This article is part of our FantasyAces MLB series.
Be sure to checkout tonight's FAWBC Qualifier, as the top two finishers win an entry to the $250K Fantasy Aces World Baseball Championship live in Anaheim, California at Angel Stadium on August 15. Only 20 will win a trip to the final (with nine seats already filled), and the winner takes home $100K.
Fantasy Aces offers a great selection of contests for Friday night's huge slate of 14 night games. As a reminder, 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 pitcher. 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.
Pitcher
Jake Odorizzi ($6,750): The available pitching Friday night is very poor. Odorizzi offers no stats that jump off the page, isn't going to go for double-digit strikeouts, and he won't be the key factor in taking down a tournament. What he offers is assurance of a solid outing at an affordable price. Seattle is weak in every batting category and Odorizzi is solid in every category. His recent form is a little deflating, but the sum of the whole still points towards a solid outing.
Other pitchers to consider:Carlos Martinez ($5,850), Scott Kazmir ($6,400), Jose Quintana ($5,750)
Catcher
J.T. Realmuto ($3,500): Realmuto is purely a Coors Field play, like most of the Marlins on Friday. Nothing flashy, just a tough position to fill and Realmuto does so at a very cheap price. Coors Field is always an easy target, and even more so when the pitchers are weak. The weather is questionable and deserves monitoring, but the game should be played.
Other catchers to consider:Buster Posey ($5,650), Welington Castillo ($4,000)
Corner Infielders
Paul Goldschmidt ($6,000): Goldschmidt is the maximum price, but he has been worth every penny lately. He leads the majors over the last seven days with a 1.759 OPS and gets a righty vs. lefty matchup with Jon Niese, who has been poor over his last three starts, giving up over 2.5 HR/9 during that span. Combine this with the hitter-friendly park in Arizona, and Goldschmidt is set up to continue his run of form.
Albert Pujols ($5,150): Pujols now has hit six home runs in seven games while not striking out once during that span. Nathan Eovaldi is a fine pitcher, but he has some trouble giving up home runs at home, allowing 1.21 per nine innings.
Other corner infielders to consider:Lucas Duda ($5,050), Anthony Rizzo ($5,900), Luis Valbuena ($4,900), Nolan Arenado ($5,250), Martin Prado ($4,650)
Middle Infielders
Troy Tulowitzki ($5,650): When he's hot, he's hot, and right now at Coors Firled, Tulo is sporting a 1.695 OPS over his last five games. Colorado will look to capitalize on a prime matchup against the all-around mediocre Tom Koehler.
Ruben Tejada ($3,750): Tejada has been capitalizing on some added playing time lately and is riding a hot streak, posting a 1.153 OPS over the last 14 days. Hitter-friendly Chase Field and batter-friendly pitcher Jeremy Hellickson await.
Other middle infielders to consider:Brandon Crawford ($4,750), Elian Herrera ($3,550), Dee Gordon ($5,400), DJ LeMahieu ($4,650)
Outfielders
Kevin Pillar ($3,750): In Pillar's last eight at-bats he has five hits and two home runs. He had a poor start to the season, but if recent form rings true, he can be considered an excellent value target on the highest run-scoring team in the majors.
Joey Butler ($4,000): Butler now has four home runs and a .936 OPS in 86 at-bats this season. He hits second in the Rays' lineups and gets a lefty matchup. While the price is low, keep investing. Tampa Bay as a whole is a sneaky good stack against left-hander J.A. Happ.
Other Outfielders to consider:Steven Souza Jr. ($4,900), A.J. Pollock ($5,400), Giancarlo Stanton ($5,850), Preston Tucker ($4,250), Gerardo Parra ($4,300), Charlie Blackmon ($5,000), Carlos Gonzalez ($4,900)
