This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A loaded 13-game slate is on the docket Friday evening. It's a pitching heavy contest, with a massive eight arms checking in at double-digit pricing, with six more sitting in the 9k tier. Only the White Sox are without a listed arm, giving us 25 to digest. Unsurprisingly given the talent on the bump, no game has a listed double-digit total, making it a bit challenging to find the right offenses to key in on.
Pitching
Zack Wheeler, PHI at WAS ($10,900): Wheeler has seven or more strikeouts in five of his last seven, and is off a dominant performance against Atlanta, posting 70 FDP. While the Nats don't strike out a ton, just 18.7 percent of the time overall, Wheeler allowed just one run across 12 innings against them last year as they started their rebuild. Perhaps the 106 pitches in his last outing leads to fatigue, but he's got the softest matchup of the top priced arms.
Bailey Ober, MIN vs. CLE ($10,000): If you're looking for a low used, high potential option for GPPs, Ober is the answer. His 8.3 Ks per nine isn't elite, and it won't play up against a Guardians lineup that fans only 19.6 percent of the time off righties. But Cleveland has a meager .284 wOBA and 78 wRC+ in that same space. Ober's 2.68 ERA is backed up by a 3.23 FIP. He earned 49 FDP in a previous matchup with this lineup and has failed to reach 30 FDP just once all season.
Jack Flaherty, STL at PIT ($8,200): Flaherty is volatilte, but if paying down is your preference, do you want to go below him Friday? (I dont, but Chase Anderson is interesting). Flaherty has gone seven innings in two of his last three while allowing three or fewer runs in three of his last four. His 4.81 ERA isn't ideal, and it's in line with a 4.63 xFIP, and he's fanning right at one per inning. Facing a slumping Pirates lineup that's offered an 80 wRC+, .291 wRC+ and 25.1 percent strikeout rate since the start of May, Flaherty looks poised to continue his recent run of success.
Top Targets
It's likely to be open season on Chicago starter Jameson Taillon, who's allowed four or more runs in four straight starts, not lasting more than 4.2 innings an any outing. He's allowing a .469 wOBA and 1.115 OPS to lefties, so building around Juan Soto ($4,300) figures to be a popular starting point. He brings a .442 wOBA, 185 wRC+ and .288 ISO off righties into Friday.
Freddie Freeman ($4,300) is becoming a mainstay in this column. He's now on a 20-game hitting streak that's seen him go 37-for-81 (.457), having produced double-digit fantasy points in six straight. He has a team-leading .424 wOBA and 171 wRC+ off righties, walking nearly as much (12.1 percent) as he strikes out (15.4 percent).
Bargain Bats
Detroit will apparently promote Reese Olson to make Friday's start. While the White Sox don't have many targetable splits off righties, their lineup is worth considering aganst the rookie, who had a 6.38 ERA and 1.75 WHIP at Triple-A. Jake Burger ($3,200) has a team-best 121 wRC+ and .289 ISO off same-handed arms.
Jordan Lyles comes into Friday with a 7.30 ERA and 6.37 FIP, allowing a .381 wOBA righties. While it's difficult to trust Rockie bats on the road, there is appeal. If we trust those splits, fading lefties Ryan McMahon ($3,600) and Charlie Blackmon ($3,400) in favor of and emerging Ezequiel Tovar ($2,600) could work out. Tovar has hit safely in 11 of his past 13.
Pittsburgh's Roansy Contreras has struggled at home, allowing a 5.54 ERA and 5.21 xFIP, with lefties posting a .383 wOBA off of him. If Nolan Gorman ($3,700) doesn't fit your budget, we there could be value had from Tommy Edman ($2,800), who could hit atop the lineup if Lars Nootbaar is again out of the lineup. Brendan Donovan ($2,700) is also priced favorably.
Finally, Minnesota looks like another lineup we could target, facing Aaron Civale in his return from injury. They don't have targetable splits against righties however, leaving us with a fallback option of Royce Lewis ($3,100), whose price has jumped from it's minimum point after three games back. He's homered in two of those, collecting four hit, six RBI and three runs.
Stacks to Consider
Rays vs. Garrett Whitlock: Yandy Diaz ($4,000), Josh Lowe ($3,800), Randy Arozarena ($3,700)
Whitlock has made four starts to date, and has alternated allowing five runs and one run in those outings. If that trend holds, he's due to get hard here by Tampa, who touched him up for five runs and eight hits across five innings in his first start. This stack is simple; it's the Rays Top 3 hitters off righties, though they may not hit completely around each other to feed off of. Diaz sits with a team-best .431 wOBA and 185 wRC+, adding a decent .243 ISO. Lowe betters that with a .283 ISO, with a .400 wOBA and 163 wRC+, while Arozarena sits a .382/151/.171, though he is 0-for-8 off of Whitlock.
Phillies vs. Josiah Gray: Bryce Harper ($3,600), Nick Castellanos ($3,000), Trea Turner ($2,900)
Given the talented pitching slate, we're forced to be a tad unconventional with potential stacks. Gray has been decent to date, but his 2.77 ERA comes with a 4.97 xFIP, so perhaps regression is coming. He's also been inefficient, going just nine total innings against the Royals and Rockies, lineups that are inferior to the Phillies even with their current struggles. That should give Philadelphia a chance to touch him up a little before taking aim at the Nationals bullpen. Frankly, the price points here don't match the talent. Turner has been nothing short of disappointing for the Phillies, but perhaps a return to Washington against his old club provides a spark. In a small sample, Harper and Castellanos are a combined 4-for-13 (.308) off Gray, having both taken him deep.
