from Machado for a less traditional stack.
Giants vs. Andrew Abbott (Reds): Matt Chapman ($3,300), Heliot Ramos ($3,200), LaMonte Wade ($2,500)
I don't love the stacking options Friday and we have to concern ourselves with the weather in this spot. But Abbott has allowed at least six hits in each of his last three starts and at least four runs in two of those. He comes with a 3.54 home ERA, but 4.82 FIP and 1.68 HR/9, though the .338 wOBA allowed to righties isn't massively targetable. So we go back to Old Faithful in the Giants versus a lefty. Ramos remains with an unsustainably robust .559 wOBA, 273 wRC+ and .440 ISO off southpaws. Wade is no sure thing to start in a lefty vs. lefty matchup and has next to no power upside, but sits with a .461 wOBA and 206 wRC+ if he plays. Chapman brings a .375 wOBA and .215 ISO. Marco Luciano ($2,000) can be considered in a less traditional stacking format, as he'll hit lower down the lineup but can be assured of playing time.
