This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
FanDuel's main slate features 12 games Friday night. The Dodgers and Mariners are currently without listed starting pitchers, giving us 22 options on the bump to sort through. Only two of those come in with five-figure price tags, but seven more are in the $9,000 range, so we've got a solid number of high-end options. Coors Field is on the slate, so we've got a high 11.5-run total there, with no other game coming in the double digits. Half of our games sit with a slate-low 7.5 run total, so offense isn't going to come cheap or easily.
Hurricane Helene is a factor here, with rain and wind a concern in Cleveland, and wind a factor in Atlanta. Weather does not appear to be a factor anywhere else.
It's the time of year when lineups are in serious flux, especially for teams that have secured their postseason opportunities. It's going to create some more obvious pitching targets if starters get a day off, as well as some opportunities for second-tier bats to get spot starts, so you must check lineups in the afternoon for new options to consider.
Pitching
Max Fried, ATL vs. KC ($9,500): Per usual, there's nothing wrong with the higher-priced options. They are there for a reason. Jose Berrios against Miami certainly stands out. But where can we get upside for a slightly cheaper cost? Fried stands out in a must-win game for the Braves, while Kansas City is sitting in a much safer postseason position. Kansas City doesn't strike out at a high rate, just 19.5 percent against southpaws, but they've also posted a weak .294 wOBA, 87 wRC+ and .138 ISO. Fried has four quality starts in his last five and five in his last seven, posting at least 31 fantasy points in five with a 55-point ceiling, setting him up nicely for stability and potential.
Yu Darvish, SD at ARI ($9,300): To be very clear, I don't like most of the paydown options. Again, the high-tier choices are there for a reason, so pick your preference and move on. Darvish is in decent form, coming off two quality starts while allowing four runs and 13 hits across his last 17.1 innings, striking out 17. There's ample BvP history here, with current Diamondbacks hitting .254 (57-for-224) with a .754 OPS, striking out at a high 25.4 percent clip. Both sides here have reason to play, so we'd expect a spirited effort from Darvish and a 3x return, at a minimum.
Cade Povich, BAL at MIN ($7,700): I'm expecting some/many to target JP Sears as a paydown option against a Seattle offense that has struggled all year. For lower usage in a statistically poor matchup, I'm going to back Povich instead. Minnesota has positive splits off lefties, but they aren't elite, with a .319 wOBA and 109 wRC+. Strikeouts aren't high either at 21.9 percent, but Povich seems to be finding his groove at this level. He's allowed eight runs and 14 hits across his last four starts, striking out 30 over 22.0 innings. Walks can be an issue, but Minnesota has just a 6.7 percent walk rate. Thirty fantasy points are well within reach at a fair discount. If the swing-and-miss stuff plays up, Povich has a high ceiling.
Top Targets
Cal Quantrill is allowing a .411 wOBA and .963 OPS to lefties at home. Shohei Ohtani ($5,400) in Coors Field? I'm not sure I really care about the price, and with all Dodgers being priced up, just take the ace and figure out the rest of your build.
This space is getting a bit redundant when I write, but the same players remain hot and difficult to fade. Fernando Tatis ($3,800) still isn't priced to his form, hitting .333 (19-for-57) with seven homers and a 1.156 OPS over his last 14 games. Pair that with his 8-for-22 (.364) history against Merrill Kelly, which includes four homers runs, and there's plenty to like.
To go anti-BvP, I'd consider Julio Rodriguez ($3,400). He's just 3-for-19 off Sears, but is hitting .403 (25-for-62) with six homers and a 1.166 OPS over his last 13 games.
Bargain Bats
Miami's Adam Oller is allowing a .395 wOBA and .907 OPS to lefties, so we can target Toronto's Nathan Lukes ($2,900) and/or Spencer Horwitz ($2,800) confidently, so long as they hit in run-producing positions. Joey Loperfido ($2,500) and Addison Barger ($2,500) are also in play once we see the lineup card. None are in elite form, so don't go crazy, but any can help round out a build.
I'm not sure who's been worse, the Rangers' offense all season or opposing pitcher Reid Detmers, who's allowed 14 runs in his last 7.1 innings. Marcus Semien ($3,300) isn't priced high and is 8-for-28 (.333) off Detmers. For the same price, Wyatt Langford ($3,300) has the team's best splits off lefties, with a .272 ISO, .363 wOBA and 139 wRC+.
Starling Marte ($2,900) is hitless in his last 10 at-bats but had seven in his previous 15. He's 5-for-8 off Frankie Montas, so I'd be willing to take my chances with him.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Brady Singer (Royals): Matt Olson ($3,500), Michael Harris ($3,100), Ozzie Albies ($3,000)
Singer has allowed 10 runs and 13 hits across his last 10.1 innings and has struggled on the road this season, particularly against left-handers, allowing a .439 wOBA and 1.027 OPS. That plays perfectly into Atlanta's two hottest hitters in Olson and Harris. Harris is scorching lately, hitting .417 (25-for-60) with seven homers, 13 RBI and a 1.288 OPS over his last 13 games. Olson is also on fire, hitting an identical .417 (20-for-48) over his last 14, homering four times, driving in 19 and posting a 1.312 OPS. The third piece is almost not needed, but Albies will hit in between these two, isn't priced too highly and has hit in three straight since returning from the injured list (IL) four games ago.
Yankees vs. Jared Jones (Pittsburgh): Giancarlo Stanton ($3,100), Gleyber Torres ($2,800), Austin Wells ($2,700)
Jones has allowed 18 runs, 27 hits and six homers in his last 26.1 innings. We can't use Ohtani and Aaron Judge together given the pricing. with me siding with Ohtani as the choice given the ballpark, we can attempt to stack around Judge and hope for the best. Wells is ice cold with just one hit in his last 25 at-bats but gets the nod here over Juan Soto ($4,200) as we're unlikely to be able to afford him either. Stanton gives us some power upside and has hit in five of his last six, while Torres has reached base in a remarkable 24 of his last 25, giving the Yankees two ample chances to plate him. He's an elite standalone play, too.
