DFS KBO: Friday Cheat Sheet

Friday's five-game slate seems to tilt fairly heavily in favor of offense, which is naturally good news for DFS purposes. There are a number of questionable arms on the mound, and the most expensive player on the slate, the Twins' Tyler Wilson, is far from a solid proposition at a price of $10K. Therefore, finding some appealing bats won't be a challenge, while identifying trustworthy pitchers is a bit more cumbersome.

As customary, I'll highlight two solid pitching options at different price points, followed by some one-off hitters across the salary scale that could also prove profitable for cash games and/or tournaments. I'll then break down the two stacks that I trust the most to potentially string some above-average offensive numbers together and pay off for you in tournaments.

Pitchers

Seung Ho Lee ($9,100) checks in a full $900 cheaper than the highest-priced option in Tyler Wilson, and he's riding a three-start streak of allowing one earned run or less. That stretch includes an impressive seven-inning outing Aug. 9 versus this same LG squad he'll face Friday. Lee has been a much better home pitcher as well, posting a 2-1 record and 4.21 ERA across nine starts. While he's far from elite, he may be hitting his stride at this point, and he owns a 3.18 ERA, .246 BAA and average of 14.4 DK points in in his three starts overall against the Twins this season.

Seung Won Moon ($8,100) sports metrics that embody a tough-luck pitcher – his unsightly 3-7 mark is offset by a rock-solid 3.78 ERA, serviceable 1.20 WHIP and strong .246 BAA. Moon's misfortune is being a member of the staff of the KBO's second-weakest offensive team, but it's worth noting he's been an excellent home-park pitcher this season with a 2.58 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, .219 BAA and 39:9 K:BB across 45.1 innings over seven starts. Moon has also impressed against the Samsung squad he'll face Friday, posting a 3.38 ERA and allowing just one home run to Lions hitters across 16 innings over three starts. Samsung hasn't exactly been an impressive offensive squad overall, either, as their average of 4.9 runs per game is ahead of only Moon's Wyverns and the hapless Hanwha Eagles.

Top Targets

Jose Fernandez ($6,000) continues to typically torment most any pitcher put in front of him, as he'll walk into Friday's matchup with a .357/.362/.429 slash and 10 RBI over his last 10 games. That most recent hot stretch in a season full of them has pushed Fernandez's DK points average to 10.2, and he's punished Giants pitching in particular for a .404 average two home runs and 14 RBI in 13 games against Lotte this season. Giants starter Kyung Eun Noh has demonstrated some trouble with the long ball this season as well, surrendering 10 home runs in 69 innings, with nine of those dingers coming on the road.

Jung Hoo Lee ($5,400) always seems to have a salary somewhere in the mid-5K range and consistently outpaces it, as he's now averaging 10.4 DK points per game. Lee's .355/.413/.588 slash – which includes a whopping 52 extra-base hits (35 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs) and 72 RBI – underscores how consistently successful he's been, while his .392 average in 13 games against LG certainly brightens his prospects for Friday's battle. Twins starter Tyler Wilson does have a winning mark (7-6), but he's yielded seven of his nine homers and an elevated .271 BAA over 82.1 road frames this season.

Hoon Jung ($4,400) shapes up as quite the bargain when considering he arrives with a .332/.413/.500 line that includes 21 XBH (including seven homers) and 38 RBI. He's even added six steals, and he's enjoyed some of his biggest successes on the season both on the road and against the Bears. Jung is slashing .339/.385/.500 when traveling on his way to a road average of 10.6 DK points per contest, and he's lit up Doosan arms for a .367 average (11-for-30) over nine games.

ALSO CONSIDER: Mel Rojas ($6,600); Aaron Altherr ($5,800); Sung Bum Na ($5,700); Jeong Choi ($5,400); Hyun Soo Kim ($5,200)

Bargain Bats

Dong Min Han ($4,000) has belted an impressive 12 home runs over 46 games as part of a solid .270/.371/.547 line. He's also enjoyed the majority of his success at home, where he boasts a .342/.438/.684 slash with eight of his round trippers across 23 games. That kind of power gives him an abundance of upside at his salary, and he has the added benefit of facing a pitcher in Lions starter Sung Hwan Yoon that's posted a 6.00 ERA and .311 BAA across 12 road innings.

