This article is part of our FantasyAces MLB series.
Be sure to checkout tonight's FAWBC Qualifier, as the winner gets an entry to the $250K Fantasy Aces World Baseball Championship live in Anaheim, California at Angel Stadium August 15. Only 20 will win a trip to the final, with the winner taking home $100K.
OPS is a great indicator of point potential under the scoring system with walks being worth just as much as singles and the progression of points per extra base is one per. Strikeouts are pretty heavily penalized, so be diligent with those prone to strikeouts or those against a high strikeout pitcher. While on the pitching side, strikeouts aren't quite as overpowering as on other DFS sites and pitchers that can keep their pitch count low and go deeper into games can be better rewarded. Fantasy Aces offers a great selection of contests for Friday night's huge slate of 15 games.
Pitcher:
Jose Fernandez ($7,850): Still early in his season, this being just his third start of the year, Fernandez couldn't have a safer matchup than against the terribly impotent Philly offense. Their .648 OPS is the worst in the league against righties (admittedly they have the worst OPS against any handedness). Fernandez has great stuff and he showcased it in his most recent start, a seven-inning nine-strikeout, no runs allowed masterpiece against the Reds.
Other Stud Pitchers to consider:Lance Lynn ($6,750)
Drew Hutchison ($5,650): Everybody and their mother is going to be on Noah Syndergaard at his WAY TOO LOW price, so instinctively why not see if we can get an upper hand with a small fade in the case the league tops St. Louis Cardinals fare a little better than the Diamondbacks against the 'God of Thunder.' Hutchison has been hittable this year, but he's also maintained a very solid K-rate after striking out 9.14 batters per nine innings last year. The Tampa Bay Rays, unbeknownst to most, hit very poorly against righties while also sporting an 8.14 K/9. Hutchison is an ideal tournament play with solid upside via the strikeout at a superbly discounted rate. May we finally see him get through six innings? If Hutchison feels to be stretched too thin, paying for an upgrade for Julio Teheran or even Lance Lynn could be an excellent option.
Other Value Pitchers to consider:Noah Syndergaard ($6,100), Julio Teheran ($6,250)
Catcher:
J.T. Realmuto ($4,400): Realmuto quietly owns lefties to a surmounting .922 OPS over the last two seasons and gets a fairly mediocre one in Adam Morgan on Friday. The righty bats for the Marlins could serve as good targets, especially with the idea they could bring in the runs to secure Fernandez's tally in the win column.
1B/3B:
Martin Prado ($4,500): Remember what I said about Realmuto and lefty Morgan? Prado fits that mold like Cinderella and a glass slipper. Caution: Prado was on the DL prior to the All-Star break, but the latest news is that he should be set to go Friday night.
Adam Lind ($5,300): I'm among the crowd that doesn't buy into Charlie Morton. What I do buy into is Lind at home and against a right-handed pitcher. That combination has been lethal for this over-preforming first baseman.
2B/SS:
Jose Altuve ($5,500): Altuve doesn't let a lefty go by without making his OBP abilities known. Martin Perez making his first start back after a year out makes for a fantastic target for Altuve and the rest of the Houston right-handed batters.
Matt Duffy ($4,750): Getting Duffy as an interior infielder makes him a perennially good target at an affordable price. He has held a very good .293 batting average this year and posses enough power and versatility to go off for a big night at anytime. Oh, and does anybody really thing Robbie Ray is a good pitcher? This is a good righty-versus-lefty matchup on top of all that other flattering stuff about Duffy.
Outfield:
Mike Trout ($6,000): Just in case anybody felt the need to question who the best baseball player in the world is, Trout has put all questions to rest. He had five home runs the week prior to the All-Star Game, and of course he had that wonderful leadoff homer in the All-Star Game itself. Throw in a mediocre lefty (against which Trout is arguably the best hitter) in the form of Wade Miley and Trout is simply golden.
Chris Young ($3,900): A lefty on the mound usually results in a boost in Young's situation being right in the middle of the lineup. Mike Montgomery has been able to 'BABIP' his way to success this year on a few occasions, but from any fielding-independent stat, he portrays nothing of note. A cheap right-handed Yankee in the meat of the lineup could end up being very good.
DH:
Alex Rodriguez ($5,000): Like it or hate it, Rodriguez was the best hitter not to have made the All-Star Game. His OPS and ISO are elite, and his 18 home runs so far on the season are no fluke. Montgomery, like I mentioned with Young, presents nothing to avoid and Rodriguez has plenty of incentive to keep up his hot streak from before the All-Star break going.
