This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Baseball closes out the work week with all 30 teams in action Friday. We'll see the beginning of some exciting series, including when the Rays host the Red Sox. The Blue Jays will also have their hands full when they travel to Houston to face the Astros. The marque matchup out West will be the Padres taking on the Dodgers, who will have Julio Urias on the mound. Overall, though, the evening will be light on top-tier starting pitchers. Let's take a look at how that could impact DFS and highlight some players to consider for your entries.
Pitchers
The Royals lineup has been dreadful to begin the season, scoring the second-fewest runs in baseball. They will take on the Mariners, with Chris Flexen ($34) expected to take mound in Seattle. Not only is Flexen worth considering because of this favorable matchup, but he also had a 3.35 FIP and a 1.18 WHIP at home last season.
Kyle Wright ($32) has been missing plenty of bats out of the gate, posting 15 strikeouts over 11 innings in his first two starts. He had one favorable matchup against the Reds, but he pitched well against the Padres in his last start, as well. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him to continue to thrive against the Marlins, who entered Thursday ranked inside the bottom-10 in baseball in runs scored.
Reid Detmers ($30) hasn't done anything yet to warrant consideration in DFS. After recording a 1.79 WHIP over 20.2 innings last season, he has a 1.64 WHIP across his first two starts of 2022. With that being said, this is purely a matchup play against the Orioles, who entered Thursday having scored the fewest runs in baseball. If you want to roll the dice in tournament play, Detmers might be your man.
Top Targets
The Yankees begin their series against the Guardians with Jameson Taillon ($34) expected to start. He gave up 24 home runs over 144.1 innings last season, and he's been taken deep in both of his first two starts this season. This might be the perfect time to roll with Jose Ramirez ($27), who has at least one hit in every game this season, while also launching four home runs.
Bruce Zimmermann ($27) was one of the many pitchers who struggled for the Orioles last season, recording a 5.04 ERA and a 5.38 FIP. He's started off 2022 with nine scoreless innings, but he took advantage of two inconsistent lineups in the Brewers and Yankees. Things might not go as well for him against the Angels, and specifically, Mike Trout ($21), who is expected to rejoin the lineup after missing three straight games with a hand injury.
Bargain Bats
The Rangers' starting rotation is already in shambles. Jon Gray (knee) is back on the IL, which will necessitate them calling up Glenn Otto to start against the Athletics. The inexperienced righty had a 1.71 WHIP last season in what was his first taste of action in the majors. The Athletics don't have many dangerous hitters, but this could be a good matchup to roll with their leadoff hitter Tony Kemp ($13), who has a .415 OBP to go along with his meager 9.4 percent strikeout rate.
Going back to the Angels' matchup against Zimmermann, Kurt Suzuki ($13) is also an appealing option, if he's in the lineup behind the plate. Since the start of the 2017 season, he has a 139 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Ross Stripling ($33), Blue Jays: Yordan Alvarez ($20), Kyle Tucker ($14), Michael Brantley ($15)
Stripling now finds himself as a member of the Blue Jays' starting rotation after Hyun Jin Ryu (forearm) was placed on the IL. It might be a short stay in the role, though, since Ryu could only miss two or three starts. Stripling has allowed at least 2.0 HR/9 in both of the last two seasons, making him an intriguing option to stack against. Alvarez, with his career .290 ISO, is the top option to build an Astros stack around.
Rangers vs. Adam Oller ($25), Athletics: Corey Seager ($20), Marcus Semien ($12), Brad Miller ($15)
After dismantling their roster heading into the season, the Athletics are trying to patch together their starting rotation. Oller is one of their back-of-the-rotation options, and he might not even last in that role for long if he can't dramatically improve on the staggering 3.43 WHIP that he posted over his first two starts. Miller might fly under the radar in the Rangers' new-look lineup, but he shouldn't be ignored given his 115 wRC+ since the start of the 2019 season.
Rays vs. Michael Wacha ($32), Red Sox: Wander Franco ($22), Brandon Lowe ($17), Ji-Man Choi ($21)
Wacha allowed 1.7 HR/9 last season, and has allowed that least that many per nine innings in each of the last three seasons. That could end up being his downfall against the powerful Lowe, who has a career .513 slugging percentage. Choi is also a great option for a Rays stack given his stellar .538 wOBA.
