Yahoo DFS Baseball: Friday Plays and Strategy

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Friday Plays and Strategy

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

All 30 teams will be in action Friday, leaving a ton of players to consider on Yahoo. There are several underwhelming starting pitchers set to take the mound, so we could see plenty of offense across the league. Let's dig into some of the top options to target for your lineups.

Pitchers

Shane McClanahan ($52) left his last start early because of a back injury. After getting a week off to rest, he is set to retake the mound in a matchup against the Mariners. He has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the league, allowing two or fewer runs in 14 of his 16 starts. There is some risk given his back issue, but he also carries considerable upside since the Mariners have the seventh-worst OPS in baseball.

The Royals continue to struggle to score. They have the third-lowest OPS in baseball, which has contributed to them scoring the second-fewest runs. Looking to exploit their ineptitude will be Bobby Miller ($37), who will take the mound for the Dodgers. Miller allowed one or no runs in each of his first four starts, but has given up a combined 13 runs over 9.2 innings in his last two outings. They did come against the Giants and Astros, both of which rank inside the top-half of baseball in runs scored.

Jose Berrios ($41) will take on the Red Sox in Toronto, which means he is at least worth considering in DFS. He has a 1.07 WHIP at home, compared to a 1.30 WHIP on the road. Also, the Red Sox have just a .675 OPS away from Fenway Park. Regardless of location, Berrios has given up three or fewer runs in nine of his last 10 outings.

Top Targets

Luis Robert Jr. ($24) and Eloy Jimenez ($21) have been locked in for the White Sox. Over his last 23 games, Robert is 28-for-88 (.318) with 10 home runs, five doubles and a .381 OBP. Across his last 10 games, Jimenez is 13-for-40 (.325) with two home runs, four doubles and a .357 OBP. They have a favorable opportunity to stay hot with a matchup against Luis Medina ($25) on tap. Medina has a 6.03 FIP and has allowed 2.0 HR/9.

Bargain Bats

Anthony Volpe ($12) recently made an adjustment in his hitting stance to mirror what he was doing when he performed so well in the minors. The initial results have been encouraging, with him hitting 15-for-43 (.349) with a .440 OBP over his last 14 games. That could make him a potential value play against Matthew Liberatore ($29), who has a 1.69 WHIP over 62 career innings.

When he has been healthy, Harrison Bader ($12) has performed well for the Yankees. He has at least two hits in three of his last four games and his .480 slugging percentage is on pace to be the highest mark of his career. With Liberatore allowing an 11.0 percent barrel rate this season, Bader could do some damage in this matchup.

Stacks to Consider

Braves vs. Bryan Hoeing ($28), Marlins: Ronald Acuna Jr. ($27), Matt Olson ($21), Ozzie Albies ($19)

Don't get too excited about Hoeing throwing five hitless innings against the Pirates in his last start. They have one of the worst lineups and the game was played at the Marlins' pitcher-friendly home park. This will be a much more difficult matchup on the road against a Braves team that has scored the third-most runs in baseball. They continue to be led by Acuna, who has already racked up 19 home runs and 36 stolen bases.

Dodgers vs. Alec Marsh, Royals: Mookie Betts ($25), Freddie Freeman ($24), Will Smith ($21)

Jordan Lyles was originally slated to start this game, but he has been scratched with an illness. The Royals will instead turn to Marsh, who began this year by posting a 1.59 WHIP over 11 starts at Double-A. That makes the Dodgers, who have the fifth-highest OPS in baseball, one of the top teams to stack. Someone to build a Dodgers stack around is Betts, who has a .263 ISO to go along with his .377 wOBA.

Rockies vs. Michael Lorenzen ($31), Tigers: C.J. Cron ($16), Nolan Jones ($20), Elias Diaz ($13)

An outing at Coors Field could be disastrous for Lorenzen. He doesn't miss many bats, posting just an 18.6 percent strikeout rate. He has also given up five home runs over his last four starts. The Rockies can't hit on the road, but they still have a .778 OPS at home. They are happy to have Cron healthy again after he missed over a month with a back injury. Since joining the Rockies, he has a .408 wOBA at Coors Field.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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