This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
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A "normal" Friday slate, and one that does not feature a matchup at Coors Field in Colorado.
Weather is likely an issue, especially in the Midwest, so be sure to keep an extra eye on the forecasts throughout the weekend.
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Pitcher
Gerrit Cole, HOU vs. TEX ($12,100) -- I usually look away from the highest-priced pitcher on the board on DraftKings, but this slate is an exception. Cole has been very sharp in his first two starts with the Astros, he's at home in a pitcher-friendly environment, the Astros' bats should have little difficulty handling Cole Hamels, and the Rangers' lineup is thinned out at the present time with Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor and Delino DeShields Jr. on the 10-day DL. Paying the premium for Cole becomes easier with the next two-most expensive arms matched up against each other, and with a few interesting options at $8,500 or less.
Also in play among the pricey starters: Mike Clevinger, CLE vs. TOR ($9,500), Kenta Maeda, LAD vs. AZ ($10,000), Zack Greinke AZ at LAD ($11,300).
Fade: Marcus Stroman, TOR at CLE ($9,300) -- While it's almost certain that Stroman will be lightly used in tournaments, the Indians' lineup is one that generally avoids striking out (17.0% K% against righties is tied for the best team split on the slate with the Astros, who fanned at exact same clip against lefties last season and have a Friday matchup with Cole Hamels). Factoring in the road matchup, and that he's not a high K% starter anyway, it would make more sense to use Tanner Roark at home against Colorado as a potential lower-owned mid-tier arm.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Jordan Montgomery, NYY at DET ($7,100) -- The Tigers used to be a matchup to avoid for lefties, but now that Justin Upton and Ian Kinsler are gone, and Miguel Cabrera appears to be a couple years away from his peak level of production, those fears should be alleviated. Montgomery compares favorably to most of the pitchers on the board outside of the three most expensive options on this slate (Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke and Kenta Maeda). Road matchups aren't always ideal, but the upgrade for Montgomery from an extreme hitter-friendly park (Yankee Stadium) to a slightly hitter-friendly environment (Comerica Park) is a significant one. Budget permitting, Eduardo Rodriguez ($8,500) is an even better play than Montgomery if you can afford it.
Catcher
Max Stassi, HOU vs. TEX ($3,200) -- First, be sure to check the lineup to verify that Stassi gets the nod over Brian McCann, since the Astros were off Thursday and Stassi was behind the plate for the final game of the series against the Twins on Wednesday. He'll likely hit in the bottom third of the order, but the aim here is to get salary relief in a nice matchup. Stassi has been very productive at Triple-A (.338/.430/.613) and during his limited time in Houston (.294/.400/.588) since the start of last season. If Stassi is on the bench, Evan Gattis ($3,600) should be in the lineup as the DH for Houston and he's a better option from cash perspective, but perfectly viable in GPPs as well. One other consideration for GPPs on Friday if he gets the nod: Pedro Severino ($2,700 vs. COL).
First Base
Justin Bour, MIA vs. PIT ($2,900) -- There are better plays at the position if you've got $4,000 or more to spend (Ryan Zimmerman against Kyle Freeland, in particular), but Bour's discounted price against Pittsburgh righty Chad Kuhl is the best value option. Kuhl has allowed a .372 wOBA to left-handed hitters over the last two seasons -- the third-worst mark of the 26 pitches on the evening slate Friday. Meanwhile, Bour's body of work against right-handed pitching is very impressive. Since the start of the 2016 season, his 129 wRC+ against righties equals the mark of Paul Goldschmidt, and ranks in the top-40 among qualified hitters (min. 200 PA).
Second Base
Josh Harrison, PIT at MIA ($3,900) -- Dillon Peters is starting for Miami on Friday night, and while he mixed three pitches and limited free passes consistently in the minors, it very fair to question how effective he'll be at least initially against big-league hitters. Harrison's regular move into the leadoff role against southpaws paired with his splits against lefties make him an interesting play when the matchups fall this way. One additional note of interest: The road matchup at Marlins Park is generally one that leaves a hitter with a significant power downgrade, but as right-handed hitters go, Marlins Park and PNC Park are dead-even over the past three seasons.
Third Base
Anthony Rendon, WAS vs. COL ($4,400) -- Rendon vs. Alex Bregman given the small difference in price ($100) on Friday is nearly a coin flip. I'll pay the extra money for Rendon in this case, since his matchup against Kyle Freeland is slightly more favorable. Targeting Freeland with the Nats' right-handed hitters is appealing thanks to Freeland's 12.4% K% against righties over the last two seasons -- only Ty Blach misses bats in that split less frequently than Freeland. Speaking of Blach, Christian Villanueva ($3,400) is a cheaper pivot for those interested in steering away from Rendon with a high-risk, high-reward target in San Diego.
Shortstop
Trea Turner, WAS vs. COL ($4,500) -- Shortstop is slightly thinned out with Elvis Andrus and Xander Bogaerts on the DL, which is leading me toward the top-end of the price list for now. With Adam Eaton on the DL, the Nats have moved Turner back into a tablesetting role, and he's hit first or second in the order in each of the last three games entering play Friday night. For a speedster like Turner, a matchup against a starter who has struggled to miss bats against righties is excellent, since his speed makes him dangerous on nearly every ball in play.
Outfield
Hunter Renfroe, SD vs. SFG ($3,700) -- Renfroe hit a three-run homer against Rockies right-handed Bryan Shaw on Tuesday night, instead of mashing one against lefty Tyler Anderson. Sometimes a good process leads to a bad result when it shouldn't. Sometimes a good process leads to a good result when it shouldn't. In any case, the general approach with Renfroe is pretty simple. He crushes lefties, and the price rarely reflects it -- for DFS purposes, he's very similar to Wilmer Flores. Giants southpaw Ty Blach yields as much contact as any pitcher in the game right now, and Renfroe has shown an ability to do elite damage against lefties.
Domingo Santana, MIL at NYM ($3,000) -- The Brewers won't have Christian Yelich back until Sunday at the earliest and Eric Thames is almost certainly yielding first base to Jesus Aguilar on Friday, so Santana should be in the lineup again even with Ryan Braun playing left field. Steven Matz is a talented pitcher whose career has been unfortunately marred by injuries. Although he has a slight reverse split, with a respectable 22.8% K% against righties, Matz's tendency to serve up homers to righties at an elevated clip (1.46 HR/9 since 2016) makes this one of the best matchups on the board thanks to Santana's deflated price.
Derek Dietrich, MIA vs. PIT ($3,000) -- Fearful of a high Justin Bour ownership rate in tournaments? It could prove to be justified, but perhaps Dietrich will check in at a lower clip despite the fact that he's getting chance to lead off for the Marlins as a result of Lewis Brinson's early-season slump. As noted above, Chad Kuhl's biggest weakness right now is finding ways to get lefties out, and Dietrich's splits against righties have been very good in three of the last four seasons, with his early 122 wRC+ in 2018 falling in line with his 122 and 119 marks in 2015 and 2016, respectively (last season, he dipped to 99).
