Yahoo DFS Baseball: Friday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Friday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Jacob deGrom, NYM vs. PHI ($50): deGrom is finding his groove, having lasted at least eight innings in each of his last three outings, all of which resulted in wins. That he allowed only two runs in that span while striking out 19 appears to be gravy, and he comes a few bucks cheaper than Lance McCullers and Alex Wood, with a seemingly softer matchup. Philadelphia carries a .300 wOBA and 83 wRC+ against righties into the contest.

Austin Bibens-Dirkx, TEX at CWS ($30): Bibens-Dirkx has been superb in his two road starts, owning a 1.29 ERA over 14.0 innings, allowing a .212 wOBA and .492 OPS. The downside here is a lack of strikeouts, as he fanned only five batters in those starts and has a mere 14.4 percent strikeout rate overall. But he's affordable and should get fair run support from his offense against Mike Pelfrey. The White Sox counter with an 83 wRC+ and .150 ISO against righties.

[Sign up for a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest today]

[Free entry into MLB Yahoo Cup: $25K in prizes]

Catcher

Matt Wieters, WAS vs. STL ($8): Wieters went 0-for-4 Thursday and has started four games in a row, so he could be due a day off Friday. Assuming he starts again however, he's worth a look at this bottom tier price against a struggling Mike Leake. Leake owns a 3.12 ERA and 1.09 WHIP on the year, but those numbers have ballooned to 5.16 and 1.45 in June, respectively. During that stretch, he's allowed lefties to post a .360 wOBA against him while only striking them out at a 13.1 percent clip. Wieters has limited upside (.280 wOBA against righties to date) but has taken them deep twice since June 16.

First Base

Marwin Gonzalez, HOU vs. NYY ($13): Yanks starter Michael Pineda has struggled on the road, and in June, owning a 6.25 ERA and 5.86 ERA respectively, and he's allowed lefties to post a .443 wOBA and 1.062 OPS outside of Yankee Stadium. That all seems to play right into Gonzalez's .427 wOBA and 173 wRC+ against righties.

Second Base

Ian Happ, CHC at CIN ($15): Happ is in a bit of a slump, especially with his power, having not gone deep in his last eight starts. That said, he brings a .385 wOBA and .278 ISO against lefties and has a 40.3 percent fly ball rate and 29.6 homer to fly ball rate against righties. That should play well against Scott Feldman's 35.7 fly ball rate and 20 percent homer to fly ball rate at home against lefties.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado, COL at ARI ($18): Nine other players check in at a matching price or higher, making the MVP candidate a bargain on name recognition alone. He's got a .523 wOBA and 220 wRC+ on the road against lefties, while D'Backs' starter Robbie Ray is coming back to Earth a bit, allowing 14 hits and six runs in his last two starts, spanning 11.2 innings.

Shortstop

Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM vs. PHI ($13): Cabrera was 0-for-3 entering the seventh inning Thursday night, but even with that included, he's been sizzling since returning from the DL six games ago, to the tune of 10-of-24 with three extra-base hits, three runs scored, two RBI and four walks. Phils' starter Ben Lively has a 4.66 ERA .396 wOBA allowed to lefties on the road.

Outfield

Justin Upton, DET vs. CLE ($21): Admittedly, I have a bit of a hard time justifying Upton as the seventh-highest priced player at his position, as he's quite feast or famine. But Friday looks like a good spot for him against Josh Tomlin. Upton has a .353 wOBA, 119 wRC+ and .239 ISO at home against righties. Tomlin has a 5.50 road ERA and has allowed a .377 wOBA to righties and only an 18.3 percent strikeout rate, limiting his chances to take advantage of Upton's 30.3 percent fan rate against same-handed pitchers.

Ryan Braun, MIL vs. MIA ($18): Braun's price remains low compared to his potential in his third game back since being activated from the DL. He's collected four hits, including a homer, in that small span and brings a .354 wOBA and 114 wRC+ into a matchup against Edinson Volquez, whom he's 14-of-46 (.304) against in his career.

Bradley Zimmer, CLE at DET ($14): Zimmer has had little trouble adjusting to big-league pitching since his debut, and he owns a .388 wOBA, 142 wRC+ and .913 OPS against righties, numbers that rise to .437/176/1.026 respectively on the road. Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez has a 7.59 ERA at home, where he also has a 23.1 percent homer-to-fly ball rate. He's also allowed lefties to lift the ball 48.0 percent of the time.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Bennett plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: k30kittles, DraftKings: k30kittles.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
College Baseball Picks for Friday, April 26
College Baseball Picks for Friday, April 26
MLB DFS: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 26
MLB DFS: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 26
What Does It Mean for Jared Jones to Be This Good This Early?
What Does It Mean for Jared Jones to Be This Good This Early?
MLB FAAB Factor: More Than the NFL Draft Happening
MLB FAAB Factor: More Than the NFL Draft Happening
Mound Musings: Their Stock Is on the Rise
Mound Musings: Their Stock Is on the Rise
Los Angeles Dodgers-Washington Nationals, Expert MLB Picks for Thursday, April 25
Los Angeles Dodgers-Washington Nationals, Expert MLB Picks for Thursday, April 25