This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Friday brings a busy schedule across baseball with 12 games making up the main slate on Yahoo. With not shortage of players to consider, let's dive right in and discuss which ones might be best to target on your way to building what will hopefully be a winning entry.
Pitchers
The Tigers are struggling to score right now. They have scored three runs or fewer in eight of their last 11 games, which included three contests in which they were shut out. That makes Zach Plesac ($50) one of the top pitchers to target. Although he allowed five runs to the Twins in his last start, he's still having an excellent season with a 0.78 WHIP and a 25.5 percent strikeout rate. Expect to see him included in a lot of entries.
Danny Duffy ($31) was originally scheduled to start earlier this week, but he missed the team flight to Detroit. He was coming off of one of his best starts of the season in which he shut out the Indians across 5.2 innings. With added time off, he should be fresh for this matchup against a Brewers team that only has a .692 OPS at home this season. They have also struck out the fourth-most times in baseball.
Top Targets
Michael Fulmer ($26) has been a disaster for the Tigers, posting a 7.27 FIP and a 2.15 WHIP. That makes the Indians an appealing team to pursue Friday, specifically Jose Ramirez ($24). He's rebounded nicely from a somewhat disappointing 2019 season to record a .385 wOBA and a 140 wRC+. Although his strikeout rate has increased, he's also hit for more power with a .270 ISO.
Manny Machado ($25) seems to be on a mission to prove that his lackluster performance last year was an anomaly. In fact, he's on pace to set a new career high with a .970 OPS. Add in his .400 wOBA against left-handed pitchers and he could be in line for a productive evening against the Mariners and Yusei Kikuchi ($25).
Bargain Bats
One of biggest disappointments for the Mets this season has been the performance of Steven Matz ($25), who has pitched so poorly that they shifted him to the bullpen. As if his 1.50 WHIP wasn't bad enough, he's given up a staggering 3.4 HR/9. He'll move back into the starting rotation for this matchup with the Braves, which means this might be a good night to roll with Austin Riley ($14) considering his power upside.
The Athletics are thin at third base with Matt Chapman (hip) and Chad Pinder (hamstring) on the IL. That's helped lead to more opportunities for Jake Lamb ($10), who has played each of the last three games. He's made a case to stick in the lineup moving forward by going 5-for-11 with a home run and two doubles. This is a favorable matchup for him against Logan Webb ($27), who enters with an unsightly 1.46 WHIP.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees vs. Martin Perez ($28), Red Sox: Luke Voit ($26), DJ LeMahieu ($23), Gleyber Torres ($17)
The Yankees are starting to get healthy. Their lineup has received several key pieces back from the IL, which has enabled them to score 43 runs across their last three games. Now they will face Perez, who has a 4.33 ERA and an even worse 5.14 FIP. LeMahieu has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball, entering this matchup on a 10-game hitting streak in which he is 16-for-40 (.400) with six home runs and five doubles. Torres is on a six-game hitting streak of his own in which he is 8-for-19 (.421) with two home runs and three doubles.
Dodgers vs. Ryan Castellani ($25), Rockies: Mookie Betts ($27), Corey Seager ($25), Cody Bellinger ($23)
This could be a long night for the Rockies. Castellani's 4.46 ERA isn't awful, but his 7.19 FIP indicates he's pitched far worse. He's also allowed 2.4 HR/9, which could be disastrous with this game being played at Coors Field. This trio will eat up a significant portion of your budget, but they could be well worth it. Seager started off this series on a high note Thursday, hitting 3-for-5 with a home runs and a double, giving him a .400 wOBA and a .293 ISO for the season.
Angels vs. Jimmy Herget ($25), Rangers: Mike Trout ($26), Anthony Rendon ($20), David Fletcher ($16)
Herget is set to serve as the opener for this game with Wes Benjamin expected to follow and pitch the bulk of the innings. He struggled at Triple-A last year with a 5.64 FIP and a 1.53 WHIP. He also had just an 18.8 percent strikeout rate and allowed 1.6 HR/9. Look for the Angels to have a big offensive performance with Trout and Rendon leading the way. Fletcher doesn't carry nearly the same type of upside as those two do, but he's still proven to be valuable with his .350 wOBA.
