This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A busy 12-game slate is ahead Friday evening, with games starting between 7:05 and 10:15 p.m. ET. Four pitchers are priced in the five figures tier, with just three more in the $9,000 tier; that's just 29.1 percent of the pitching available here being considered "pay up" options. That doesn't immediately seem to jive with the expected run totals, as only Rangers at Rockies, very predictably, comes in at 10.5 runs. Six games have a slate-low 7.5 run total, so perhaps we'll be able to find some decent secondary options on the mound.
Rain is of minor concern in Baltimore and New York, but it's more of a scattered variety so cancellations seem unlikely. Wind appears to be blowing in in both spots, as well as in Boston, but not at a high rate. Minor downgrades but nothing significant.
Pitching
Logan Webb, SF vs. CIN ($9,100): Philadelphia's Ranger Suarez is by far my favorite and most obvious pay up option against the light-hitting Marlins, so lock him in for cash lineups if you can find enough bargain bats. For the rest of the high-end options, I'll go to the cheapest of them as it seems we're getting a price break on Webb thanks to two straight sub-optimal starts where he's allowed eight runs in 7.2 innings. Both came on the road. He's been infinitely better at home, with a 0.82 ERA and 2.32 FIP against 5.92/3.63 away. Webb's strikeouts are at a career-low but could play up here against a Reds lineup fanning at a 27.9 percent rate against righties while carrying just a .288 wOBA and 80 wRC+. Current Reds are 9-for-47 (.191) with a .538 OPS and 28.0 percent strikeout rate off Webb.
Bryan Woo, SEA vs. OAK ($8,000): Perhas Webb's adversary in Andrew Abbott is a safer play in this $8,000 tier, and I don't really love this price point for a guy making his season debut as we don't know how many pitches he'll be allowed. But Woo was sharp in his rehab outings, not allowing a run over 11.1 innings and striking out 17. Oakland hasn't been as targetable for opposing pitchers as we're accustomed to, ranking 15th with a .307 wOBA, but they swing and miss at a 25.7 percent rate. Woo faced the A's twice last year. He didn't allow a run and fanned 11 across as many innings in that outing.
Jose Quintana, NYM vs. ATL ($6,700): For GPPs, some intriguing paydown options can be serviceable. I don't hate Jon Gray, even in Colorado, and Carlos Carrasco figures to draw eyes against the White Sox. But give me a dart throw on Quintana, who I suspect no one will target against Atlanta. It's no secret this offense feasts on lefties, but that hasn't been as dramatic this season, with a decent 115 wRC+ and .176 ISO. There's plenty of familiarity, as current Braves are 41-for-152 (.270) with a .804 OPS off Quintana, but the big trio of Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley and Matt Olson, all of whom are scuffling, are a combined 9-for-49 (.184) with 15 strikeouts. Quintana earned 25 fantasy points in a previous start against this lineup. If he repeats that 3.7x return, your offensive spending is open.
Top Targets
Marlins' starter Trevor Rogers has been far better at home, and we know we don't want to chase power in this ballpark, keeping me slightly off of a Phillies stack. But as a one-off, Alec Bohm ($3,700) looks like a terrific play. He's got a .479 wOBA, 214 wRC+ and .256 ISO off lefties to date. J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber would be my stack if that's your path.
Cleveland bats present somewhat similarly. They'll face Garrett Crochet, who's been far better at home. But the Guardians' top duo of Jose Ramirez ($3,900) and Josh Naylor ($3,700) are in a nice stretch. Naylor sits with a .444 wOBA, 193 wRC+ and .382 ISO off lefties and has homered in three of his last five. Ramirez started slow, but has a .356 wOBA, 156 wRC+ and .220 ISO off lefties, having also homered in three out of his last five.
Bargain Bats
Ranger bats will be obvious targets, but Marcus Semien is getting the Coors Field price boost, and Adolis Garcia isn't in great form. Both remain fine plays, but I think we can get cheaper shares of this lineup, one which we may not need to go all-in on as Rockies starter Austin Gomber hasn't been awful to date. Nathaniel Lowe ($3,500) has a .373 wOBA and 140 wRC+ off lefties, though no power. Jonah Heim ($3,500) sits with a less targetable .322 wOBA but would provide a right-handed option that should hit in the heart of the order.
Vinnie Pasquantino ($2,900) is heating up, going 7-for-12 with three doubles, a homer and seven RBI in his last three games. He'll face Griffin Canning Friday, who is allowing a .381 wOBA to lefties to date.
White Sox bats will be largely ignored, because, well, they're the White Sox. But Carrasco is allowing a .434 wOBA and .997 OPS to lefties. Gavin Sheets ($2,800) has a .391 wOBA, 153 wRC+ and .200 ISO off righties.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles vs. Brandon Pfaadt (Diamondbacks): Gunnar Henderson ($4,200), Anthony Santander ($3,000), Ryan O'Hearn ($3,000)
The stats say both offenses in this matchup are stackable, as Arizona has hit lefties well overall, but are scuffling as a group of late. Conversely, Pfaadt has nearly identical home/road splits and is allowing lefties to post a .408 wOBA and .948 OPS overall, something Baltimore is chock-full of. Henderson gives us a high-end option atop the lineup, coming with a decent .369 wOBA, 135 wRC+ and .291 ISO. O'Hearn offers a second piece in the top of the order while boasting a .427 wOBA, 181 wRC+ and .274 ISO. The third piece is less obvious. Colton Cowser is an option statistically, but we need a third piece hitting around each other, which leads to Santander or Adley Rutschman. I'll take the discount on Santander, but neither is hitting righties well right now.
Red Sox vs. Patrick Corbin (Nationals): Tyler O'Neill ($3,300), Jarren Duran ($3,200), Connor Wong ($2,700)
Corbin is getting lit up, particularly on the road where he has an 8.85 ERA, allowing a .502 wOBA and 1.193 OPS to lefties, and a .458 wOBA and 1.072 OPS to righties. This feels like burying the lead, as O'Neill could be my favorite stand-alone play Friday. He's homerless in nine straight games but comes with a .483 wOBA, 211 wRC+ and .321 ISO off lefties. Corbin's numbers against same-handed bats open up options within this lineup, so I'll take Duran atop the lineup. His .345 wOBA is decent enough to not look elsewhere. We'll need to confirm Wong slots into the two-hole between these two before going all in, but he did Wednesday night when the Red Sox faced a lefty. He sits with a .395 wOBA, 151 wRC+ and .167 ISO. He's cheap and would give us the 1-2-3 batters in front of Rafael Devers.
