We’ve got a full complement of games this Friday evening per usual. Unfortunately, the Cubs, Reds, White Sox, Tigers, Dodgers, and Rays won’t be at our disposal in the main slate of DraftKings, but there are still plenty of other options to go to war with. Best of luck to whatever lineup you end up rolling with!
Starting Pitchers
There is a plethora of grade-A starters on today’s slate. Kevin Gausman ($10,300) is the most expensive of the bunch, and he has great numbers against the Twins roster. They have a 33.8% K% across 74 plate appearances when facing him. The only troubling thing for Gausman is Minnesota’s recent performance against righties. Over the last two weeks, they have the second-best wRC+ (133) against right-handed pitching. Gausman should still make them look silly with that splitter of his.
Mitch Keller ($10,100) is the second-highest-priced starter on the board and for good reason. He has a 2.99 xFIP and ranks in the top 87% in xERA/xwOBA and the top 87% in K%. Over his last five starts, he has racked up 10, 8, 8, 13, and 8 punchouts. Seattle has underwhelmed all year with the 5th highest K% (25%) versus righties, so look for Keller to continue his strikeout ways in Seattle.
Pitching for the Mariners is George Kirby ($9,300) and he should have no trouble with Pittsburgh with the way they have been hitting as of late. They have the 4th worst wRC+ (66) and 11th worst K% (23.5%) against righties across the last two weeks. As bad as they have been, there’s no better pitching matchup than the Oakland AAA’s right now. Hunter Brown ($9,900) is the lucky starter to draw them today. Over the last two weeks, Oakland has hit like a AAA team and has the worst strikeout rate (29.7%) and wRC+ (40) against right-handed pitching. Brown should shove at the Coliseum.
The final top-tier option I’ll cover is Chris Sale ($9,000), who appears to be all the way back. He’s posting peak Sale strikeout numbers (8, 9, and 10 over his last three starts) and ranks in the top 90% in chase rate. Arizona isn’t scary by any means and they have the 7th highest K% (23.9%) against lefties over the last 30 days.
A couple of cheaper alternatives to all the studs mentioned above are the Southpaws Reid Detmers ($7,700), Matthew Liberatore ($7,100), and Alex Wood ($6,600). We all just witnessed the strikeout potential Detmers possesses when he fanned 12 batters last start. Miami isn’t very imposing, so he should fair well. Cleveland definitely isn’t imposing whatsoever for Liberatore. They have the 2nd worst wRC+ (74) against lefties on the season. The Cardinals rookie might not find the most Ks against them, but he should be able to keep them contained.
Wood is a bit of a tougher sell with the way he has pitched so far, but the matchup at hand isn’t. The Brewers are abysmal against left-handed pitching with the highest strikeout rate (30.1%) and third-worst wRC+ (75). He should definitely outperform his price tag.
Bats
With so many good pitching options, the stacks aren’t as fruitful today, but there are still some pretty obvious starters to fade. Starting out in Colorado, the Rockies are tossing Connor Seabold ($5,000) out there against the Mets. Need I really say more? You start every and any hitter in Coors. Pete Alonso ($5,700) is the obvious choice to ride with, but there are some cheaper viable options on the Mets squad.
Starling Marte ($4,300) and Jeff McNeil ($3,900) both have been producing at the dish as of late and are worth considering, but the main stud to start is Francisco Álvarez ($3,300). Over his last 24 games, he has a .960 OPS with six homers, four doubles, and 17 RBIs. To get that out kind of production out of a catcher is insane.
Another stack-worthy squad is the Texas Rangers who square off against rookie Grayson Rodriguez ($8,300). They’re one of the best offenses lately with the 2nd best wRC+ (119) over the last 30 days. Marcus Semien ($5,700) and Adolis García ($5,400) are the top dogs running hot in the lineup. Nathaniel Lowe ($4,300) and Josh Jung ($4,800) are a couple of cheaper options that should do work today as well.
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