This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A full 12 game slate awaits Friday evening, starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The top two pitchers square off against each other, and there isn't much behind them, making for some interesting selections on the bump.
Pitching
Aaron Nola, PHI at ATL ($10,700): He's been dominant, going for 55 or more FDP in three straight, including an outing against the Braves two starts prior. It was a mixed bag against them last season (seven homers while fanning 39 in 36.0 frames with a 4.75 ERA). Atlanta is third in the league presently with a .349 wOBA, but it also fans 26.1 percent of the time and is without countless big bats. Maybe there's enough ambiguity to keep usage down, but Nola's form presents him as the top target for both cash and GPP lineups.
Max Fried, ATL vs. PHI ($9,400): We certainly could have a classic pitcher's duel here between these budding aces. Fried has had a 34 FDP floor over his last four, with a 48 point ceiling, and he's shown he can be both efficient and a strikeout guy simultaneously. I'm an admitted Braves homer, and personally find the pressure on Fried to be immense given the state of the rest of their rotation. The Phillies hit lefties well, carrying a .378 wOBA and only 20.9 whiff rate. They're traveling off a rough double-header loss, and could roll over here. Gut feel, but Fried either proves he's taken the next step, or he lets everyone down big time for one day.
Jake Odorizzi, MIN vs. KAN ($6,500): The home park does him no favors, but the real question with Odorizzi is if he can throw enough innings to earn a win/quality start. The Twins are decent (-140) favorites, and Odorizzi is coming off of an outing where he fanned six Royals in four innings, in route to 24 FDP. That's 3.7x value if he duplicates, with the potential for more.
Anthony DeSclafani, CIN at STL ($6,300): DeSclafani's numbers are skewed by his most recent outing where he was shelled. He allowed five hits, no runs and fanned eight in his first 11 innings of the year, which is in line with how he closed 2019. His last outing shows there isn't a safe floor, but facing a Cardinals lineup that posts a .308 wOBA and 25.1 percent K rate against righties, there's clear potential for a solid return.
Top Targets
Christian Yelich, MIL at PIT ($4,200): The bats above Yelich probably present more favorably for cash purposes, but this Brewer is starting to round into form, collecting seven hits, five RBI and two homers in his last six. Lower usage and a plus LvR matchup with Chad Kuhl make Yelich an upside GPP target Friday.
Nelson Cruz, MIN vs. KAN ($4,000): Cruz posted a .464 wOBA, 195 wRC+ and .461 ISO against lefties last year, and is off to a .616/305/.619 start this season, with half of his eight homers coming in a third as many at bats against opposite-handed arms to date. He's a bargain at $700 less than the top bat Friday, presenting almost too obviously. Cruz has also gone 7-of-21 with three homers against Friday starter Danny Duffy.
Anthony Rendon, LAA at OAK ($3,900): While most eyes will gravitate towards Mike Trout ($4,500), Rendon is surging after a slow start, seemingly comes with a stable floor and similar ceiling. He'd hit safely in nine straight entering Thursday, failing to post 15.7 FDP only twice in that span. A's starter Mike Fiers is allowing a .373 wOBA to same-handed bats thus far, a number that goes up to .538 at home.
Value Bats
J.D. Martinez, BOS at BAL ($3,600): Placing Martinez in this column was a challenge. The price here makes him a secondary target, but the past production against lefties gives him very clear appeal. His struggles to date mean he isn't a must use guy, but he'd hit safely in six of seven entering Thursday, posted a .539 wOBA, 242 wRC+ and .482 ISO against southpaws in 2019, and Friday starter John Means has allowed nine runs in 7.2 frames to date.
Kyle Seager, SEA vs. TEX ($3,300): It's hard to find an ideal Mariners' stack, so I'll present Seager as a contrarian LvL option. He's currently boasting a .448 wOBA, 194 wRC+ and .263 ISO, and faces Kolby Allard, who is allowing same-handed bats to put up a .407 wOBA in limited exposure.
Jesse Winker, CIN at STL ($3,000): Winker went deep five times in five games before the Reds had a brief pause to their season, and he homered once in Wednesday's double header. He hits in a run-producing spot with Nick Castellanos ahead of him, and Eugenio Suarez and Mike Moustakas behind him, and has a favorable LvR matchup with Dakota Hudson on Friday, who has surrendered five runs in 8.1 innings to date.
Austin Slater, SFG vs. ARI ($2,800): Slater is seeing a big ball of late, homering four times since Aug. 8. He's been incredible against lefties, owning an obscene .601 wOBA, 291 wRC+ and 1.510 ISO (23 at bats). D'Backs starter Robbie Ray is off to a terrible start, which includes a .439 wOBA and 1.111 OPS against righties on the road.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox vs. Jon Lester: Tim Anderson ($3,700), Yoan Moncada ($3,400), Jose Abreu ($3,100)
The White Sox as team hit lefties incredibly well, led by Anderson's ridiculously unstustainable .923 wOBA, .515 wRC+ and 1.000 ISO across 20 plate appearances. Moncada has a more manageable .411 wOBA while Abreu has a .410 wOBA and 162 wRC+ through the start of 2019 against lefties. Lester is coming off of his worst performance of the year, allowing nine hits and five runs over six innings, and carries a meager 5.48 K/9 rate and unsustainable .188 BABIP.
Pirates vs. Adrian Houser: Colin Moran ($2,800), Josh Bell ($2,700), Adam Frazier ($2,200)
This clearly isn't for the faint of heart, but we're targeting Houser, who has allowed seven runs over his last 10 frames, and is surrendering a .400 wOBA to the 54 lefties he's faced to date. This stack, even if you choose just two, is cap friendly, has (struggling) upside in Bell, stability in Moran (.361 wOBA) and position scarcity with Frazier. Clearly GPP only, but if it hits and you successfully build freely around, there's winning potential.
