This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A massive 14-game main slate awaits Friday evening at FanDuel, with only the Reds-Pirates omitted from the player pool. All 28 teams have a listed pitcher, which is going to lead to a very diverse set of lineup builds, and some pretty obvious targets as well. Only two pitchers sit with five-digit price tags, with four more in the $9,000 tier; just 25 percent of our total choices.
Red Sox-Diamondbacks and Royals-Phillies are our two highest run totals at 9.5, while five games give us the low point at 7.5 runs. Outbound winds in Boston, Oakland and Los Angeles can potentially be advantageous for hitters.
Pitching
Carlos Rodon, NYY vs. COL ($9,700): The two options above Rodon are far safer, but Rodon can match their potential for less cost. He's highly likely to be given ample run support. Having worked five or more innings in four of his last five, he should qualify for a win. Then there's the strikeouts and the matchup. Rodon has 36 strikeouts in his last 27.2 innings, and the Rockies have a 27.4 percent strikeout rate off righties to go with just a .300 wOBA and 79 wRC+. Current Rockies are hitting .233 with a .667 OPS off Rodon.
Chris Bassitt, TOR vs. LAA ($8,500): It's another matchup-based play over form/elite talent. Bassitt has just one quality start over his last nine outings, going six or more innings just twice in that span. But he gets a soft opponent in the Angels, who have a 23.4 percent strikeout rate, .296 wOBA and 89 wRC+. Current Angels are 5-for-35 (.143) off Bassitt with a .486 OPS and 23.7 percent strikeout rate. We likely can't bank on Bassitt for high innings, but the strikeouts should be there and a win is probable too with Toronto sitting at -200 favorites. He has had spike fantasy performances; they just come sporadically. The matchup suggests he's in play for GPPs.
Kyle Hendricks, CHC at MIA ($6,700): Dare we take this plunge? Hendricks has been quietly serviceable over his last three starts, allowing six runs and 14 hits across 16.0 innings, resulting in an average of 24.3 fantasy points, a fair 3.6x return at this price. Strikeouts aren't his thing, but the Marlins have a 23.5 percent strikeout rate off righties with an 85 wRC+ and .293 wOBA. Hendricks allowed four runs in four innings to Miami back in April, but this lineup is far different from that unit.
Top Targets
Do we just ignore the price with Aaron Judge ($5,000) at this point and use him at all times? He's on a 10-game hitting streak. He has four homers in four games and six in seven, and sits with an insane .501 wOBA, 233 wRC+ and .433 ISO off lefties. Further, Rockies starter Kyle Freeland has an 8.23 road ERA, allowing a .435 wOBA and 1.029 OPS to righties.
I'm usually not huge on stacking, but this slate with all of its options feels like you'll need to target some top-end options as part of your stack rather than as one-offs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($3,900) can perhaps be the latter in a game where the Jays have a 6.0 run expectancy, though his form has cooled. Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz is allowing a .425 wOBA to righties. Loyal readers know I won't go back to suggesting a Toronto stack after their multiple failures earlier in the year, but George Springer ($3,200) and Daulton Varsho ($3,200) are in good form and work here.
Is anyone buying the current form Oakland starter JP Sears is on (four straight quality starts, five runs over his last 28.2 innings)? If you're not, William Contreras ($3,600) will go overlooked and has a solid .376 wOBA off lefties.
Bargain Bats
Tampa has some pretty horrific splits off righties, making stacking a GPP option only, but we probably want some shares against Bobby Miller and his 8.02 ERA and 1.87 WHIP. Yandy Diaz ($2,900) stands out atop the order, but Dylan Carlson ($2,600) or Christopher Morel ($2,800) can also be options to round out your lineup construction.
We'll need to see Atlanta's lineup card before we can target some of their secondary pieces against MacKenzie Gore. Jorge Soler ($3,100) is expected back, which likely slots him atop the order, so how far does Michael Harris then slide? Whit Merrifield ($2,500) has hit in five straight and eight of nine and has been slotted into the two-hole lately. And finally, there will be a choice between Ramon Laureano ($2,600) and Adam Duvall ($2,300). Laureano has received the bulk of the playing time lately and could hit fifth or sixth, but Duvall collected three hits and a homer last night and could draw another start. Both would be in a position to drive in runs. If you prefer to ignore this ambiguity, Marcell Ozuna ($3,800) has seen a price dip and is 5-for-12 with a 1.083 OPS off Gore.
The Cubs' lineup looks like a final spot to seek some value against Max Meyer, who has allowed 21 runs and 32 hits across his last 23.1 innings. He's allowing a .393 wOBA to righties, making Seiya Suzuki ($3,000) the obvious target, though not super cheap. Dansby Swanson ($2,800) saves a few dollars and has five hits and four runs in his last four. Staying in the same game, if you're not feeling Hendricks above, Connor Norby ($2,300) has four hits and two runs since being promoted.
Stacks to Consider
Royals vs. Taijuan Walker (Phillies): Bobby Witt ($4,500), Vinnie Pasquantino ($3,400), Michael Massey ($2,900)
Walker seemingly gets hit every time he takes the mound, allowing three or more runs in eight straight starts dating back to May 22nd. He has puzzling home/road splits, where lefties have mashed him away from New York, and righties at home. As such, we can likely target two lefties at the top of this order in Pasquantino and Massey against Walker's .465 wOBA and 1.134 OPS allowed. Make no mistake, Massey is here as a lefty, leadoff hitter and salary cap relief only, as he's shown minimal, at best, fantasy upside of late. Pasquantino, however, is the opposite, surging in the RBI category with 11 in his last seven with only one long ball. Witt needs no introduction, offering star power to this stack. He has a .434 wOBA and 181 wRC+ off righties.
Tigers vs. Chris Flexen (White Sox): Riley Greene ($3,300), Kerry Carpenter ($3,100), Parker Meadows ($2,900)
This is a touch risky, as it's the Tigers' offense, but also that Flexen has lasted five innings just once in his last six, so how many opportunities do they get against him? But Flexen is allowing a .374 wOBA to lefties, a number that rises to .408 at home. We can stack three opposite-handed bats against him for cheap at the top of the order, so we should see at least six at-bats. Greene is just three games into his return from the injured list (IL), giving a minor price break and he got his timing down last night with two hits and a homer. Carpenter is sliding, going just 3-for-22 over his last six games, so his place here is simply lineup-based for a traditional stack. Meadows isn't an everyday player but should slot in given the matchup. He has three hits in two of his last three. It's an incredibly small sample, but Carpenter and Greene are 4-for-5 with a double and two triples off Flexen.
