Yahoo DFS Baseball: Friday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Friday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Brad Peacock, HOU vs. TOR ($45): Peacock's return to the rotation for the injured Lance McCullers is just what many fantasy owners want to see. He possesses elite upside, owning a 32.7 percent strikeout rate to go along with a 2.93 ERA, and comes with one of baseball's best offenses adding to his win probability. The Jays are in the bottom third on offense against righties, ranking 22nd with a .313 wOBA and –21.8 wRAA.

Kevin Gausman, BAL vs. DET ($37): Surely I'm not alone in that the minute I trust Gausman, he turns around and has another combustible outing. But at this price, paired with his recent form, there's not going to be much greater upside for your dollar. Gausman has struck out eight in each of his last three starts, allowing just one over that span, a stretch of 20.2 innings. The Tigers own a 22.0 percent strikeout rate against righties, while owning just a .316 wOBA and 95 wRC+.

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Catcher

Brian McCann, HOU vs. TOR ($11): McCann, fellow catcher Evan Gattis and outfielder Jake Marisnick are the only Astro regulars who check in under $16 in this contest, making it tough to buy into this lineup against a struggling Cesar Valdez, who has allowed eight runs over his last 9.2 innings. McCann's .308 wOBA and 93 wRC+ aren't superb in the grand scheme of things, but at his position they'll play.

First Base

C.J. Cron, LAA vs. OAK ($10): Cron splits time with Luis Valbuena with no clear rhyme or reason to starting pitcher handedness, so you'll need to be sure he's in the lineup, which carries plenty of risk with a 10:07 p.m. Eastern first pitch. But Cron could make for a nice tournament gamble if he's in the lineup. He's gone deep four times in 13 games since the All-Star break, owning a whopping .592 wOBA, 289 wRC+ and 1.456 OPS against righties since July 16.

Second Base

Alen Hanson, CWS at BOS ($7): Hanson comes with nearly no risk, and while he lacks power upside, he's 7-for-17 over his last six appearances and owns a respectable .398 wOBA and 151 wRC+ against lefties. Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez has allowed 11 runs over his last 14.2 innings, allowing a .362 wOBA to righties.

Third Base

Joey Gallo, TEX at MIN($19): Stacking against Bartolo Colon may be a bit lazy, but it remains a successful strategy, even if it is obvious and popular. You're paying a premium here for Gallo's potential long flies, something he'd done four times in his last three games. He's shown no discernible difference between home and road games, and owns an overall .357 wOBA, 120 wRC+ and .346 ISO against righties, whom he's hit 23 of his 29 homers against. Colon is allowing opposite-handed bats to post a .446 wOBA and 1.066 OPS against him at home.

Shortstop

Eduardo Escobar, MIN vs. TEX ($11): This game has the second-highest total of the day at 10.5, and Escobar checks in third among Twin regulars against left-handed pitching, owning a .374 wOBA, 133 wRC+ and modest .225 ISO, as he's hit six of his 10 homers against them. Rangers starter Martin Perez has a 7.03 ERA over 24.1 second-half innings, and is allowing righties to post a .371 wOBA against him.

Outfield

Andrew McCutchen, PIT vs. SD ($25): McCutchen has simply destroyed lefties to date, to the tune of a .513 wOBA, 223 wRC+, .481 ISO and 1.292 OPS, numbers that have been better in most instances across the board since the break (.609, 286, .800, 1.133 respectively). He's taken Padres starter Travis Wood deep three times in 34 career at bats against, and Wood has a 7.36 road ERA while allowing opposite-handed hitters to post a .365 wOBA against him to date.

Manuel Margot, SD at PIT ($14): Margot has swung well since the break, batting .333 (.366 wOBA with only a 1.5 percent walk rate), owning eight multi-hit games in 15 outings. Pirates' starter Ivan Nova is going in the opposite direction since his time off, allowing 14 earned runs in three starts, spanning 16.0 innings. In that stretch, he's allowed righties to post a .393 wOBA and .965 OPS against.

Jackie Bradley, Jr., BOS vs. CWS ($11): White Sox starter Carlos Rodon has struggled on the road (6.89 ERA) and against same-handed batters (.378 wOBA, .887 OPS against). That should be what the doctor ordered for Bradley to break out of his current slump (15-of-77, .195 BA since the All-Star break). Bradley has hit lefties well, owning a .399 wOBA, 148 wRC+ and .940 OPS, tops amongst BoSox regulars.

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.
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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.
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