This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Friday's five-game slate is an intriguing one from a DFS perspective. On the one hand, you have several pitchers sporting impressive win-loss records that are accompanied by some slightly elevated ERAs. Then, when digging deeper, one finds several of those arms have struggled more than once against their Friday opponent, making them riskier than they normally would be. Therefore, it may be a night to often go contrarian all the way around in tournaments, taking both pitchers outside the top tier and some one-off bats against those hurlers that one might normally avoid.
As customary, I'll highlight what I consider to be two of the safer pitching options at different price points, followed by some one-off hitters across the salary scale that could also prove profitable for cash games and/or tournaments. I'll then break down the two stacks that I trust the most to potentially string some above-average offensive numbers together and pay off for you in tournaments.
Pitchers
William Cuevas ($7,600) is only the sixth-most expensive pitcher on the slate, yet given the matchups Friday, he could arguably finish with the best fantasy-point-per-dollar return of any of them. As alluded to earlier, more expensive arms such as Jake Brigham, Ki Young Im and Tyler Wilson have some spotty track records, including against their Friday opponents. Meanwhile, the matchup against potent Dinos may scare may some off Cuevas, but the right-hander owns a 1-0 record, 0.95 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and .182 BAA over three starts against NC this season.
Friday's five-game slate is an intriguing one from a DFS perspective. On the one hand, you have several pitchers sporting impressive win-loss records that are accompanied by some slightly elevated ERAs. Then, when digging deeper, one finds several of those arms have struggled more than once against their Friday opponent, making them riskier than they normally would be. Therefore, it may be a night to often go contrarian all the way around in tournaments, taking both pitchers outside the top tier and some one-off bats against those hurlers that one might normally avoid.
As customary, I'll highlight what I consider to be two of the safer pitching options at different price points, followed by some one-off hitters across the salary scale that could also prove profitable for cash games and/or tournaments. I'll then break down the two stacks that I trust the most to potentially string some above-average offensive numbers together and pay off for you in tournaments.
Pitchers
William Cuevas ($7,600) is only the sixth-most expensive pitcher on the slate, yet given the matchups Friday, he could arguably finish with the best fantasy-point-per-dollar return of any of them. As alluded to earlier, more expensive arms such as Jake Brigham, Ki Young Im and Tyler Wilson have some spotty track records, including against their Friday opponents. Meanwhile, the matchup against potent Dinos may scare may some off Cuevas, but the right-hander owns a 1-0 record, 0.95 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and .182 BAA over three starts against NC this season. Cuevas sports a solid 3.62 ERA across eight road starts as well, and he's coming off a 32.5 fantasy-point effort against the Heroes in his most recent start, his fourth tally of more than 20 DK points in his last 10 turns.
Won Joon Choi ($7,200) is priced very reasonably for a player that comes into Friday's start with a 9-0 record and 3.64 ERA, along with a solid K/BB ratio of 61:19. What's more, Choi owns a sparkling 2.77 ERA and average of 14 DK points over his last 10 trips to the mound, and he's fired 8.1 scoreless frames over three prior appearances against the Tigers this season while holding them to a .233 average. Choi is also thriving as a starter, having scored 17.6 to 26.4 DK points in his last four outings. Meanwhile, Kia is averaging the fourth-fewest runs per game (5.1) in the KBO, adding to Choi's appeal as a bargain Friday.
Top Targets
Jose Fernandez ($6,200) is one of several Bears I think are in a good position Friday against Tigers starter Ki Young Im, who has pitched to plenty of contact while allowing 100 hits over 88 innings and has suffered losses in four of his last five starts. Fernandez checks in as hot as ever, having hit .366 (15-for-41) over his last 10 games and compiling double-digit DK points in four of those contests. Fernandez has also thrived versus Kia pitching all season, posting a .429/.509/.531 slash with nine RBI over 12 games.
