Baseball bounces back from a light slate Thursday to play 15 games Friday. With so many pitchers and hitters to consider in DFS, let's try to help narrow down the field with some of the better options to target on Yahoo.
Pitchers
Shohei Ohtani ($59) only logged two innings before a rain delay ended his last start prematurely. He only threw 31 pitches, so the Angels decided to bring him back on three days rest to start against the Royals. With his 0.90 WHIP and the Royals having the worst OPS in baseball, he has an opportunity to dominate.
Aaron Nola ($46) hasn't been at the top of his game to start the season, allowing at least three runs in each of his four starts. He has a 1.45 WHIP, and his control has been an issue. After giving up just 29 walks over 205 innings last season, he has walked six batters through 21.1 innings this season. Still, this is a great opportunity to roll with him against a Rockies team that had the lowest road OPS in baseball last season.
Jon Gray ($39) was forced to leave his last start early because of elbow discomfort. However, he ultimately won't end up missing a start after having no further issues. It doesn't get much better than a matchup against the rebuilding Athletics, who have the third-worst OPS in baseball.
Top Targets
Aaron Judge ($22) has followed up his MVP 2022 campaign with a stellar start to this year. He has been the driving force behind the Yankees' lineup, posting a .303 ISO and a .402 wOBA. Trying to slow him down with be Yusei Kikuchi ($30), who has allowed 1.8 HR/9 for his career. Good luck with that.
The Athletics have high hopes for JP Sears ($29) after acquiring him from the Yankees last season. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his three starts this season, but he has been taken deep five times over 15.2 innings. Marcus Semien ($20) has already hit four home runs to go along with his .366 wOBA, so although the Rangers have a compromised lineup right now, he could still exploit this matchup against Sears.
Bargain Bats
With how poorly Kikuchi has pitched, Judge isn't the only hitter to target on the Yankees. Two youngsters who could provide value are Anthony Volpe ($13) and Oswald Peraza ($12). Volpe has at least one hit in six of his last eight games, while also posting a .441 OBP during that span. That helped him steal five bases. Peraza had a .833 OPS during his 18-game stint in the majors last season and now has an opportunity to play regularly with Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) and Josh Donaldson (hamstring) both on the IL.
Stacks to Consider
Mariners vs. Steven Matz ($32), Cardinals: Julio Rodriguez ($24), Teoscar Hernandez ($18), Ty France ($19)
Matz has been wild in the early going, recording a 10.5 percent walk rate that has contributed to his 1.80 WHIP. The Mariners have a deeper lineup this season, with this trio providing plenty of problems for opposing starting pitchers. One of their most reliable hitters has been France, who only has a 11.4 percent strikeout rate to go along with his .384 wOBA.
Angels vs. Taylor Clarke ($25), Royals: Mike Trout ($23), Hunter Renfroe ($19), Taylor Ward ($14)
Clarke will serve as the opener for the Royals with Ryan Yarbrough expected to be the primary pitcher behind him. Yarbrough hasn't logged more than 2.1 innings in any of his six appearances, though, so this will mostly be a bullpen game for the Royals. Trout is the big name for an Angels stack, but also don't sleep on Renfroe. He has added even more power to their lineup, posting a .236 ISO in the early going.
Phillies vs. Noah Davis ($27), Rockies: Trea Turner ($20), Kyle Schwarber ($20), Bryson Stott ($15)
Davis actually pitched well in his season debut, holding the Mariners scoreless over five innings. However, it's difficult to get excited about his prospects of replicating the feat. Over his 26 starts at Double-A last season, he had a 5.54 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Another scary stat is that he gave up 26 home runs over 133.1 innings. That could play right into Schwarber's wheelhouse.
