This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Get ready for a busy Friday. There are 15 games on the schedule in Major League Baseball, 13 of which will make up the main slate on Yahoo. With so many options to consider, let's get right down to business and discuss some players to consider for your entry.
Pitchers
It's been a bad start to the year for Matthew Boyd ($39), who has allowed eight runs across 10 innings. He had a breakout campaign in 2019, especially in the strikeout department with his 30.2 percent strikeout rate. If there is a favorable matchup for him to get back on track, it's this one against the Pirates. They have only averaged 3.5 runs per game and a few of their better hitters are left-handed, which sets up Boyd nicely considering he held lefties to a .299 wOBA last season. Even the switching-hitting Josh Bell ($10) struggled with a .315 wOBA versus lefties last season.
The Rangers are in trouble. They are only 3-8 out of the gate and have averaged a paltry 3.3 runs per contest. Their new home park, which is where they will take on the Angels on Friday, appears to be favoring pitchers in the early going. That means this could be the right time to deploy Griffin Canning ($33) in DFS. He missed a lot of bats coming up through the minors and had a 25 percent strikeout rate with the Angels last season. He's carried that over into 2020, recording 12 strikeouts over his first 10.2 innings.
Top Targets
Jordan Lyles ($28) isn't much more than an innings eater at this stage of his career. He has never recorded an ERA below 4.11 and he's had difficulties keeping men off base considering his career 1.44 WHIP. Add in the fact that he has allowed at least 1.6 HR/9 in two of the last three season and Mike Trout ($25) could have a field day in this matchup.
Whit Merrifield ($17) continues to produce for the Royals. After hitting at least .300 in back-to-back seasons, he's 17-for-61 (.298) out of the gate in 2020. He's even shown added power, slugging four home runs and three doubles in the early going. Don't be surprised if he does more damage against Devin Smeltzer ($28), who followed up his 5.05 FIP at Triple-A last season with a 4.58 FIP after being called up to the majors.
Bargain Bats
If you want to take advantage of the Angels' matchup against Lyles, but can't pay up for Trout, Tommy La Stella ($11) should be on your radar. Left-handed hitters torched Lyles to the tune of a .382 wOBA last season. La Stella was playing well last year before he went down with an injury, hitting a career-high 16 home runs to go along with a 122 wRC+.
It's been a painful start to the season for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($14), who is 8-for-40 with only two walks. If there is a bright side, it's that four of his eight hits have at least gone for extra bases. This could be the right matchup for him to break out of his slump with Ryan Weber ($25) set to take the hill for the Red Sox. After recording a 1.38 WHIP last season, he's allowed a whopping 17 base runners through seven innings this year.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Kyle Wright ($25) Braves: Bryce Harper ($23), J.T. Realmuto ($20), Didi Gregorius ($18)
Injuries have hit the Braves' starting rotation hard, which has secured a spot for Wright. However, he underwhelmed with a 4.32 FIP at Triple-A last year and was crushed across his 19.2 innings in the big leagues. Things haven't improved for him in 2020 after he allowed five runs and 16 base runners across his first six innings. If you can spend big at catcher, Realmuto provides an extremely high floor and is off to a good start by hitting 8-for-26 with three home runs.
Tigers vs. Chad Kuhl ($25) Pirates: JaCoby Jones ($20), Jonathan Schoop ($13), CJ Cron ($12)
This stack brings a lot of power against a pitcher who allowed 1.5 HR/9 in 2018, which was the last time Kuhl appeared in the majors before this season. Kuhl also has a career 1.43 WHIP, so this game could get ugly for the Pirates in a hurry. Cron has cooled off a bit after the first three games of the season versus the Reds, but he's also been selective at the plate, drawing at least one walk in four of his last five games. Meanwhile, Jones has been excellent with four multi-hit games already to go along with three home runs.
Twins vs. Jakob Junis ($27) Royals: Nelson Cruz ($26), Eddie Rosario ($19), Jorge Polanco ($13)
This has the potential to be a nightmare matchup for Junis. He's allowed at least 1.6 HR/9 in back-to-back seasons and the long ball is certainly the Twins' forte. Junis also had a 1.43 WHIP last season, which helped contribute to his 4.82 FIP. Rosario looks to be heating up, hitting three home runs across his last eight games. Polanco provides a rare opportunity to deploy a Twins' hitter at a reasonable price. He already has six multi-hit games this season after recording a career-high .352 wOBA in 2019.
