This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Friday's main slate offers us 11 games to sort through. Only the Rangers haven't made their pitching plans known as of Thursday evening. Weather appears to be calming, putting all options into play. Early lines have only Oakland-Kansas City with a total of nine or greater, and that's certainly a game we'll look into below, with bargains likely to be had.
Pitching
Jordan Montgomery, STL vs. DET ($9.500): There are a massive 11 pitchers priced between $9,000 and $11,200, with Clayton Kershaw leading the way. There's no shortage of options, and they are all priced that way for good reason. But statistically, and on a game log basis, I'm not seeing the sure fire upside based on matchups and innings potential. That doesn't make anyone a bad play and will certainly lead to a wide range of usage, but I don't feel it necessary to pay top dollar Friday. Montgomery has a plus matchup; Detroit has a nice 25.8 percent strikeout rate and around league average .310 wOBA and 98 wRC+ against lefties. Montgomery has earned four quality starts in six outings against better competition, going for 40 of more fantasy points three times. He looks poised to at least match some of the names priced above him.
Merrill Kelly, ARI vs. WAS ($9,000): Truth be told, I loathe this price on Kelly, but if he can keep his walks in check, something he's done only twice in six starts, he's in a clear spot for a quality start. Washington doesn't strike out much at just 19.4 percent, but they also only take free passes at a seven percent mark. Pair that with a meager .283 wOBA, 73 wRC+ and .094 ISO, and Kelly has the clear look of stability, and run support could push him towards 40 FDP.
Brad Keller, KC vs. OAK ($8,400): There's so much depth across the arms Friday, paying down doesn't seem like an option. So when in doubt, find the worst offense possible. Oakland comes in with a 26.0 percent K rate, .286 wOBA and 84 wRC+. Keller has only logged one quality start to date, and is walking a massive 7.1 per nine, so there's clear risk and likely not a huge reward. But the matchup dictates here, and if needing to save a few bucks to target offense, Keller is in the right spot to provide a return.
Top Targets
Seemingly quietly, Byron Buxton ($3,800) is riding an eight-game hitting streak into Friday, homering five times in that stretch. He's sporting a nice .407 wOBA, 165 wRC+ and .310 ISO off of righties as well. Guardian's starter Peytong Battenfield is walking 5.7 per nine while allowing 1.6 homers, suggesting a nice floor and ceiling here.
Masataka Yoshida's ($3,500) price doesn't scream top target, nor does a matchup with Zack Wheeler, who's allowing a .320 wOBA to lefties. But how do we not like a player that's riding a 14-game hitting streak that's seen him have multiple hits nine times, including four straight, adding all five of his homers in this stretch?
Bargain Bats
As noted above, bargains are likely plentiful across the Oakland-Kansas City matchup. I personally don't want to stack either side or the game, but there's a plethora of choices. A's starter Kyle Muller has only faced 18 lefties all year as teams load up on the right side against him. Bobby Witt ($3,100) is white hot, averaging 17.1 FDP across his last six. He'll likely be incredibly popular. To be different, Salvador Perez ($3,000) is a known lefty masher and has homered in four of his last six. We can't trust Muller's splits against lefties given the incredibly small sample size, but further options to differentiate inclue Vinnie Pasquantino ($3,300), who has a .418 wOBA and 168 wRC+ against lefties, and even MJ Melendez ($2,800), who sits at .379/141 despite massive strikeout totals.
Atlanta looks like another spot where we have countless options to choose from, but we'll have to wait and see how injuries set up their lineup. O's starter Dean Kremer is allowing a .454 wOBA and 1.056 OPS to lefties. Ozzie Albies ($3,200) is warm, but notably better from the right side. As such, Eddie Rosario ($2,500) looks like a fine option that could move up in the order, and has hit safely in eight of his last nine. Michael Harris ($2,600) is way underpriced for his potential if he's healthy enough to play, and Sam Hilliard ($2,900) figures to at worst be in the lineup.
A hopefully less obvious place to find some value could be the Mets lefties. I have very low expectations for Antonio Senzatela in his season debut, and New York needs some retribution after being swept by Detroit. Jeff McNeil ($2,900) and his on base prowess offers a nice floor (.382 wOBA, 145 wRC+ off righties), while Daniel Vogelbach ($2,500) can lay into one and give us 18.7 FDP with one swing. Brett Baty ($2,700) is in play too. Another spot where we can round out lineups on the cheap without stacking bottom portions of orders.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers vs. Tyler Anderson: Adolis Garcia ($4,000), Marcus Semien ($3,800), Josh Jung ($3,700)
Anderson has allowed five or more runs in three of his five starts, and is surrendering a .457 wOBA and 1.079 OPS to righties at home. It's a different and risky strategy Friday, but I don't love one-off top options and prefer to pay up for a good offensive stack, which the Rangers qualify as. It's not a traditional stack, given likely 1-4-5 lineup spots, and Garcia and Semien don't have positive splits against lefties to date. Perhaps that counteracts everything I previously said; Jung has a robust .580 wOBA, 284 wRC+ and .538 ISO against lefties. That suggests stand alone value. But look for this lineup to tee off on Anderson and his 6.39 FIP.
Cardinals vs. Matthew Boyd: Paul Goldschmidt ($3,800), Tommy Edman ($3,100), Willson Contreras ($3,000)
The Cardinals are in such a funk I was hoping for lower pricing, but it still should create low usage and a potential buying opportunity. Boyd doesn't have targetable splits for lefties or righties, but a 5.47 ERA and 5.26 FIP suggest St. Louis will get some things going. Edman is mashing lefties, giving him stand alone potential, posing a .579 wOBA, 272 wRC+ and .423 ISO. Goldschmidt sits at a modest .363 wOBA, but above average 131 wRC+ and Contreras .367/133. It's a relatively standard 1-3-5 lineup stack that allows others around them to find success and help this trio.
