DraftKings MLB: Friday Breakdown

DraftKings MLB: Friday Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.

There are only a dozen or so games per team left in the regular season. We're keeping the pedal to the metal on the DFS front as we head toward the end, which is more than you can say about the Detroit Tigers. There are 12 games on the slate and they start at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. I'm taking you into one of the final weekends of the season with these recommendations.

Pitching

Chris Bassitt, NYM at OAK ($9,500): Bassitt has posted a 3.32 ERA in his first season as a Met. While he's been better at home, Oakland is a pitcher-friendly ballpark. More importantly, the Athletics are ranked 29th in runs scored and last in team batting average.

Brady Singer, KC vs. SEA ($8,600): The Royals are relying on Singer to shoulder the load in a lackluster rotation, and he's largely been up to it with a 3.02 ERA and a 2.04 from his last 12 starts. The Mariners are likely going back to the playoffs, but they will be doing it with a bottom-10 offense.

Lucas Giolito, CWS vs. DET ($7,700): Giolito has an ERA over five, but also a 4.15 FIP while striking out 9.90 batters per nine innings. Though the Tigers are last in runs scored, they're fighting the Athletics in a battle to be either 30th or 29th in team OPS and are 3-7 in their last 10 matchups.

Top Targets

It would benefit Bobby Witt ($5,300) to learn to take a walk, but his 20 homers and 28 stolen bases as a rookie is worthy of enthusiasm for fantasy players. He also boasts a .787 home OPS hitting for average and power but, again, not walking. For the second year in a row, Marco Gonzales has compiled a much worse FIP (5.09) than ERA (4.01). And somehow, he's only struck out 4.99 batters per nine innings.

You can quibble with the production of Corey Seager ($4,900) vis-à-vis his contract, but he's set career highs in home runs (32) and RBI (82). He's also been loving his new home park where he's maintained a .913 OPS. Cody Morris has only made four MLB starts, and interesting things can happen in that sample size. Morris is a righty with a 2.30 ERA, but also a 5.40 FIP.

Bargain Bats

Hey, somebody is finally providing some support to Aaron Judge! Gleyber Torres ($4,100) has produced a .960 OPS the last three weeks and an .821 versus lefties this season. Southpaw Rich Hill has struggled to a 5.65 ERA over his last eight starts, making him sort of the inverse of Torres and therefore someone to target.

In his first campaign with the Rockies, Randal Grichuk ($4,100) has registered an .858 OPS at Coors Field and an .894  versus lefties. Sean Manaea has been brutal this year, especially on the road with a 6.10 ERA with righties hitting .278 against the southpaw.

Stacks to Consider

Padres at Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Manny Machado ($5,400), Juan Soto ($5,400), Jake Cronenworth ($4,200)

Coors Field came up already, and now I return to that bastion of offensive output. In his career, Feltner has slumped a 7.20 home ERA while allowing 1.77 home runs per nine innings. The Padres have left their pitcher's park for a hitter's stadium, and that makes it a perfect time for a stack.

Machado has hit .296 with 30 homers and 94 RBI. He's typically performed better versus righties, and this year he's recorded a .900 OPS on the road. Soto, as per usual, has an OBP over .400 along with a robust 1.023 OPS against righties since 2020. Cronenworth has slugged .453 against right-handers the last couple seasons, but the lefty has posted a .770 OPS in away games.

Phillies vs. Braves (Jake Odorizzi): Bryce Harper ($5,500), Kyle Schwarber ($5,100), Bryson Stott ($2,900)

This has become a go-to stack for me when the Phillies are facing a righty. Odorizzi has been scuffling since joining the Braves with a 4.54 ERA through seven starts while giving up seven homers.

Harper has gotten cold, but there's plenty of reason to think he can turn it around based on his 1.041 OPS versus righties and an 1.009 at home since 2020. Schwarber has crushed 40 homers and is set to lead the NL on that front. And over the last three seasons, the southpaw has slugged .547 against right-handed pitchers. The rookie Stott has produced nine homers and nine steals. And so far in his career. he's preferred to being at home with a .739 OPS.

White Sox vs. Tigers (Eduardo Rodriguez): Eloy Jimenez ($5,300), Jose Abreu ($4,900), Andrew Vaughn ($4,500)

Rodriguez got off to a slow start for the Tigers with a 4.38 ERA before taking a lengthy absence. He's returned, and in six starts has managed a…4.32 ERA. Rodriguez is also a lefty, so this is a three-righty stack.

Jimenez is scorching with an 1.024 OPS the last three weeks and a .951 mark overall. Abreu has been better on the road, but has still recorded an .846 OPS at home and .912 against lefties the last couple years. Vaughn has registered a .794 OPS the last three weeks and an .877 over his career when facing a southpaw.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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