Thursday was light for MLB, but Friday returns to normal service with 13 games on the DFS slate with the first pitches coming at 7:05 p.m. EDT. To kick your weekend off in style, here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Shota Imanaga, CHC at CWS ($9,900): I don't really need to be convinced to target the White Sox with the opposing pitcher as they rank 27th in runs scored while listing a .652 OPS. Imanaga is also having a solid season by posting a 1.33 road ERA on top of a 2.75 across his MLB career.
MacKenzie Gore, WAS at MIN ($8,700): I know Gore is coming off a brutal start, yet he still has a 3.59 ERA overall alongside a 3.19 FIP while his K/9 rate is at 11.18. The Twins may not be within the bottom-10 in offense, but they're one of a few teams that could easily fall into that group.
Michael Wacha, KAN vs. CLE ($7,700): Two clubs facing each other sitting bottom-five in runs scored. Get ready for a barnburner! Wacha has only allowed a single run in each of his last two outings. That's not the norm for him, though his 2025 home ERA is 2.72. While I can't vouch for Wacha's potential run support, the matchup is at least worth a shot.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Targets
July has been joyous for Kyle Schwarber ($5,900). Even setting aside his All-Star Game heroics, he's registered an 1.044 OPS this month with nine homers. Schwarber will face Will Warren at Yankee Stadium on Friday in a park that's often kind to lefties. So is Warren, who's let lefties hit .293 against during his career.
Through 102 games, Julio Rodriguez ($4,500) has 17 doubles, three triples, and 20 stolen bases. I didn't mention his home runs for a reason. Jose Soriano is elite at keeping the ball in the park, but has struggled to a 5.65 home ERA this year. Rodriguez offers the kind of speed to take advantage of Soriano's issues. And away from Seattle's hitter-hindering park, he's produced an .850 OPS.
Bargain Bats
From the "Wait, really?" files, Ramon Laureano ($4,200) is batting .277 and slugging .521 for the Orioles and popped his 14th homer of the campaign on Thursday. He's also slugged .470 against lefties since 2023. Kyle Freeland, a southpaw, may not be at Coors Field on Friday, but it really doesn't matter as his road ERA the last three seasons is 5.23.
Alright, that's enough outfielders. You need some players to consider elsewhere, such as second baseman Brice Matthews ($2,900). He's only been up with the Astros since Jul. 11, yet the team thought highly enough of him to move Jose Altuve back to the outfield. Matthews is considered Houston's best offensive prospect and posted an .876 OPS at Triple-A. I'll roll the dice on him Friday as the lefty Jeffrey Springs has recorded a 4.70 FIP in his first season with the Athletics and just gave up five runs over four innings versus the Guardians.
Stacks to Consider
Rays at Reds (Nick Martinez): Junior Caminero ($4,900), Chandler Simpson ($4,600), Jonathan Aranda ($4,500)
Martinez is starting regularly for the first time since 2017. His K/9 rate is down to 6.28 and his ERA is up to 4.73. I have two righties in this stack even though Martinez is right-handed since righties have gone .291 against this year.
Caminero has slugged .545 against his fellow righties compared to .452 against lefties. He's also been much better at home, though the Reds have a hitter-friendly park. Caminero has still managed to produce nine homers on the road, even if that pales in comparison to the other 17. Simpson doesn't offer any power, but he's hit .308 and stolen 31 bases across 59 games. And for what it's worth, he's slugged .405 on the road. The lefty Aranda has batted .318 with 21 doubles and a whopping 25.1 percent of his hits as liners and only 12.3 qualifying as soft. He's posted a .919 against righties, so more frozen ropes in the middle of July could be coming.
Nationals at Twins (Zebby Matthews): James Wood ($5,400), CJ Abrams ($5,300), Josh Bell ($3,200)
It's tricky for Matthews and Minnesota. He would appear to be too good for Triple-A at this point, yet isn't ready for MLB. He slumped to a 6.69 ERA through nine starts last year and is currently at a 6.26 through five appearances. Both lefties and righties have hit .306 against Matthews during his big-league career. This is essentially a three-lefty stack as Bell is a switch-hitter.
Wood has improved across-the-board as a sophomore batting .272 with 24 home runs and 14 steals. It's not surprising that he's hit righties well and has also managed an .884 OPS against lefties. After 20 homers and 31 stolen bases in 2024, Abrams is at 13 and 20 so far. The shortstop has once again experienced issues at home, but lists a .995 road OPS. Bell has been better against righties (.776 OPS) and on the road (.736) this season. I like having him here as he's been hot by notching a .970 OPS the last three weeks.
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