Ah Seop Son ($3,800) comes in with an impressive .317 average, one home run and six RBI over his last 10 games, which has helped boost his already outstanding season slash to .346/.414/.470 over 82 games. Son is also hitting an excellent .353 with runners in scoring position, which has helped lead to 50 RBI despite the fact he's hit a modest five home runs overall on the season. Son is an outstanding contact hitter – he's whiffed just 37 times in 368 plate appearances, and he's also a veritable doubles machine with 25 two-baggers. At his salary and with his offensive profile, he makes for an excellent cost-savings option for either cash games or tournaments.

ALSO CONSIDER: Myung Gi Lee ($3,600) 

Stacks to Consider

Wiz vs. Chad Bell: Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,100); Mel Rojas ($6,600); Baek Ho Kang ($5,500); Jeong Dae Bae ($4,500)

Bell has simply been unable to get it together this season, as he comes in with an 0-7 record, 7.01 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and hefty .306 BAA in 11 starts. His encounters with the Wiz have been among many that have not gone well for him, as he's posted an 11.25 ERA, 2.13 WHIP and .324 BAA across eight innings over two starts versus KT.

Hwang makes for a good way to start off the stack, considering he brings a .298/.352/.493 line that's partly comprised of 36 XBH (including 11 homers) and 51 RBI over 74 games. The slugging third baseman has feasted on Eagles pitching as well, putting up a massing .474 average (18-for-38) with three homers and nine RBI over 10 games.

Rojas is arguably the KBO's most dangerous hitter and backs it up with a .361/.417/.704 line that he's forged on the strength of an incredible 57 XBH (including 29 homers) and 77 RBI over 83 games. His high strikeout rate is about the only blemish on his profile, but he's certainly worth the investment against a vulnerable pitcher like Bell if you can swing it.

Kang will have a same-handed matchup against Bell initially, but he's still highly worthy of consideration due to his .304/.384/.521 slash that includes 13 homers and 47 RBI in 69 games. Kang has also been an excellent road hitter (.305 average, six homers, 23 RBI in 34 away contests), adding to his appeal.

Finally, Bae has impressed in his own right with a .324/399/.497 slash, 21 doubles, three triples, nine homers, 40 RBI and 15 steals. The young veteran brings a bit of everything to the table as those numbers indicate, making him especially appealing at his very reasonable salary.

Giants vs. Seung Jin Lee: Ah Seop Son ($3,800); Jun Woo Jeon ($4,100); Dae Ho Lee ($3,800); Dong Hee Han ($3,700)

Lee walks into Friday's matchup with a 6.52 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and .275 BAA across five starts. Meanwhile, the Giants check in with an impressive .275 team batting average and are averaging a 5.0 runs per game.

Son's many positive attributes were already noted in his entry in the "Bargain Bats" section, making him a strong candidate to kick off the stack. Jeon follows at a highly tempting price, as he's averaging 9.0 DK points per game on the strength of a .284/.344/.483 line that includes 19 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs and 54 RBI over 81 games. He's often squared up against Doosan pitching as well, as evidenced by his .315 average (17-for-54) against the Bears over 13 games this season.

Lee is undervalued by the pricing algorithm, as he offers a .288/.357/.453 season slash at his sub-$4K price. The veteran has 29 extra-base hits (18 doubles, 11 homers) and an impressive 60 RBI as well over 82 games, the latter figure a byproduct of a .323 average with runners in scoring position.

Finally, Han is another viable value play at his salary, as he carries a .276 average, 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 37 RBI on his season ledger. The three-year veteran also comes in swinging one of the hottest bats in the league, as Han is hitting .421 (16-for-38) over his last 10 contests.