This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
PITCHER
Wei-Yin Chen, MIA vs PHI, ($8,000): Friday's slate of games is kind of crazy when it comes to picking a starting pitcher given that 15 are at this price or higher. Chen appears to be the best value of any around $8K given that he's had games of 35, 38, 33 and 31 fantasy points in his last eight starts. He gets a fantastic matchup against the Phillies, a team that isn't familiar with the newcomer to the National League. On top of Chen's early season success, the Phillies have the second-worst wOBA against left-handed pitching (.250). While Miami's ballpark has turned more hitter-friendly it still plays better as a pitchers' park than Camden Yards.
CATCHER
Dioner Navarro, CWS vs MIN, ($2,400): Navarro has gotten off to a decent start this season with .868 OPS even though his batting average sits at .180. He's hit two home runs over his last nine games and has a better matchup at home than on the road taking on the Twins. The price is only $400 more than the minimum and as with many players in baseball, he has some great BvP numbers against Ricky Nolasco, going 7-for-15 with three extra base hits including a home run.
FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez, LAA at TOR, ($2,800): Gonzalez has been in a bit of a slump but a trip north of the border could be exactly what he needs. While a matchup with Marcus Stroman isn't ideal, Gonzalez has hit right-handed pitching to the tune of a .379 wOBA for his career. Rogers Centre is one of the better hitters' parks in baseball and in a small sample (43 innings) Stroman has struggled more at home than away this season.
SECOND BASE
Brandon Phillips, CIN vs MIL, ($2,300): This pick is a case for riding the hot hand, as Phillips finds himself in a nice spot batting cleanup behind Joey Votto and in front of Jay Bruce. While Phillips could only cash in with a sacrifice fly in a bases loaded situation in the first inning Thursday night, he promptly made up for it with a two-run home run the next inning. He has home runs in consecutive games, and he'll look to make it three in a row Friday against Tyler Cravy, who will be making his first start of the season and gave up a .371 wOBA in a limited sample to right-handed hitters last season.
THIRD BASE
Kyle Seager, SEA at HOU, ($3,600): If you're looking for a contrarian play at third base, pivoting off Josh Donaldson or Manny Machado and going with Seager is a good play. Seager has caught fire, posting games of 34.9, six, 12.7, 31.7, 12.7 fantasy points, and he had a triple in his first at-bat Thursday night. Seager's opponent, Doug Fister, has given up a whopping .410 wOBA to lefties this season and Minute Maid Park is a much better hitters' park than Safeco Field.
SHORTSTOP
Wilmer Flores, NYM at SDP, ($2,200): Flores is an excellent punt play given how thin shortstop typically is and going on the road to Petco will make owners shy away. Flores has games of 18.7 fantasy points in two of his last three starts and absolutely crushed southpaws like Drew Pomeranz last season. Flores has a .401 wOBA against lefties last season and hit even better on the road, posting a .452 mark. He's going to fly under the radar but offers a lot of upside and salary cap relief.
OUTFIELD
Jacoby Ellsbury, NYY vs BOS, ($3,100): Ellsbury might be finally waking up from an early-season slump, as went 6-for-11 over his last three games, averaging 20.4 fantasy points per start, before going 0-for-4 on Thursday. For his career, Ellsbury has a .341 wOBA against right-handed pitching and gets Rick Porcello at home Friday. While Porcello is off to a nice start, Ellsbury has gone 12-for-28 (1.377 OPS) against him for his career, including four home runs. Yankee Stadium has always been a nice hitters' park for lefties and Friday should be a high-scoring affair in the Bronx.
Gregory Polanco, PIT at STL, ($3,100): Polanco appears to be heading into a big breakout season as his OPS currently sits at .915, 214 points higher than last season. The key for Polanco has been patience at the plate, as he has a 17:19 K:BB ratio this year. His track record against Carlos Martinez is stellar as well, going 8-for-13 with four walks, good for a 1.629 OPS. Don't forget that even with Yadier Molina behind the plate Polanco is always a threat to steal.
David Peralta, ARI at ATL, ($2,900): Only a couple of days ago he smashed a home run off Jose Fernandez and Peralta has a place cemented in the heart of the Diamondbacks' lineup. Hitting behind Paul Goldschmidt against right-handed pitching is a great spot for him considering his .397 wOBA last season against those pitchers. A hitter in his prime, Peralta should be able to take advantage of the matchup against Aaron Blair on Friday.
