This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There will be no shortage of options Friday on Yahoo with 12 games making up the main evening slate. With so many choices to wade through, let's try to make building your lineup a little easier by highlighting some players who have favorable matchups.
Pitchers
After their game against the Cubs was rained out Thursday, the Reds now begin a series on the road against the Tigers. That sets up a juicy matchup for Luis Castillo ($43), who couldn't have looked much better in his season debut when he allowed one run and recorded 11 strikeouts across six innings against these same Tigers. The Tigers have struck out the second most times in baseball, so look for Castillo to thrive in their rematch.
With injuries hitting their starting rotation, Lance McCullers Jr. ($39) is now a key member of the Astros' pitching staff. He sat out all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he wasn't limited in his first start this year when he threw six innings against the Mariners. The results were excellent with him allowing two runs and recording six strikeouts. He's been a valuable source for strikeouts for much of his career given his 26.6 percent strikeout rate. He'll look to keep things rolling against the Angels, who are significantly weakened with Mike Trout away from the team for the birth of his child.
Top Targets
The Royals are going out on a limb by starting Kris Bubic ($25) against the White Sox. They selected him in the 2018 Draft and he's never pitched above High-A ball. He did at least have good numbers there last year, posting a 2.30 ERA that was supported by a 2.57 FIP. Still, this is a significant jump in competition. One of the most dangerous hitters on the White Sox is Jose Abreu ($21), who is a great target for this matchup given his career .390 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
Taijuan Walker ($25) has never been able to live up to the lofty expectations that followed him through the minors, partly because of injuries. He now has another chance to start for the Mariners, which is the organization that gave him his first action in the majors. He was hammered in his first start against the Astros, allowing five runs across 3.1 innings. He'll now face another tough lineup in the Athletics, who have plenty of power bats. One that could be worth targeting is Matt Olson ($21) based on his career .379 wOBA versus righties.
Bargain Bats
It's not often that you see Javier Baez ($14) priced this cheap. Yes, he's only hitting 6-for-24 out of the gate, but he does have two home runs and two doubles. His power numbers have been great with him recording an ISO of at least .250 in back-to-back seasons. Don't be surprised if he does plenty of damage against the underwhelming Trevor Williams ($25), who allowed 1.7 HR/9 last year and only has an 18 percent strikeout rate for his career.
If there is one thing that J.D. Davis ($13) can do, it's hit left-handed pitching. He posted a .378 wOBA against them in 2019 while also slugging eight home runs and eight doubles. He'll try to keep that success rolling against Sean Newcomb ($28), who allowed three hits, two walks and hit two batters across just 3.1 innings in his season debut against these same Mets.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees vs. Ryan Weber ($25), Red Sox: Aaron Judge ($23), Giancarlo Stanton ($20), DJ LeMahieu ($20)
Things aren't going to get any better for the Red Sox depleted pitching staff now that they have to face the Yankees. Weber couldn't even hold down the Orioles in his season debut, allowing six runs and two home runs across 3.2 innings. He has a 5.34 ERA and a 4.63 FIP for his career and probably wouldn't even be starting if the Red Sox had any other options. The Yankees could score in bunches here with Judge potentially leading the charge. He's homered in back-to-back games, driving in five runs and scoring five runs during that stretch.
Rockies vs. Garrett Richards ($27), Padres: Trevor Story ($24), Nolan Arenado ($21), David Dahl ($19)
Finally, a Coors Field game. After playing their first two series on the road (and in pitcher-friendly parks), the Rockies return to the friendly confines of their home stadium. All three of these hitters had excellent numbers at home last season with Story and Arenado being the obvious two big names on the team. Dahl shouldn't be overlooked, either, given his career .412 wOBA at home.
Padres vs. Jon Gray ($33), Rockies: Fernando Tatis Jr. ($26), Tommy Pham ($21), Manny Machado ($19)
Both teams could be worth stacking in this game, especially with the way the Padres are swinging the bats right now. They lead all of baseball in runs scored and have the second-highest OBP. Part of their success has to be attributed to the addition of Pham, who is known for on-base abilities. Tatis has also shown an improved ability to draw walks, totaling six of them through seven contests. This could all prove to be troublesome or Gray, who posted a career-high 3.4 BB/9 in 2019.
