This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A loaded 13-game slate is ahead Friday with FanDuel's main slate. Due to some day job/family commitments Friday, I'm forced to get this penned earlier than preferred, so we won't have weather to reflect on. And starting pitching is likely a bit in flux. As of Thursday evening, we have 26 starters listed, but following a bullpen game from Atlanta Thursday, their starter remains in flux between the listed Chris Sale, the slate's highest-priced option, and Reynaldo Lopez, who will either draw the start or have his turn skipped following working on short rest last time out. All other listed starters at FanDuel seemed to check out.
Pitching
Jose Berrios, TOR vs. PIT ($9,400): We've got nine pitchers priced at $9,000 or greater, so we know there are a plethora of options. But I wrote the offensive piece of this column first, and I like a lot of bats, so this is an exercise in seeing how low we can go and feel confident in a solid return. And for me, that starts with Berrios. Pittsburgh strikes out at a targetable 24.7 percent against righties, while ranking 29th with a .284 wOBA with just an 84 wRC+. Berrios has three straight quality starts and four in his last six outings. Marcus Stroman ($9,200) also stands out in this tier with his ground ball nature facing a Giants lineup that hits it on the dirt at a 42.3 percent rate.
Walker Buehler, LAD vs. COL ($8,300): The choice in the next tier comes down to Buehler versus Jordan Montgomery ($8,500). Montgomery faces a Mets team limping, at best, and has poor numbers off lefties, but doesn't strike out a ton. Buehler meanwhile gets a Rockies team at home where he'll likely get ample run support and an offense that strikes out at a 25.9 percent mark while having just an 82 wRC+. Buehler appears to be rounding into form, striking out 11 over his last 11.2 innings, falling just one out shy of a second straight quality start. His pitch counts are rising off injury. Colorado has some modest BvP success here, hitting .294 with a .843 OPS off Buehler, but that's largely based on longevity, with Charlie Blackmon being the main culprit. Buehler has struck this lineup out at a 24.6 percent clip, in line with their seasonal norms.
JP Sears, OAK at ATL ($7,100): I'm going for a reverse jinx here as a noted Braves fan, and "we" flat-out stink offensively right now. This potent lineup has scored two runs or fewer in three straight, striking out 33 times, and is just 2-for-5 over their last two series against the Pirates and Nationals. They've long been known to hit lefties well, ranking seventh with a .330 wOBA this season, but striking out at a 22.7 percent clip. Sears has been an alternate start guy, and if that trend holds, he's due to give up runs Friday. Sears sits with a career-low 6.0 K/9 with a 3.88 ERA but 4.89 xFIP. Atlanta simply isn't passing the eye test right now. No pun intended, but the natives are restless. There's a clear risk of an implosion from Sears, but he's the perfect GPP upside play that will come minimally rostered.
Top Targets
It's all systems go for Corey Seager ($4,100) right now. The price is rising, but it's still not too high for the game's hottest hitter. Seager has a 12-game hitting streak that has seen him homer nine times. The ballpark isn't where we want to chase power, but Marlins starter Sixto Sanchez is allowing a .425 wOBA and .964 OPS to lefties at home. He's trendy, but Seager is the easiest plug-and-play for cash and GPP lineups.
The price point is higher, but Jose Ramirez ($4,500) is nearly equally hot and not as homer-dependent. Nationals starter Patrick Corbin is allowing a .395 wOBA and .917 OPS to righties. Ramirez counters with a .421 wOBA, 181 wRC+ and .308 ISO off lefties. He's driven in 15 across his last eight games.
Bargain Bats
Freddie Freeman ($3,600) remains a conundrum. He's not showing major power, and the extra-base hits and RBI have been sporadic. The price is up $100 from where we've seen him almost all season, and Rockies starter Dakota Hudson has been capable outside of Coors Field. Does anyone expect that to continue here? Freeman is 3-for-8 with a .944 OPS off Hudson and offers an easy path to the Dodgers' lineup.
I'm not confident we can build a Guardians stack around Ramirez with a limited budget, but if you want to get secondary pieces around Ramirez against Corbin, David Fry ($3,500) has an obscene .562 wOBA, 275 wRC+ and .372 ISO off lefties. If you're patient, Steven Kwan ($3,200) could be activated off the injured list (IL) and return to the top of this order.
Bailey Falter is in good form for the Pirates, and he interests me some for GPPs. But the Blue Jays also have some bats that merit consideration with positive splits off lefties. Justin Turner ($3,000) has a .243 ISO to go with a team-best .411 wOBA and 211 wRC+ off southpaws, though he hasn't been good since returning from injury. Danny Jansen ($3,100) sits with a .399 wOBA and 163 wRC+ and could hit in the top third of the order. And for a punt play, Ernie Clement ($2,300) offers position versatility and a .360 wOBA and 136 wRC+.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles vs. Aaron Civale (Rays): Gunnar Henderson ($4,400), Ryan Mountcastle ($3,100), Cedric Mullins ($2,900)
Talk about a juicy matchup that pairs perfectly with BvP success. Current Orioles are 15-for-40 (.375) with seven homers, resulting in a 1.340 OPS. Further, Civale is allowing 1.75 homers per nine, so we can potentially chase power. Henderson is a fine anchor, though admittedly hard to use if considering the other top options above. He's got a robust .340 ISO off righties and has taken Civale deep once in two at-bats. Mountcastle is 5-for-6 off Civale with two homers and would offer a second piece atop the Orioles' lineup. While his .305 wOBA off righties isn't elite, the 105 wRC+ is still above average. The third piece is tough. Mullins is the BvP play, going 6-for-8 with two homers, but has been dropped in the order due to poor form. Civale has been hit harder by lefties overall, but it's pretty even when on the road. Baltimore doesn't have another bat priced above $3,300, so options will be plentiful once lineups are released.
Red Sox vs. Kenta Maeda (Tigers): Rafael Devers ($3,900), Jarren Duran ($3,200), Wilyer Abreu ($3,200)
This looks like another juicy spot for a stack that may not be as obvious as simply targeting multiple pieces against the slate's lowest-priced arms. Maeda comes with a 5.80 ERA and 5.99 FIP. He's striking out just six per nine while allowing 2.5 homers per nine. His overall splits favor right-handed hitters, but on the road, he's allowing lefties to post an insane .577 wOBA and 1.389 OPS, though to just 28 batters faced. But we can get three lefties here that should hit 1-2-3 in the lineup that can pound Maeda early and often. Duran's .362 wOBA, 130 wRC+ and .241 ISO are the lowest of the three. While they are all prone to striking out, that's less of a concern with Maeda's inability to miss bats. With Rangers, Dodgers and Guardians bats all seemingly the easy answer, this looks like a nice pivot spot.
