This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Don't be spooked about putting together your MLB DFS lineups Friday. For starters, Jason was always a hockey guy, not a baseball guy. Also, I have DFS recommendations for you. There are 11 games on the slate, and the first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET. Onto the suggestions!
Pitching
Dylan Cease, SD at SF ($9,400): Cease has pitched unremarkably after a tremendous run in July (one run allowed in 27.2 innings), but he remains a quality pitcher. He has a 3.23 FIP and is going to average more than 10 strikeouts per nine and under one home run per nine once again. The Giants are middling in runs scored, literally 16th, but that's not terribly concerning, especially in their pitcher-friendly park.
Yusei Kikuchi, HOU at LAA ($9,200): In seven starts with the Astros, Kikuchi has posted a 3.07 ERA, and he's picked up four wins without a single loss thanks to his offensive support. The Angels are a good opponent for Kikuchi to get a fifth win. They are 27th in runs scored, and Mike Trout is not going to be stepping into the batter's box.
Brady Basso, OAK at CWS ($4,000): Basso was called up in September for his first MLB start, he pitched six innings of shutout ball against the Tigers, and then the A's sent him back down. An injury to Osvaldo Bido changed the plans, though, and Basso is back. Facing an all-time bad MLB roster in the White Sox is a fine time to bring up an inexperienced pitcher and a fine time to have such a pitcher in your DFS lineups.
Top Targets
With 34 home runs on the season, Jose Ramirez ($6,300) likely won't match his career best of 39 homers, but his 39 stolen bases already represents a personal high. Oh, also Ramirez is a switch hitter with more than 30 homers and 30 stolen bases playing third base, and he's slugged .549 at home. Away from Tampa, Zack Littell has a 4.91 ERA, and righties have hit .282 against him while lefties have hit .274. Ramirez has options!
It's been a career campaign for Willy Adames ($4,700). While he's still one home run behind his personal high of 31, he's already set new career bests in RBI, runs scored, and stolen bases. The shortstop has a .921 OPS over the last three weeks as well. Eduardo Rodriguez has really struggled since getting healthy. He has a 5.83 ERA and righties have hit .300 against the southpaw pitcher.
Bargain Bats
Perhaps Brendan Rodgers ($4,500) is the heir apparent to Charlie Blackmon as the Rockies hitter with the starkest difference in how he hits on the road compared to how he hits at Coors. Since 2022 the second baseman has a .574 OPS in away games, but an .877 OPS at home. Speaking of home/road splits, Javier Assad has a 2.24 ERA at home, but a 4.01 ERA on the road. His fellow righties have hit .263 against him for good measure.
He may not be good enough to threaten Vladimir Guerrero's playing time, but fortunately the Jays had a spot at DH for Spencer Horwitz ($4,100). He's hit 12 homers and 18 doubles in 83 games solely on the strength of his play against righties. The southpaw can't hit lefties at all, but he has a .916 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Erick Fedde is a righty, and while he had a 3.11 ERA with the White Sox, he has a 4.30 ERA in seven starts with the Cardinals. Given his career 4.88 ERA, maybe we shouldn't be surprised.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles at Atlanta (Spencer Schwellenbach): Freddie Freeman ($5,300), Max Muncy ($4,900), Gavin Lux ($3,700)
Schwellenbach has provided stability to the Atlanta rotation as a rookie, but not in a steady and consistent fashion. On the road, he has a 3.53 ERA and 0.4 HR/9 rate. At home, his ERA is 4.05 and his HR/9 rate goes up to 1.9. Schwellenbach's fellow righties have hit .198 against him. Lefties, though, have hit .276. Thus, with this game in Atlanta, I'm stacking three Dodgers southpaws.
Freeman is, of course, quite familiar with Atlanta, the team with which he began his Hall of Fame career. The southpaw has dipped against lefties in 2024, but he has a .930 OPS versus righties. Muncy missed most of the season with injury, but he has slugged .513 and hit 14 homers in only 59 games. He has a ton of power against righties, having slugged more than .500 against them over the last two seasons. Lux's 10 homers and 22 doubles are both new bests for him, and given he is a second baseman and he's only played in 125 games this year, that's not bad. He has a .736 OPS versus righties, and a .734 OPS on the road.
Cubs at Rockies (Austin Gomber): Seiya Suzuki ($5,700), Ian Happ ($5,300), Dansby Swanson ($4,600)
Gomber is back from paternity leave to start Friday. He's celebrated a new child, and now the Cubs get to celebrate a chance to face him at Coors Field. Since 2022 he has a 5.65 ERA at home and righties have hit .284 against him. That's why all three of these Cubs can hit right-handed.
Suzuki has picked up 20 homers, six triples and 14 stolen bases in 119 games. He also has a .910 OPS on the road, including slugging .549. That'll play at Coors. Happ, a switch hitter, has replicated last season more or less, and that's a good thing. He has more than 20 homers, 30 doubles, 10 steals, 80 runs scored and 80 RBI. Happ has done that through 139 games, so with some time left, this will end up a career year for the second baseman. Swanson has an .851 OPS over his last three weeks. He's been poor against righties all in all, but on the season he has an .889 OPS versus southpaws.
