This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
All 30 teams will be in action Friday, setting us up for a wild night of DFS. Let's get right to it and highlight some pitchers and hitters to consider for your Yahoo entries.
Pitchers
Kevin Gausman ($51) has picked right up where he left off last season. Through 10 starts, he has a 3.14 ERA and a 2.47 FIP. His excellent control has resulted in a 4.3 percent walk rate, while his strikeout rate has actually increased to 31.9 percent. His ability to miss bats stands out for a matchup against the Twins, who have struck out the most times in baseball.
After a disastrous 2021 campaign, Mitch Keller ($43) bounced back to record a 3.91 ERA and 3.88 FIP last season. He has been even better this year with a 2.44 ERA and 2.67 FIP over 19 starts. What has really stood out is his 30.7 percent strikeout rate that is more than eight percentage points higher than his career mark. Up next is a matchup with the Mariners, who have struck out the fourth-most times in baseball.
Targeting the Athletics is a popular choice in DFS. Their lineup has been awful, producing the third-worst OPS and scoring the third-fewest runs. Looking to continue their woes will be Hunter Brown ($47), who is getting his first opportunity to be a regular starter this year. He hasn't disappointed, posting a 3.08 FIP to go along with his 26.8 percent strikeout rate.
Top Targets
Yordan Alvarez ($27) continues to be one of the more reliable hitters in baseball, recording a .303 ISO and a .423 wOBA. Not much of an argument needs to be made to deploy him in DFS any given night, but he especially stands out in a matchup against James Kaprielian ($27). Through 28 innings, Kaprielian has an 8.68 ERA and a 6.38 FIP.
Juan Soto ($23) is heating up at the plate again. Over his last 15 games, he is 18-for-49 (.367) with four home runs, six doubles and a staggering .523 OBP. More success could be coming in a matchup against Randy Vasquez ($25), who is going to make his major league debut for the Yankees. This year marked his first stint at Triple-A and he did not pitch well, posting a 4.85 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP over 42.2 innings.
Bargain Bats
With Vasquez on the mound for the Padres, Xander Bogaerts ($11) is appealing at such a cheap salary. His 33.6 percent hard-hit rate this season is four percentage points lower than his career mark and has contributed to his disappointing start. Still, he has a career .350 wOBA, and he has plenty of experience playing at Yankee Stadium. Over 79 career games there, he has hit 11 home runs.
Whenever a left-handed pitcher is on the mound, Alec Bohm ($11) has to at least be considered in DFS. For his career, he has a .369 wOBA versus southpaws. Working even more in his favor is that he will be facing Jared Shuster ($28), who has a 5.49 ERA and 5.06 FIP over four starts for the Braves.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Connor Seabold ($26), Rockies: Pete Alonso ($22), Brandon Nimmo ($15), Jeff McNeil ($13)
With injuries depleting their options, the Rockies were forced to move Seabold into their starting rotation. He hasn't performed well this season, posting a 1.64 WHIP over 31.2 innings. In his last outing at Coors Field, he gave up six runs (four earned) to the Reds over 4.1 innings. This is a great spot for the Mets, with Alonso standing out among their hitters. He continues to hit for a ton of power, slugging 19 home runs in the early going.
Braves vs. Taijuan Walker ($28), Phillies: Ronald Acuna Jr. ($26), Matt Olson ($19), Austin Riley ($12)
Walker is coming off a strong outing against the Cubs in which he threw 5.1 scoreless innings. The problem is, performances like that have been few and far between for him. For the season, he has a 5.79 ERA and a 5.12 FIP. His WHIP has ballooned to 1.44, which could leave him with disastrous results against the loaded Braves' lineup. Finally emerging from his slump has been Riley, who is 23-for-76 (.303) with three home runs and six doubles over his last 19 games.
Red Sox vs. Brandon Pfaadt ($25), Diamondbacks: Rafael Devers ($16), Masataka Yoshida ($21), Alex Verdugo ($19)
The Diamondbacks have high hopes for Pfaadt, who struck out a ton of batters in the minors. However, he only has 14 strikeouts over 20 innings since joining the majors. His WHIP has been 1.55 over that span and he has given up seven home runs already. This will not be an easy matchup for him against the Red Sox, who have scored the fifth-most runs in baseball. Verdugo might not generate a ton of headlines, but he only has a 13.4 percent strikeout rate to go along with his .354 wOBA.
