This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A strange band of weather is wreaking some havoc on a few games Friday, so be sure to keep a very close eye on the forecast as updates become available in the afternoon.
All in all, it's a well-balanced slate, with three aces taking the ball, a Coors Field series on the board, and a couple unproven arms that appear to be strong targets for stacking (Eric Lauer against the Cards, Matt Koch against the Nationals).
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Pitcher
Cash: Justin Verlander, HOU vs. TEX ($11,300) -- The Rangers' lineup is trending back toward it's healthy norm, albeit without Elvis Andrus for a few more weeks. Frankly, I'm not sure it matters much. Verlander get the edge as the top pitching play on the board thanks to his matchup being at home, and Max Scherzer drawing the Diamondbacks on the road (and Chris Sale being on the road against Toronto), but the difference between their expected output Friday is miniscule. With an 82 wRC+ against right-handed pitching and a 26.6% K% as a team in that split, the Rangers are a soft target for a pitcher who has been completely lights-out since getting traded to Houston in September. In 13 regular season starts with the Astros, Verlander is 9-1 with a 1.13 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 113:16 K:BB in 87.2 innings.
Also consider: Max Scherzer, WAS at ARI ($11,700), Chris Sale, BOS at TOR ($11,200).
GPP: Trevor Bauer, CLE vs. KC ($9,500) -- Attempting to pick on the Royals with Dylan Bundy on Tuesday went so well, let's try it again. A lot of Coors-heavy lineups will feature Luke Weaver at ($5,900) against the Padres at Petco. Given the price and the San Diego lineup's propensity to whiff, I understand, but the ownership right might soar despite Weaver's inconsistency to begin 2018. Bauer and Kenta Maeda ($8,400 vs. CIN) are the two "second-tier" starters on Friday's slate worth considering thanks to home matchups against weak opponents. Even with the damage done at Camden Yards in their series with the Orioles, the Royals remain a below-average offense against righties (92 wRC+) with a 23.4% strikeout rate. Behind Verlander, Bauer and the Indians are the biggest favorite on the board Friday night (-255).
Cheap GPP: Luke Weaver, STL at SD ($5,900) -- Weaver offers the easiest path to loading up Colorado bats against Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff on Friday. Since getting called up last season, his ERA (4.32) and WHIP (1.30) leave plenty to be desired, but his K% during that span (26.4%) is the sixth-highest on the board of the 28 pitchers available on the main slate. The Padres' 25.9% strikeout rate against righties is the fifth-highest team split available to target, but again, the ownership rate will almost certainly be high. Jameson Taillon is in a favorable spot Friday with a home matchup against San Francisco, and at $7,400, he should check in with a slightly lower amount of interest.
Catcher/First Base
A few of the usual suspects are good plays tonight, including:
Jose Martinez, STL at SD ($3,400) -- Martinez for less than $4,000 against a lefty -- especially an inexperienced one (Eric Lauer) -- is an automatic cash-lineup consideration for me. Yes, it's still a relatively small body of work against southpaws, but there is no doubting Martinez's raw power, and his .378/.469/.732 line (1.200 OPS) against lefties is simply ridiculous. This is your bi-weekly reminder that Petco Park doesn't squash right-handed power the way it squashes left-handed power.
Yonder Alonso, CLE vs. KC ($2,600) -- Royals starter Jason Hammel has a targetable 1.20 HR/9 against lefties since the start of 2016, while his .331 wOBA allowed to left-handed hitters during that span is the fifth highest of the 28 starters pitching Friday night. Add in the park boost for left-handed homers at Progressive Field, and we're left with a nice, cheap option at first base (or utility) that frees up cash elsewhere in the lineup.
Matt Olson, OAK at NYY ($2,600) -- Olson's three-true outcomes profile has only checked two of the boxes so far (32.4% K%, 9.0% BB%) as he's slugging .372 with four homers in 129 plate appearances to begin 2018. The swing-and-miss tendencies continue to limit him to tournament use only, but a road trip to Yankee Stadium for a big power boost and a matchup against Sonny Gray (who appears to be turning things around with Austin Romine behind the dish) opens the door for a big night.
Ryon Healy, SEA at DET ($3,000) -- Healy has slugged .529 against lefties since the start of last season, and the impressive start from Matt Boyd has come with underlying velocity drops that are very concerning.
Second Base
Brian Dozier, MIN at LAA ($3,800) -- Dozier matches up with Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs, who isn't necessarily a stack target for me, but whose 1.21 HR/9 and .327 wOBA against righties are enough to use a bat or two at a thin position, which is the case Friday. Jed Lowrie ($3,700) against Sonny Gray and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium is also a nice option for those willing to pay up, but it's pretty difficult to avoid DJ LeMahieu at home against the Brewers for the same price in this tier.
Sean Rodriguez is only $2,100 if the Pirates give him a start against San Francisco lefty Andrew Suarez, which opens up a lot of flexibility to pay up elsewhere.
Third Base
Jose Ramirez, CLE vs. KC ($4,200) -- The gap between Ramirez and Travis Shaw ($4,100) at Coors is narrow, and with plenty of attention focused on the Brewers and Rockies, paying up the extra $100 to make Ramirez a key building block in lineups makes a lot of sense. As noted above with the interest in Yonder Alonso as a cheap C/1B or UT consideration, Royals starter Jason Hammel struggles against lefties, and Progressive Field is an environment that exacerbates that issue.
If the cash isn't available to spend up on Ramirez or Shaw, Alex Bregman for $3,400 against Cole Hamels is an excellent option with a mid-tier price.
Shortstop
Trea Turner, WAS at ARI ($3,800) -- I don't believe in what Matt Koch has done as a member of the Arizona rotation. Turner's top-end speed gives him plenty of paths to make value at this price, and the 7.5 over/under in the Nats-D-backs matchup is all about Max Scherzer's presence on the mound for the visitors. With plenty of other good (and great) players at similar prices ($4,000 for Carlos Correa against Cole Hamels, Didi Gregorius for $4,100 at home against righty Andrew Triggs, Jean Segura for $3,400 against a lefties, Jedd Gyorko at $2,800 and Paul DeJong at $3,500 against a lefty), ownership rates on Turner should be moderate at best.
Outfield
Tommy Pham, STL at SD ($3,700) -- Pham is a $5,000 player. He returned to the lineup Thursday went 2-for-4 with a homer, easing concerns about the groin injury that knocked him out for a few days. Yet again, he's one of several St. Louis bats I'm interested in thanks to a low price and a very favorable matchup. Marcell Ozuna is a cool $2,800 in this matchup as well.
David Dahl, COL vs. MIL ($3,400) -- I don't understand the ongoing low price of Dahl, when he gets to hit second or fourth regularly in the Colorado lineup. The Rockies are home for a four-game series with the Brewers, while Brandon Woodruff (who failed to get through three innings in his last Triple-A start) gets the start for Milwaukee. Maybe sky-high ownership rates will lead some to fade Dahl in tournaments, and the usual -- make sure he's actually starting over Cargo and Gerardo Parra -- caveat applies, but I'm comfortable using him in cash games and tournaments right now.
Rhys Hoskins, PHI vs. NYM ($4,100) -- Hoskins has homered once in the last 17 games, which may go down as his longest drought of 2018 when it's all said and done. With a home matchup against lefty Steven Matz, Hoskins has the platoon advantage and a park boost at Citizens Bank Park. Matz's greatest skills flaw is either his low K% against lefties, or his elevated home-run rate against righties (1.52 HR/9). Either way, he's far and away the Philly bat I'm most interested in most days, and Friday is no exception.
