This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Well, at this point Saturday is about college football and Sunday is about the NFL. Fridays, though, can still be about MLB. It's a great way to kick the weekend off in style. There are 12 games on the DFS docket, with the first pitch at 4:05 p.m. ET. Onto the lineup recommendations!
Pitching
Zack Wheeler, PHI at MIA ($10,000): Wheeler is perhaps taken for granted at this point. He just goes out there year in and year out averaging over a strikeout per inning and allowing less than one homer per start. This year his ERA is down to 2.63 as well. Miami is 29th in runs scored and has a sub-.300 OBP as a team, so Wheeler should be able to add to his top-notch resume.
Kevin Gausman, TOR at ATL ($8,000): Over his last 10 starts, Gausman has a 3.14 ERA. All in all, though, he has some striking splits. In Toronto, Gausman has a 5.49 ERA. On the road, he has a 2.52 ERA. Atlanta is average in terms of runs scored, but also lacking key hitters, including Ronald Acuna.
Erick Fedde, STL vs. SEA ($7,700): Fedde's performance has dropped off after he left the White Sox. However, on the season he has a 3.43 ERA, and this matchup is one he should still be able to manage. The Mariners are in the bottom five in runs scored, but what is notable is that they are last in team batting average. Yes, even below the aforementioned White Sox.
Top Targets
While Rafael Devers ($6,000) has been cold since returning from injury, this could be just what he needs. He has an 1.031 OPS versus righties and also a .972 OPS at Fenway Park. David Martin is a righty, and while he has a 3.62 ERA, he also has a 4.20 FIP.
As his batting average has dropped, Riley Greene ($5,000) has shown more patience to keep his OBP up at .350. Also, he's selling out more when he does swing, and his .474 slugging percentage shows how that has worked out. Greene also has an .876 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. In and out of the rotation as a rookie, Mitch Spence has a 4.50 ERA. Oakland has a spacious ballpark, but Greene has the speed to hit doubles and triples.
Bargain Bats
Though Andres Gimenez ($3,900) doesn't have much power, that can be hard to find at second base as is. What the lefty provides is doubles power and speed, as he has 20 two-baggers and 25 stolen bases in 132 games. Landon Knack has been called back up from Triple-A, but while he has a 3.00 ERA, he has a 4.72 FIP.
Over the last three weeks Lars Nootbaar ($3,300) has a .916 OPS. Since 2021 he has a .798 OPS against righties as well. Bryce Miller has shown a striking disparity in his career. At home, he has a 2.79 ERA in his career. On the road, though, he has a 4.98 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies at Marlins (Edward Cabrera): Kyle Schwarber ($5,900), Bryce Harper ($5,400), Bryson Stott ($4,000)
Cabrera's career is heading in the wrong direction. Technically, he's walking fewer batters, but he's still walked 4.97 batters per nine innings. However, his HR/9 rate is up to 1.66, and his ERA is up to 5.33. Since Cabrera is a righty, I have landed on three lefties for this stack.
Having picked up three homers in a game recently, it feels like Schwarber hasn't given up on having 40 homers for the third season in a row. He tends to show more power on the road as well, and this year he's slugged .530 away from Philly. In addition to hitting .280, Harper could hit 30 homers and 40 doubles this season. While his performance against righties is down, because he's one of the best hitters in the world, he still has an .888 OPS in those matchups. Stott has hit a bit worse this year, but he still has 11 homers to go with 29 stolen bases. Over the last two weeks he has an .822 OPS as well.
Royals vs. Twins (Zebby Matthews): Bobby Witt ($6,600), Michael Massey ($4,500), MJ Melendez ($3,500)
Matthews did pitch well at high-A and double-A, but MLB is a long way from that. Even Triple-A was tough on Matthews, as he had a 5.68 ERA in four starts there. Now, he has a 7.41 ERA through four MLB starts. Lefties have hit a whopping .341 against him, so I have two southpaws in this stack.
Witt is a righty, but he's going to have a 30/30 season and win a batting title, so why quibble? On top of that he has an 1.027 OPS versus his fellow righties and an 1.136 OPS at home. Massey is a lefty, and he has 11 homers and two triples in 79 games. Notably, he's slugged .503 at home. Melendez has an .800 OPS over the last three weeks. He can't hit lefties at all, but he has a .761 OPS versus righties, and he's hit all 17 of his home runs in those matchups.
