This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Baseball closes out the week with a busy slate of games Friday, leaving us with plenty of options to choose from on Yahoo. On the pitching side of things, there are several appealing options across the price scale. There are also a bunch of lineups in a position to explode, so let's get to it and highlight some of the better players to consider for your entry.
Pitching Overview
The Dodgers will continue their cruise to the NL West crown with Walker Buehler ($50) on the mound at home against the Diamondbacks. While his 3.62 FIP on the road certainly isn't bad, he has a sparkling 2.39 FIP at Dodger Stadium. The Diamondbacks also have just a 91 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, leaving Buehler with tremendous upside.
There are a couple of cost-effective options that stand out for this slate, Julio Teheran ($40) being one of them. He has once again outperformed his supporting metrics, posting a 3.46 ERA despite having a 4.47 FIP. The key for this outing, though, is that he will be facing the lowly Marlins. He has dominated their lackluster lineup across three previous starts this season, recording 15 strikeouts and a 0.78 WHIP over 18 shutout innings. It doesn't get much better than that.
Drew Smyly ($28) made a heck of a first impression with the Phillies, allowing one run and recording 12 strikeouts over 13 innings in his first two starts. His third outing didn't go so well against the White Sox when he allowed five runs across five innings. If there was a silver lining, it's that he settled down after giving up all five runs in the second inning and finished with seven strikeouts. He'll be facing a Giants team that has a 73 wRC+ at home, so he might be worth the risk in tournament play.
Key Values/Chalk
After getting torched by the Yankees, the Orioles now have to try and figure out how to slow down the Astros. Don't count on that going well. The Astros figure to be the chalk stack of the night against Dylan Bundy, who has allowed 24 home runs over 108.1 innings. Outside of the catcher spot, a viable argument could be made for adding just about any of the Astros' hitters to your entry. One who particularly stands out is Yuli Gurriel ($25), who is 20-for-53 (.377) with five home runs, five doubles and an insane 20 RBI over his last 15 games.
The Brewers could be in for a big night at home against the Rangers, who are starting recently acquired Kolby Allard. He wasn't exactly thriving in the minors for the Braves before being dealt, posting a 4.66 FIP and a 1.41 WHIP at Triple-A. With the inexperienced lefty on the mound, Keston Hiura ($20) should have an excellent opportunity to provide value. He finally broke out of his slump Wednesday, slugging two home runs and a double against the Pirates.
Amazingly, Edwin Jackson continues to find his way onto a Major League roster. He was torched as a member of the Blue Jays earlier this season, posting an 11.12 ERA and an 8.97 FIP. He allowed a staggering 3.8 HR/9 to go along with a 2.19 WHIP. Even with those terrible numbers, the state of affairs in Detroit are so bad that he'll be starting for the Tigers in this matchup with the Royals. This is a prime opportunity to deploy the likes of Whit Merrifield ($21), Hunter Dozier ($20) and Jorge Soler ($27).
Stacks
Red Sox vs. Jaime Barria (Angels)
J.D. Martinez (OF - $22), Andrew Benintendi (OF - $23), Mitch Moreland (1B - $12)
Barria had an excellent 3.41 ERA last year, but his 4.58 WHIP suggested he didn't exactly pitch that well. The wheels have come off this season with him recording a 6.36 ERA and a 5.60 FIP. One of the main differences is that he allowed 1.2 HR/9 last year, but he has allowed 2.3 HR/9 this season. Facing the stellar Red Sox lineup is a tall task, so this game has the potential to get out of hand in a hurry.
Yankees vs. Sean Reid-Foley (Blue Jays)
DJ LeMahieu (1B - $23), Mike Tauchman (OF - $26), Gio Urshela (3B - $19)
With the Blue Jays trading away a couple of starters at the deadline, Reid-Foley has found his way back into the rotation. He had a 5.54 FIP and a 1.57 WHIP at Triple-A earlier this season, leaving him with a less than rosy prognosis moving forward. To make matters worse for this game, he has to face a Yankees' lineup that remains one of the most deadly in the league despite missing several key players. One player who has really stepped up to fill in for injuries is Tauchman, who is 28-for-68 (.412) with seven home runs, six doubles and four steals over his last 20 games.
Padres vs. Kyle Freeland (Rockies)
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SS - $22), Manny Machado (3B - $17), Hunter Renfroe (OF - $11)
Freeland's return to the majors has not gone well with him allowing 21 runs (19 earned) over 22.2 innings. When you allow 2.4 HR/9 and have a 1.72 WHIP, you're bound to give up some crooked numbers. That could leave this trio with plenty of upside given each has plenty of power. While Renfroe has a 28.6 percent strikeout rate, his ISO checks in at .307.
