RADIO
Well, I’m sorry for those of you who went with Gerrit Cole last night. It hurts me to say that I felt an outing like that coming, especially because I’m a Pirates fan. The good news, however, is that outing is out of the way, and he can go ahead and continue being successful from here on out. My Ryan Vogelsong lineup did pretty well, and Cole struggling was definitely a big reason why I shot up the leaderboard. Let’s try to find Friday’s Vogelsong.
We have 15 games on the schedule for Friday, June 26th, like a normal Friday, they all start later than 7 pm. That gives us 30 pitchers and over 250 batters to choose from. These are situations that allow people like you and me who do their homework are light years ahead of those who don’t. Let’s get down to business.
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Offenses to Target for FanDuel DFS
Detroit Tigers (vs. Jose Quintana, LHP)
The Tigers are able to throw out a pretty solid lineup against lefties and righties, but with Victor Martinez seemingly back to full form, their order against lefties looks unstoppable. Jose Quintana has certainly had his ups and downs this year, and I don’t see any reason why this game would be an up for him. Hitter at the top of the lineup like Rajai Davis, Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera, and Victor Martinez all can crush lefties. It can be a very expensive stack that way, so don’t overlook players in the lower half of the lineup like James McCann to give you some salary relief. Quintana should have a rough day tomorrow, just like Carlos Rodon did against the same team on Thursday.
Washington Nationals (vs. Aaron Harang, RHP)
I had an oddly hard time finding any stacks that I loved within this huge Friday slate. So, I went with the Nats. It’s tough to predict what kind of day the Nationals are going to have at the plate, but I think we can all predict that Max Scherzer will be doing his thing on the other side of the ball. Aaron Harang is no Scherzer. Some lefty bats like Denard Span, Bryce Harper, and Clint Robinson should be good plays against the righty pitcher. Meanwhile Wilson Ramos is hitting the crap out of everything right now. I’m sure you could find three bats to go along with Scherzer to make a nice little Nats stack.
Honorable Mentions: Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics
DFS Starting Pitchers to Target for FanDuel
Max Scherzer (SP, WAS) - $12,500
This pick should need no explanation. Coming off his no-hitter against the Pirates, Scherzer gets one of the easiest possible matchups as a follow-up. The Phillies showed glimmers of good hitting, scoring 11 runs twice in a row against the Yankees earlier in the week. However, they came back down to earth very quickly, and we all know who the real Phillies are. Scherzer should have quite the day on Friday, and he belongs in every single cash game lineup. Heck, maybe he’ll get another chance at a perfect game!
Francisco Liriano (SP, PIT) - $9,900
There are a few possibilities out there if you’re looking for a lower-priced tournament play other than Scherzer. Liriano has one of the better matchups against the Braves. With Freddie Freeman, the Braves had the potential for RBIs every eight outs. Without Freeman, the lineup seems empty. There aren’t really any dangerous bats other than the resurging Cameron Maybin. Although he had a rough start his last time out, Liriano has been regressing back to his younger form in 2015. Not only is his K-rate back up to an elite status, but his WHIP is down as well. This is key, as Liriano’s biggest pitfall in the last couple of years has been his untimely walks. The lefty should be able to take care of a depleted Braves lineup on Friday, and hopefully the good Pirates bats show up to help him out.
DFS Infielders to Target for FanDuel
Yan Gomes (C, CLE) - $2,300
Gomes has been less than impressive this season. His 37 wRC+ steers a lot of stat-lookers away. However, Gomes has a career .300 BA against left-handed pitchers. In a lineup full of lefties, Gomes gets a nice matchup against Wei-Yin Chen on Friday.
Logan Morrison (1B, SEA) - $2,400
Morrison hits considerably better against righties than lefties. His just-above average wRC+ doesn’t draw major attention from FanDuel players, but he is in a nice situation on Friday. Matt Shoemaker has had homerun trouble in the past, and the Mariners are bound to find more power outside of their pitcher-friendly park. Morrison just might slug his 10th home run of the year on Friday.
Ian Kinsler (2B, DET) - $2,800
Second base is a tough position to find value on Friday. Kinsler has always crushed lefties in his career, and he gets a mediocre one in Quintana on Friday. Whether he’s part of your stack or solo, he deserves to be in a lot of lineups.
Luis Valbuena (3B, HOU) - $3,900
Although his average is flirting with the Mendoza Line, he has hit 19 home runs this year. Better yet, 14 of those homers have come against righties. Nate Eovaldi is by no means an ace, and Valbuena is always a threat for a bomb or two.
Elvis Andrus (SS, TEX) - $2,600
The majority of the Rangers are at a disadvantage against left-handed pitchers, but Andrus has always been the opposite. The shortstop has been a fantasy disappointment despite all the surrounding hype, but he has hits in nine of his last 12 games lately, and he’s come to life a little more in 2015. Luckily, we only need production for one night. For a decent price, Andrus could return some good value.
DFS Outfielders to Target for FanDuel
Giancarlo Stanton (OF, MIA) - $5,100
If you have money to spend on an outfielder, you have to go with Stanton. He has continued to crush lefties again and again, and he carries an insane .498 wOBA against them. I wouldn’t want to be Brett Anderson on Friday.
Gregor Blanco (OF, SF) - $2,600
Blanco is quietly having one of the best seasons of his career… Against righties that is. He has a very respectable .367 wOBA against right-handed pitchers, and has succeeded in every aspect filling in for the injured Hunter Pence and Nori Aoki. Chad Bettis has been decent in 2015 so far, but he’s no reason to steer away from the success that Blanco is having.
Alex Guerrero (OF, LAD) - $2,200
As one of this year’s biggest fantasy headaches, Guerrero is still fighting for any playing time he can get. He has been considerably better against lefties, and the Dodgers have plenty of lefty hitters that he could spell. Guerrero has shown he has the power to leave the park even in a place like Marlins Park. If he makes the lineup on Friday, he could provide some great value against an amateur pitcher in Justin Nicolino.
Good luck with your FanDuel and DFS lineups RotoBallers!
DFS Q&A with Max Petrie @ 6PM on 6/26
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