This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Fan Duel has a full 15-game slate for Major League Baseball on Friday. We have quite a few options on the mound that make sense, so it should serve as a way to spread out the ownership a little. There's also some bad pitching on the mound and you can bet a lot of lineups will have multiple bats to target against some of those guys. Here are some of the plays to keep an eye on for Friday:
Starting Pitcher
Max Scherzer ($11,700)
How is Scherzer the the highest-priced pitcher and the best value on the day? The answer is because he is going to win someone a lot of money, and therefore he is priceless. Philly is one of the worst offenses in the league, Scherzer is one of the best pitchers in the league, and the game is being played in one of the best pitcher's parks in the league. Can you connect the dots as to why he is the top option yet? Philly has the fourth-lowest batting average, third-fewest runs scored and a 21 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. Scherzer has a 1.75 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and and 66 strikeouts in 56.2 Innings of Cy Young Award quality work. He is a huge Vegas favorite at -280 and the expected run total is only seven. He is the safest pitcher and has the highest upside, a rare combination.
Catcher
A.J. Pierzynski ($2,400)
Pierzynski has been dropped to sixth in the Braves' order, but he does have a good matchup facing Wily Peralta, who struggles with left-handed bats and guys with power. Pierzynski fits both of those descriptions. He has cooled off from his early season tear, but he has at least 2.25 FanDuel points in three of his last four games. That consistency in a good matchup is tough to find for that price at any position.
First Base
Ben Paulsen ($2,600)
The young Rockies first baseman was just called up and has now hit in his first three games. He is 4-for-8 this season and gets a good matchup to extend that streak. He is currently hitting fifth in the order and has a home game at Coors Field and a matchup with Ryan Vogelsong, who allowed left-handed bats to hit .287 with a 1.42 WHIP against him last year. In 2015, he is at .323 and 1.91 already. Paulsen is cheap, has good lineup placement, the right splits matchup, and is in the best hitter's park. For $2,600, there is no one with more upside.
Second Base
Robinson Cano ($2,900)
A lot of hardcore DFS players just cringed at the site of Cano's name, but his price has come down to the point where he becomes useable again. It was between him and Jace Peterson for this spot. Peterson is leading off, has the right L/R split matchup and has been hot since moving up in the order. You can have him for $2,800. That is good, but you can also have Cano for only $100 more. Cano is getting a park bump with this game being at the Rogers Centre, he has the right splits matchup against Marco Estrada, who has allowed five home runs in 25 innings this season. He allowed 29 in 150 innings last year, so it's been a one home run every five innings trend for a while now. Cano has been making good contact recently, so a matchup in home-run hitter's park against a pitcher who serves them up could be what he needs to snap out of his funk.
Shortstop
Ian Desmond ($3,100)
Desmond is on fire. He has been moved up to the two hole and now hits behind Denard Span and in front of Yunel Escobar, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. He has 26.5 fantasy points in his last five games, averaging 5.3 per contest. The cherry on top is his matchup against Sean O'Sullivan, who has been horrible to batters from both sides of the plate. Desmond is not priced for his new lineup spot or his hot streak, so take advantage of it at a tough-to-fill position.
Third Base
Kyle Seager ($2,900)
Seager has hit safely in seven straight games, going 10-for-26 (.385) over the stretch. He gets to hit in the Rogers Centre against Marco Estrada, who was already discussed with Cano. Seager is the other left-handed power bat in the middle of the Mariners' lineup. While this recent run has helped his batting average, he is still well below his career levels, so he is expected to pick it up going forward. This matchup, in this ballpark, is a great place for him to start.
Outfield
Nick Markakis ($2,500)
Markakis is the most mispriced player on this slate. He is currently hitting fourth for the Braves after some lineup shuffling, so instead of leading off and having limited RBI opportunities, he is now in a prime lineup spot to drive in some runs. He gets a matchup with Wily Peralta, who struggles with left-handed bats and allowing home runs. Markakis is more of an average hitter than a guy with power, so he is more likely to rack up a few hits and RBI or runs scored than he is to go yard. Still, at only $2,500 it does not take much to pay off the salary and he could easily outproduce his salary with one RBI double.
Denard Span ($3,500)
Span always flies under the radar, but he shouldn't. He has 33 fantasy points in his last eight games for an average of 4.1 per game. Those numbers have a low variance as well. While he did have 8.25 one game and one point in another, he tends to be around the 3-to-5 point range every night. That makes him an excellent play on a daily basis in good matchups. He gets a real good one Friday against the aforementioned Sean O'Sullivan. In small samples dating all the way to 2011, O'Sullivan has allowed left-handed bats to hit .321, .348, .364 and .300 this season, and his overall WHIP against lefties is over 1.90. Teams realize it and have started stacking left-handed bats against him. With Span being one of the most underrated ones, he should continue to be lower-owned and bring a nice return for his backers.
Hunter Pence ($3,300)
There is a game in Coors field, so you have to have some exposure to it. The most under-the-radar way with the best upside is to use Pence. He missed a lot of time with injury, so he is not back on everyone's mind yet. Pence has slotted back in the cleanup spot as protection for Buster Posey. That should give him opportunities to drive in runs. In five games since returning, he already has three multi-hit games, so he is providing a much-needed boost to the Giants' lineup. He faces the worst pitcher on the Friday slate in Kyle Kendrick and in the best hitter's park of Coors Field, so the situation is as good as it gets.
