Well unfortunately we spent up on Kershaw in the all-day lineup and he didn’t necessarily have the greatest of days (7.1 IP, 7 K, 4 ER), so we were thrust under the cash threshold. But we have a full slate ahead of us on Friday with many aces on display, so let’s hop into my picks!
Pitchers
Max Scherzer, WAS – $11,700
The Phillies lineup is on a high after emerging from an offensive assault at Coors Field to begin the week, but the perfect antidote to that success is Nationals’ hurler Max Scherzer. The former Tiger has an absurd K/9 this season of 10.48 and his pristine WHIP of 0.92 means he can go deep into games. I expect the Phillies bats to return to a dormant state on Friday, and Scherzer will be the primary beneficiary with somewhere around 7.2 IP, 9 K, and hopefully a win opposing unimpressive righty Sean O’Sullivan.
Gerrit Cole, PIT – $9,400
Six out of Cole’s eight starts have been quality starts, and he is approaching another good matchup on Friday going up against the New York Mets at home. The Mets are in the bottom third of the league as far as offensive output goes (24th in runs scored), and they have over 300 strikeouts as a team. Cole has reached at least six strikeouts in all of his starts except one, so that is a reassuring stat for DFS owners who are looking for some cash game security at a cheaper price than Mad Max or King Felix.
Other options:Â Scott Kazmir (OAK), Noah Syndergaard (NYM), Ubaldo Jimenez (BAL)
Hitters
Buster Posey, C (SF) – $4,600
Yes, he got a hefty price bump for his weekend series at Coors Field but if you’re going to want to spend big on one bat to go with your ace, Posey is your guy. He’s hitting better versus right-handed pitching so far this season (.318 BA vs .273) and six of his seven home runs have came against righties. Kyle Kendrick isn’t necessarily a world killer, and I expect the Giants stack to be a popular one on Friday. Look for the former MVP to have a great game!
Kris Bryant, 3B (CHC) – $4,000
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KB is alive and hitting well at the major league level, coming off a two-run shot to dead center against the Padres on Thursday. Bryant has a great matchup against the D-Backs’ Josh Collmenter in Arizona on Friday, and will look to continue his 10-game hit streak. Like Posey, Bryant also hits right-handed pitching significantly better (.303 vs .238) and it also happens that the D-Backs Opening Day starter has an abysmal 6.84 ERA at home. All of these factors will culminate in a perfect storm for the Cubs third baseman on Friday, so try and sneak him in your lineups if you have the salary space.
Other options:Â Matt Carpenter – 3B (STL), Jason Castro – C (HOU), Ian Desmond – SS (WAS)
Recommended Stacks
Giants (lefty) hitters vs. Kendrick (Aoki, Pagan, Belt, Posey)
Indians lefty hitters vs. Leake (Ramirez, Brantley, Moss, Chisenhall)
Seattle hitters vs. Estrada (Weeks, Cano, Cruz, Ackley)
Tonight’s Lineup
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