This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
After a quiet Thursday, baseball is back in force Friday with 14 games on the schedule. Yahoo has included 13 of them in their main contest, which leaves us with a ton of options to wade through. Here are some players who stick out and should be considered when compiling your entry.
Pitchers
Sonny Gray ($54) struggled in his last outing against the Brewers, allowing four runs across 5.1 innings on the road. Each of his first three starts of the season came at home and he was dominant, allowing five runs (two earned) and recording 28 strikeouts across 18.2 innings. While his 3.66 FIP and 1.10 WHIP on the road last season certainly weren't bad, he was better at home with a 3.17 FIP and a 1.06 WHIP. That's where he'll be in this start against the Pirates, who have the second-worst OPS (.623) in baseball.
The Indians' starting rotation has taken a couple of hits with Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac away from the team after not following protocols related to COVID-19. The good news is that Aaron Civale ($40) will make this start against the Tigers, who are shorthanded with both C.J. Cron (knee) and Cameron Maybin (quadriceps) on the IL. Civale posted a 2.34 ERA and a 3.40 FIP across his 10 starts last season and is off to another strong start in 2020 with a 2.84 ERA and 2.34 FIP through three outings. He has also recorded 23 strikeouts across 19 innings, which is even more impressive when you consider he's faced the White Sox twice and the Twins.
Top Targets
Mookie Betts ($20) put on a show against the Padres on Thursday, going 4-for-4 with three home runs. That marked his fifth multi-hit game of the season and extended his modest hitting streak to five straight. He has an excellent opportunity to stay hot against Patrick Sandoval ($28) given his career .383 wOBA and .227 ISO against left-handed pitchers.
Charlie Blackmon ($27) finally saw his hitting streak stopped Wednesday, but he's still off to a terrific start considering he's 34-for-72 (.472) with three home runs and six doubles. He also has six walks compared to only nine strikeouts. He'll have he benefit of playing at home when the Rockies host the Rangers and Lance Lynn ($45). Although Lynn has been terrific through his first four starts, this could still be an ideal spot to add Blackmon to your entry given his career .420 wOBA at Coors Field.
Bargain Bats
The Reds have to be pleased with Jesse Winker's ($15) start to the season. Although he provided unexpected power last season, his .269 batting average was a letdown considering his career numbers in the minors. He's still hit for power this season, but he's combined that with hitting 17-for-49 (.347) with a .467 OBP. This has the potential to be an excellent matchup for him against Chad Kuhl ($32), who has allowed a .370 wOBA to left-handed hitters for his career.
Seeing Willie Calhoun ($12) start to heat up before a series at Coors Field is exciting. He's 5-for-13 with six RBI across his last three games and now has three multi-hit performances over his last six contests. Part of the reason why he's only batting .190 might be his .216 BABIP. His strikeout rate remains low at 15.2 percent, and his hard-hit rate is excellent at 48.6 percent. The Rockies will start Ryan Castellani ($27) in this contest, who only made 10 starts at Triple-A last year and struggled with an 8.25 FIP. Before that, he had a 5.21 FIP in 2018 at Double-A.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees vs. TBD, Red Sox: Aaron Judge ($26), DJ LeMahieu ($22), Clint Frazier ($13)
The Red Sox pitching staff is already in shambles. They'll start off this series with a bullpen game, which sets up the Yankees to potentially thrive at home. Judge sat out Wednesday with lower body tightness, but the Yankees likely just wanted to give him some added rest with an off day also coming Thursday. Expect him to be back in the lineup here. Frazier made his presence felt in his first game of the season against the Braves on Wednesday, hitting 3-for-4 with a double and a home run. His problem has never been his bat, it's been his struggles in the outfield. With Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) now out, Frazier should see added playing time at DH.
Twins vs. Jakob Junis ($27), Royals: Nelson Cruz ($22), Eddie Rosario ($19), Luis Arraez ($8)
This has the potential to be a disastrous matchup for Junis, who has allowed 1.6 HR/9 for his career. He's never finished with a FIP below 4.55 and he doesn't miss many bats given his career 20.7 percent strikeout rate. Cruz and Rosario are two powerful hitters with significant home run upside based on this matchup and Arraez comes at a reduced salary to help make a Twins' stack more budget-friendly. Despite his slow start, Arraez showed that he can hit for a high average while in the minors and followed that up by hitting .334 with a .360 wOBA in the majors last year.
Marlins vs. Kyle Wright ($25), Braves: Brian Anderson ($24), Jonathan Villar ($16), Corey Dickerson ($14)
Like the Red Sox, the Braves' starting rotation is ugly right now. Set to start this game will be Kyle Wright ($25), who has allowed nine runs across 12 innings in his first two starts. He had plenty of problems keeping runners off base during that stretch, allowing 15 hits and issuing 10 walks. He had similar issues across his 19 innings with the team last season, allowing 24 hits and 13 walks over 19.2 innings. Anderson is arguably the most dangerous hitter in the Marlins' lineup, so he should be the focal point of any Marlins stack. Although Dickerson is off to a slow start, he should be on your radar after recording a .380 wOBA against right-handed pitchers last season.
