This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are no day games Friday, leaving us with a packed 15-game slate on Yahoo. With so many options to wade through, let's get right down to business and discuss some strategies for compiling your lineup.
Pitching Overview
There is no shortage of top-tier pitchers set to take the mound, so let's try to quickly narrow things down. Stay away from Corey Kluber ($46), who has a 4.90 xFIP through his first five starts and faces a tough matchup on the road against the Astros. Avoiding Jacob deGrom ($60) could also be prudent. He's expected to be activated off of his brief stint on the IL due to an elbow injury, but who knows if something won't crop up on him again. He will also be opposed by a tough Brewers' lineup.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about some of the appealing options. The top target who stands out and should be among the ownership leaderboard is Max Scherzer ($61) for his start against the Padres. Don't let his 4.45 ERA worry you. He has a stellar 2.56 xFIP and has been a monster with his 32.6 percent strikeout rate. The Padres are tied for the fifth-fewest runs scored (84) in the league, so enjoy the ride.
James Paxton ($56) didn't start off his tenure with the Yankees on a high note, reaching a low point when he give up five runs across four innings against the Astros in his third start. There was some discussion about him possibly tipping his pitches, but if that was the case, it looks like he's alleviated that issue. He absolutely dominated the Red Sox and Royals in his last two starts, recording 24 strikeouts over 14 scoreless innings. Now he'll face a Giants team that has scored the third-fewest runs (78) in the league. His upside is as high as Scherzer's.
If you don't want to pay up for Scherzer or Paxton, Carlos Rodon ($47) is a great option. He's used his slider a lot more through his first five starts, which has propelled him to a 12.5 percent swinging strike rate and a 29.4 percent strikeout rate. He'll face one of the worst lineups in the league in the Tigers, who he just held to one run across six innings while recording six strikeouts in his last outing.
Key Values/Chalk
As good as some of the pitching options are, we also have plenty of offenses who could be in line for big performances. One of those could be the Phillies, who will have the luxury of facing Jose Urena and the Marlins. Urena is not an overpowering pitcher with his career 15.9 percent strikeout rate, and although he held them to one run across seven innings at home earlier this season, it will be a much tougher task for him pitching at Citizens Bank Park.
The Twins also stand out as having a prime opportunity to hang a crooked number on Alex Cobb and the Orioles. They just faced him Saturday and scored nine runs over 2.2 innings. Cobb has allowed at least two home runs in both of his starts, which is not all that surprising considering he allowed 24 home runs across just 152.1 innings last year.
The Cardinals have had no problems scoring runs this season, entering the night with the fourth-most (137) in baseball. They have another excellent chance to thrive versus Anthony DeSclafani, who allowed a whopping 1.9 HR/9 last year and hasn't been any better this season by giving up five long balls over 19.1 innings. When these two teams met last week, the Cardinals got to him for four runs and two home runs across four innings.
Stacks
Phillies vs. Urena (Marlins)
Bryce Harper (OF- $20), Rhys Hoskins (1B- $21), Cesar Hernandez (2B- $16)
Harper and Hoskins stand out as the top two options to include in a Phillies stack. They both carry tremendous power upside and Hoskins is swinging a hot bat by hitting 9-for-30 with two home runs across his last seven games. They are certainly both expensive, so adding Hernandez could be the key to making a Phillies stack work. His numbers don't jump off the page, but he does have at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games.
Twins vs. Cobb (Orioles)
Eddie Rosario (OF- $26), Jorge Polanco (SS - $25), Max Kepler (OF- $16)
Rosario is off to an incredible start in the power department with a .402 ISO, so he's a must given Cobb's propensity of serving up home runs. Polanco has been great with his .458 wOBA and he did perform better against right-handed pitchers last year, recording a .368 wOBA against them compared to a .270 wOBA versus lefties. Kepler also has some pretty extreme platoon splits for his career, recording a .333 wOBA versus righties compared to a .262 wOBA against lefties. His reduced price could also be huge based on all of the expensive pitching options.
Cardinals vs. DeSclafani (Reds)
Paul Goldschmidt (1B- $20). Matt Carpenter (3B- $16), Marcell Ozuna (OF- $22)
Goldschmidt has quickly endeared himself to his new team with a .313 ISO and a .400 wOBA. His hard-hit rate is a staggering 55.2 percent, so it's hard to keep him out of your lineup despite his lofty price tag. Carpenter hasn't played nearly that well, but he's also been victimized by an abnormally low .262 BABIP despite a 28.4 percent line drive rate that is nearly three percentage points higher than his career mark. He's also a great target with his career .375 wOBA versus righties. Finally, Ozuna has regained his power stroke after a disappointing first season in St. Louis, recording a .383 ISO through his first 93 plate appearances. His walk rate of 11.8 percent is also close to double what it was last year.
Blue Jays vs. Mike Fiers (Athletics)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3B - $18), Rowdy Tellez (1B- $14), Eric Sogard (2B - $7)
Fiers has been atrocious for the A's, registering a 1.72 WHIP and a 5.53 xFIP. He's been somewhat unlucky with his .338 BABIP allowed, but his 43 percent hard hit rate and 17 percent strikeout rate aren't helping him any. Rolling with the Blue Jays could be a wise move considering they might not have high ownership percentages. If you do, you have to include Guerrero in his big-league debut based on his crazy numbers in the minors. Tellez has opened some eyes with a .292 ISO during his brief major league career and Sogard has found himself hitting leadoff against right-handed pitchers. His .417 BABIP is going to come down, but riding his hot streak at this cheap price isn't a bad idea.
