The featured slate over at DraftKings consists of only 11 of the 15 games on tap for the day. So, the main focus of this article will be on those games. Best of luck whatever way you construct your lineup today!
Starting Pitchers
Pablo López ($10,700) sits at the top of the board among the starters for Friday, likely due to his pristine matchup against the Angels. They have the worst K% (28%) and t-7th worst wRC+ (86) against righties over the past 30 days. Behind Pablo is Framber Valdez ($10,200) who just dominated the Royals last start en route to 26.2 DK points. He faces them once again, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him find success once again.
Next up is Charlie Morton ($9,900) squaring off against the lowly Nationals. They have the t-4th worst wRC+ (84) against righties across the last 30 days and Morton has shut them down in the past. Washington has a 37.1% K% and .281 xwOBA in 62 plate appearances against him. Making his first start since the 9th of July is Shane Bieber ($9,400). Steer clear of him taking on Baltimore in what will likely be a limited outing.
Chris Sale ($9,200) rounds out the 9K salary bunch and should shove against his former team. The White Sox roster owns a 32.8% K% and .195 xwOBA in 58 plate appearances against him and has the 5th highest K% (26.4%) and 6th worst wRC+ (86) against Southpaws over the last month. Dean Kremer ($8,700) has been solid but lacks the strikeout potential, especially facing the Guardians who hardly ever strike out.
Of the lower-priced options available, there are three that stick out as my favorites. Cole Ragans ($7,800), Sawyer Gipson-Long ($7,700), and Brandon Pfaadt ($6,800) all look like quality plays. If you’re a Pitcher List regular, Ragans really needs no introduction considering Nick’s affinity for him. It’s hard not to like Ragans with the stuff he brings to the table, although the matchup today facing the Astros is as brutal as it gets for lefties. He handled them just fine last start though until they brought him out there for the 7th when things got a little wonky. Regardless, Ragans is a bargain at this price.
The Tigers rookie Gipson-Long is coming off an incredible 11 K performance in five innings against the Angels. He draws another favorable matchup facing Oakland and should find plenty of punchouts once again. Any pitcher facing the Yankees these days is worthy of playing, and that’s exactly who Pfaadt draws this Friday. The “Bronx Bombers” have the 3rd highest K% (27.3%) and wRC+ (77) facing righties over the past month.
Bats
Picking what bats to target is always a struggle in my opinion. There’s so much variance around batters. They can hit one on the screws and it will lead to nothing, and that’s why I tend to stay away from wagering on batters props. Let’s find a few offenses worth stacking today.
The Dodgers look like a solid stack taking on the lefty Sean Manaea. Los Angeles has a 128 wRC+ (6th best) facing lefties since the start of August. J.D. Martinez ($5,000) is a big part of that production and he’s been on fire with a 1.120 OPS in his last 41 at-bats. Chris Taylor ($3,400), Amed Rosario ($3,500), and Kiké Hernández ($2,900) are all phenomenal bargain bats to stack around Martinez.
Atlanta facing Patrick Corbin and the Nationals? Yes, please. Their top dogs are expensive, but some of the more reasonably priced bats include Michael Harris II ($4,300), Marcell Ozuna ($4,600), Travis d’Arnaud ($4,000), and Orlando Arcia ($3,700).
Touki Toussaint pitching at Fenway Park spells trouble. He’s incredibly erratic with his control and has shown to blow up from time to time. Boston hasn’t been particularly amazing at the dish as of late, but that could easily all change facing Touki. Rafael Devers ($5,200) leads the Sox in terms of salary, but some other intriguing plays from their offense could be: Adam Duvall ($4,100), Wilyer Abreu ($3,300), and Alex Verdugo ($3,900).