This article is part of our FantasyAces MLB series.
FantasyAces offers a great selection of contests for Friday night's huge slate of 14 night games.
Be sure to checkout tonight's FAWBC Qualifier, as first place wins an entry to the $250K Fantasy Aces World Baseball Championship live in Anaheim, California at Angel Stadium August 15th. Only 20 will win a trip to the final (with eight seats already filled), the winner takes home $100K.
OPS is a great indicator of point potential under the scoring system with walks being worth just as much as singles and the progression of points per extra base is one per. Strikeouts are pretty heavily penalized, so be diligent with those prone to strikeouts or those against a high strikeout pitchers. While on the pitching side, strikeouts aren't quite as overpowering as on other DFS sites, and pitchers that can keep their pitch count low and go deeper into games can be better rewarded.
Also, its worth touching on FantasyAces's two formats. Classic is your run of the mill salary cap format, but SalaryPro is an innovative new format giving those with the best ROI's the advantage. In SalaryPro you earn bonus points for your team's payroll falling under the cap. Here's how it work's specifically:
Every $50 under the cap = +.10 Point (10 bonus points max at $5,000 under cap)*
*Bonus doesn't kick in until you are at least $250 under the Salary Cap
Pitchers
Trevor Bauer ($6,350): In his last three outings, Bauer has averaged 7.4 innings pitched, a 0.852 WHIP and just under one strikeout per inning. Teammate Corey Kluber struck out 13 Mariners in just seven innings Thursday night while maintaining a WHIP just over one. With the knowledge in tow that the Mariners are very susceptible to strikeouts, and Bauer is coming into the start in solid form, we can readily assume that Bauer posses stud upside without paying the $7K+ price of Matt Harvey, Cole Hamels and James Shields. Bauer's one Achilles heel has been walks, though he had none in his last start.
Lance McCullers ($5,000): McCullers has had a very successful time in the majors, recording a 9.28 K/9 and 2.26 FIP in two starts. McCullers, 21, had a K/9 over 10 in the minor leagues, so that strikeout number since entering the majors is far from a fluke. The one thing working against McCullers is his home field, as Minute Maid Park ranked fourth in the majors in runs allowed throughout the 2013-2014 seasons. Even with this, against one of the worst offensive teams in the league in the White Sox (tied for the second-worst team OPS in the majors), McCullers is a prime candidate at such a discounted price.
Other pitchers to consider:Carlos Rodon ($5,350), Matt Harvey ($7,900), Sonny Gray ($6,800)
Catcher
Picking a catcher Friday night comes down to risk/reward:
Kurt Suzuki ($4,350): Suzuki is the safe choice, as has a solid strikeout rate, doing so in just 10.6 percent of his plate appearances. The matchup with lefty Mark Buehrle is undoubtedly a good one with a 5.13 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. The only real fault in Suzuki is his abysmal power numbers. It's hard to expect big things from him, but with him you at the very least won't be buying yourself negative points.
Looking for a risky, high upside catcher? Consider these: Caleb Joseph ($4,350), Robinson Chirinos ($4,650), Derek Norris ($5,200)
Corner Infielders
Mike Napoli ($4,750): Napoli is hot right now sporting a 1.474 OPS over the last seven days. He strikes out a lot, so he can be boom or bust, but against a struggling Yovani Gallardo who's been poor across the board (especially giving up home runs) I'd lean towards boom.
Mark Canha ($4,250): Canha is interesting for one reason: his .173 ISO. He posses the power and cheap price to make him an interesting discount play in a righty-versus-lefty matchup against the Yankees' Chris Capuano, who boasts an unseemly 7.36 ERA through his first two starts of the year.
Chris Davis ($4,600): Over the last two days (three games), Davis has three home runs, no strikeouts and has a .500 OBP. It was just two years ago when we saw Davis hit 53 home runs, it appears he's back in that form and pitcher beware when he's seeing the ball as well as he is right now.
Other corner infielders to consider:Josh Donaldson ($5,500), Brock Holt ($4,350), Prince Fielder ($5,700), Paul Goldschmidt ($5,850)
Middle Infielders
Ryan Goins ($3,350): Goins allows you to invest in the game with the highest over/under of the night at a minimal price. Throw in his 1.017 OPS over the last seven days and Goins makes a lot of sense.
Other middle infielders to consider:Jose Iglesias ($4,250), Alex Guerrero ($4,550), Jose Reyes ($5,000)
Outfielders
Steve Pearce ($4,150): Pearce came into this season with relatively high expectations. It's safe to say he hasn't lived up to them, but he's sporting an .858 OPS over the last 13 days, so it may also be safe to say that he is rounding into his expected form. Best of all, his price is still indicative of the struggles that appear to be in the rearview window.
Eddie Rosario ($3,000): At the minimum price you are getting a .353 batting average over the last seven days. The sample sizes are small for Rosario, but at the minimum price (and especially for those going with Suzuki at catcher) he is hard to pass up.
Cameron Maybin ($4,000): Batting second in the Braves' order, Maybin has been solid. Over the last 30 days he has a .305 batting average and .845 OPS to go with five stolen bases. This is a good price for someone batting so highly in the order, especially playing a solidly as Maybin.
Other outfielders to consider:Matt Joyce ($3,750), Yoenis Cespedes ($4,750), Rajai Davis ($4,700), Torii Hunter ($5,000), Adam Jones ($5,000), Delino DeShields ($4,300)
Designated Hitter
Fantasy Aces lists DHs as just that, and the only way to incorporate them into your lineup is through the utility spot, but of course any player (except for a pitcher) can be slotted there.
