This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Friday's main MLB slate begins at 7:05 PM Eastern time and features 14 games, excluding only the Mets and Cubs. Below, you'll find which individual pitchers and hitters are primed to provide the best value, as well as the top lineup stacking options in this slate.
Pitching Overview
Some of the top arms have favorable matchups, so expect owners to pay up for pitching here. Chris Sale ($60) and Trevor Bauer ($53) are the two most expensive pitchers, and both will face bottom-five offenses in the Blue Jays and Tigers, respectively. The former has allowed just two earned runs in 22 innings while posting a 33:2 K:BB over his past three starts while the latter is coming off a complete game shutout against this same Detroit team.
Aaron Nola ($46) has had trouble backing up last season's stellar campaign, posting a 4.89 ERA so far this season after finishing at 2.37 last season. He's still a strong source of strikeouts with a 25.1 percent strikeout rate, and Nola has an ideal opportunity to get back on track here with a home matchup against the league-worst Marlins offense.
Among cheaper options, Dallas Keuchel ($34) could provide strong bang for the buck in his long-anticipated season debut against a middling Nationals offense. His strikeout upside is limited, but Keuchel will be eager to hit the ground running after waiting so long to receive a contract.
Value Plays/Chalk
The Rangers and Twins have often been strong stacking options this season, while the Giants' affordable batters could prove to be key in what should be a pitching-heavy slate. In addition to hitters from those three teams, certain individuals stand out as options to target.
If you're not going to spend big on pitching, it's rarely a poor move to pay up for superstar outfielder Mike Trout ($28). He's likely to find success against Michael Wacha, who has a 6.00 ERA and 6.14 FIP in 60 innings pitched this season.
He may not even be in the lineup with fellow Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($20) set to make his return from an oblique injury, but Cameron Maybin ($14) would be a strong value play if he gets the call. Maybin kept his spot on the team with a torrid recent stretch and should stay hot against Houston's Brad Peacock, whose 4.50 xFIP suggests his 3.67 ERA is due for regression.
In order to keep up with the high-scoring Rangers, the White Sox will be looking for a strong performance from switch-hitting third baseman Yoan Moncada ($18). Moncada has a .395 wOBA when batting left-handed, which is what he'll do against righty Ariel Jurado, who has surrendered 13 earned runs in 15 innings over his past three starts.
Stacks
Rangers vs. Reynaldo Lopez (White Sox)
Shin-Soo Choo (OF - $23), Danny Santana (OF - $12), Ronald Guzman (1B - $13)
This is an ideal stacking scenario, with an elite offense facing an extremely vulnerable pitcher at a hitter-friendly venue. Lopez has a 6.31 ERA, and he's been even worse of late with an 8.88 mark over his past five starts. Meanwhile, the Rangers rank third in the league in runs per game and average over 5.7 at home. Choo leads off and has a wOBA over .400 against righties. The switch-hitting Santana has a .383 wOBA when batting left-handed, and his wOBA from that side climbs to over .400 at home. Guzman is a third Ranger primed to capitalize on Lopez's .386 wOBA allowed to batters from the left side, and the affordable first baseman has a solid .376 wOBA against righties at home.
Twins vs. Jakob Junis (Royals)
Eddie Rosario (OF - $20), Jorge Polanco (SS - $19), Luis Arraez (2B - $15)
Junis failed to get through the fourth inning against Minnesota in his last start, and his .370 wOBA allowed to batters from the left side will make it difficult to perform any better this time against a lineup that features plenty of dangerous left-handed sluggers. Rosario's road wOBA against righties is over .400, while the switch-hitting Polanco has a wOBA over .400 from the left side this season. Arraez has been superb in limited major-league action, and he's hit over .340 at the Double-A, Triple-A and major-league levels this season. The rookie middle infielder will get expensive in a hurry if he can keep this up. Left-handed leadoff man Max Kepler ($27) is also a solid option, but finding the funds for him could be difficult.
Giants vs. Taylor Clarke (Diamondbacks)
Brandon Belt (1B - $15), Joe Panik (2B - $9), Buster Posey (C - $10)
The Giants aren't usually thought of as an offense to stack from, but they should provide some affordable value plays against Clarke, as the rookie right-hander has surrendered 15 runs (14 earned) in 15 innings over his past four starts. Belt's road wOBA against righties is just under .400, while Panik also has the platoon advantage against Clarke and will maximize his plate appearances out of the leadoff spot. Meanwhile, Posey has been at his best in righty-on-righty matchups this season, with a .348 wOBA that climbs to .381 on the road.
