FantasyDraft, the only site offering 100% rake-free contests, allows for a lot more freedom when it comes to MLB lineup construction. Two pitchers, three infielders, three outfielders, and two utility players makes building your lineups a lot of fun.
Friday night brings us a lucky 13-game MLB slate on FantasyDraft. Finding value on the hitting side appears to be a challenge on this slate so you may have to save a few bucks on the mound to fit in the hitters you are comfortable with rostering. I have tried to build some flexibility into my recommendation for the slate. Let’s start the weekend off with a bang!
As always, be sure to pay close attention to the lineups when they are released and monitor the weather leading up to game time. For reference throughout the season, be sure to bookmark our overview of MLB Park Factors and how to Use Weather to Your Advantage in MLB DFS.
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Pitchers
Jack Flaherty (STL): $17,600 vs. COL
I’m only writing up one pitcher on this slate since determining your second slot will depend on how much hitting you want to pay up for. The first pitcher I’m locking in his Flaherty pitching at home as a sizeable Vegas favorite against the Rockies. We all know the Rockies outside of Coors Field is a different team at the plate. Meanwhile, Flaherty has been dealing recently allowing two or fewer runs in eight straight starts while posting an 0.89 ERA and 32.1% strikeout rate during that stretch. For the season, he has also been better at home than on the road with a 2.89 ERA and 30.6% strikeout rate. It also won’t hurt that there is a pitcher-friendly umpire behind the plate. Good environment and good price make Flaherty a must start in my book.
Other Notables
- Lance Lynn (TEX): $20,400 @ CWS
- Jose Berrios (MIN): $19,600 vs. DET
- Vince Velasquez (PHI): $15,100 @ MIA
Hitters
Francisco Lindor (IF – CLE): $9,800 vs. KC
Lindor is the epitome of the batter versus pitcher (BvP) crowd on Friday’s slate. In his career versus Royals righty Jakob Junis, Lindor has gone 15-for-29 with three doubles and three homers. He has collected at least one hit in 14 of his last 15 games and has a .369 wOBA and .242 ISO versus righties this season. Meanwhile, Junis has allowed a .342 wOBA and 1.39 HR/9 to lefties this season. Whether you are a BvP truther or opponent, Lindor is still a strong option on Friday night.
Michael Conforto (OF – NYM): $9,300 vs. ATL
I have found a lot more infielders that interest me than in the outfield on this slate. Conforto is one of the mid-range options that piques my interest the most in a home matchup against righty Mike Foltynewicz. After a breakout season last year, Foltynewicz has struggled with injuries and poor performance this season including serving up a .371 wOBA and 2.63 HR/9 to lefties on the road. That fits right into Conforto’s sweet spot as he has crushed righties at home this season with a .424 wOBA and .355 ISO.
Manny Machado (IF – SD): $8,100 vs. BOS
While Lindor is an option for the BvP crowd, Machado would probably get crossed off the list for the same reason. He hasn’t had much success against Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez during his career with a .182 batting average and no homers in 33 at-bats. Instead of leaning only on BvP numbers, I’ll consider Machado’s success against lefties this season instead where he has posted a .451 wOBA and .354 ISO. While Rodriguez does have some slight reverse splits for the season, he has given up a .344 wOBA and 1.22 HR/9 to righties on the road this year. I’m looking for Machado to bust out of the BvP doldrums on Friday.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (IF – TOR): $7,200 @ SEA
You can get Guerrero for a mere $7,200 on Friday night. He is coming off a three-hit effort that included a homer in his last game. On Friday, he will face another youngster with lefty Justus Sheffield slated to make his first big league start. Sheffield had a 6.87 ERA and allowed 1.96 HR/9 in 13 outings in Triple-A this season, so I expect the “experienced” Guerrero to seize the opportunity.
Other Notables
- Alex Bregman (IF – HOU): $10,200 vs. LAA
- George Springer (OF – HOU): $9,400 vs. LAA
- Rhys Hoskins (IF/OF – PHI): $8,200 @ MIA
- Dexter Fowler (OF – STL): $8,100 vs. COL
- Franmil Reyes (OF – CLE): $7,700 vs. KC
- Randal Grichuk (OF – TOR): $7,700 @ SEA
- Jake Lamb (IF – ARI): $7,500 @ MIL
- Justin Upton (OF – LAA): $7,400 @ HOU
- Aaron Judge (OF – NYY): $7,300 @ LAD
- Ryan O’Hearn (IF – KC): $6,000 @ CLE
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Brad Richter is a Featured Writer and correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.
