This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Eight games are featured on FanDuel's Friday night main slate, with first pitch coming at 7:07 p.m. EDT. The highest run total comes in Red Sox-Rangers, suggesting some shares there are likely needed, while the lowest total comes in pitcher friendly Seattle, where the A's face the Mariners. The Dodgers, as will be the case most nights, are the heaviest favorite on the moneyline.
Domes are plentiful Friday, with as many as six games possibly being played indoors, so weather likely doesn't factor. The potential for outbound winds in Los Angeles is there, further boosting appeal to Dodger bats. San Diego-Atlanta could have some crosswinds, and the ball appeared to carry decently at Petco Thursday, so some left-handed bats may pop.
Pitching
Luis Castillo, SEA vs. ATH ($10,400)
Personally, I'm finding pitching a touch overpriced top to bottom to open the year, and paying this number for an uncertain number of innings as arms are still building up is a risk. It's also not hard-hitting analysis to target the slate's top option. But it's a clear and obvious spot with the low run total, and the Mariners reasonably heavy favorites (-152). Castillo allowed a .285 wOBA and 3.26 xFIP while striking out 27.4 percent of batters at home last season, far better than his road numbers. He struck out 13 in 13 innings against the Athletics in 2024, with all four runs surrendered coming via solo homers.
Jeffrey Springs, ATH at SEA ($8,800)
Ballpark factor and low run expectancy allows us to consider both sides of this pitching matchup. We can't feel great about Springs workload coming off a lost season, but he was able to fan 20 across 18.1 spring training innings, so clearly the stuff still plays. Seattle mustered just four runs yesterday — three of which came off the Athletics' bullpen in the eighth — and struck out at a 26.8 percent mark off lefties in 2024.
Charlie Morton, BAL at TOR ($8,000)
Mostly an excerise of how low can we go with our pitching options, and I'm less willing to take chances below Morton. He's usually good for one blow-up inning, but workload seems far less of a question for the veteran than some others on the slate. Morton's velocity remained as expected throughout spring, he should flirt with a strikeout per frame, and the Orioles' bats were hot yesterday, suggesting he could see decent run support.
Top Targets
Similar to Castillo above, it's not hard hitting to lead with the slate's highest-priced bat in Shohei Ohtani ($4,500). But we can also expect this price to escalate throughout the season, so may as well get in while he's loosley affordable. He's got five hits and two homers in three games already. If interested in a cheaper Dodger option and trust BvP in the early going, Freddie Freeman ($3,700) is 7-for-19 with a homer off Jack Flaherty.
Cubs' starter Jamison Taillon allowed a 4.58 ERA on the road last year against 2.18 at home, and was vulnerable to lefties, surrendering a .373 wOBA to lefties. Queue up Corbin Carroll ($3,600), who went 1-for-3 Thursday, at a moderate price.
Bargain Bats
The run total says we should stack both Ranger and Red Sox bats, and I'm more confident on the Boston side (more below). Red Sox starter Tanner Houck allowed only 11 home runs last season, but Adolis Garcia ($3,200) is 4-for-7 off of him with two homers, giving us upside potential. Wyatt Langford ($3,300) is always a consideration when priced under $3,500.
It's a low ceiling play, but Luis Arraez ($2,800) hits in between all of San Diego's big boppers, and is 11-of-26 (.426) off Atlanta starter Reynaldo Lopez.
Cam Smith ($2,400) saw his price rise $400 from Thursday but still remains an option until the number rises higher. He offers positional flexibility and a cheap entry into a sound lineup. But don't overlook Isaac Paredes ($3,000), who slots into the 2-hole between Houston's big bats.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Jack Leiter (TEX): Rafael Devers ($3,800), Jarren Duran ($3,700), Alex Bregman ($3,300)
Leiter remains long on talent and short on results, and allowed a 10.80 ERA (5.55 xFIP) at home last season. He was more vulnerable to same-handed bats, so Bregman gets the nod here over Triston Casas ($3,100) and gives us an ideal 1-2-3 lineup stack. Duran is a nice floor/ceiling play as, if he gets on, he's a threat to run and score, while Devers gives us elite power and run producting potential at a fair price. With the Red Sox favored, and that previously mentioned run total, the expectation is this lineup produces 5-plus runs; surely this trio is part of that damage.
Pirates vs. Connor Gillispie (MIA): Oneil Cruz ($3,400), Bryan Reynolds ($3,200), Tommy Pham ($2,700)
Hopefully we're not a day late, as this stack put up a solid 46 fantasy points Thursday. It's another likely 1-2-3 lineup stack against an arm that doesn't have a Major League start and one that doesn't miss bats, striking out nine in 16.1 spring training innings. Reynolds anchors here with the safest floor, while Cruz brings a ceiling thanks to power and speed. All three of these players stole a base Thursday, perhaps a sign of things to come for Pittsburgh this season, allowing them to flirt with double-digit fantasy points simply by reaching base once.