Ja Wook Koo ($4,900) comes into Friday's action with a .321/.393/.482 line that includes 29 XBH and 53 RBI over 80 games. He also boasts a .321 average with runners in scoring position and has a productive .333 average, two doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, two steals and three runs in nine games against the Giants this season. Koo has 44- and 21-DK-point tallies in his last six games alone, and Lotte starter Jun Won Seo, despite a solid 6-4 record, has surrendered 12 home runs and walked 30 batters over just 88.1 innings while also allowing a 7.88 ERA, .378 average and 2.00 WHIP across eight innings over two prior starts against Samsung this season.
Ah Seop Son ($4,200) makes for a great value selection on the other side of the Lions-Giants matchup. The veteran does draw a same-handed matchup against southpaw Sang Min Lee, but the Samsung starter isn't likely to be long for the contest considering he's operated as a reliever in his other three appearances this season. Son carries a stellar .351/.417/.486 line across 97 games this season, and his .347 average with runners in scoring position has helped lead to 60 RBI despite the veteran having slugged a relatively modest seven homers. Son has struggled previously versus Lions pitching, yet he'll check into Friday with a blistering .368 average over his last 10 games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Ha Seong Kim ($6,000); Mel Rojas ($5,800); Jeong Choi ($5,700); Jung Hoo Lee ($5,700); Jae Gyun Hwang ($4,800); Baek Ho Kang ($4,800)
Bargain Bats
Dae Ho Lee ($3,500) always seems to be priced way below what his numbers would warrant. The veteran currently sports a .293/.354/.470 slash line for the season that's partly constituted of 37 XBH (including 15 homers) and 75 RBI. The 38-year-old has done plenty of damage in his home park as well, as evidenced by a .309/.376/.463 slash there over 52 games. And, consider Lee has consistently tormented Lions pitching this season – he's hitting .409 (14-for-44) with four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI against Samsung in 12 games.
Jeong Dae Bae ($3,200) is another elite hitter that can usually be had for a pittance. The Wiz outfielder has a .304/.389/.468 season line that includes 22 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs, and he's also delivered 48 RBI and 17 steals on his way to a solid average of 8.7 DK points per game. While Bae has been a better home than road hitter by a good margin, he still boasts four homers, 17 RBI, seven steals and a .345 OBP in 53 away contests, and he's touched up Dinos pitching for a .333 average (18-for-54) with three homers and seven RBI in 15 games this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jun Woo Jeon ($3,800)
Stacks to Consider
Giants vs. Sang Min Lee: Hoon Jung ($4,400); Ah Seop Son ($4,200); Jun Woo Jeon ($3,800); Dae Ho Lee ($3,500)
ALSO CONSIDER: Dixon Machado ($4,000)
The Giants check into this matchup against Lee and what will likely be several relievers with a solid .275 team batting average and average of 9.5 hits per game.
Jung makes for a great start to the stack, as he's carrying a .306/.397/.454 slash with 14 doubles, one triple and eight homers, and he has an outstanding .394 average with runners in scoring position. He is currently nursing a hand injury, so make sure he's in the lineup Friday and sub in Dixon Machado into this stack if he isn't.
Son's appealing attributes were already discussed earlier in his entry, while Jeon makes for another great value choice. The veteran brings no shortage of power upside with 17 homers and 43 XB hits overall, and he's even thrown in four steals for good measure. The 34-year-old also is averaging an impressive 9.0 DK points per game and has a .306/.345/.500 slash in 51 home games.
Finally, as detailed earlier in his Bargain Bats entry, Lee makes for a great and cost-effective option with which to round out your Lotte onslaught.
Bears vs. Ki Young Im: Jose Fernandez ($6,200); Jae Il Oh ($4,400); Jae Hwan Kim ($5,600); Kyoung Min Hur ($5,000)
As mentioned in Fernandez's entry, Im comes into this contest struggling and having proven very hittable all season long. Meanwhile, the Bears continue to average the second-most runs per game (5.9) in the KBO and are ranked at the top in both hits per game (10.6) and team batting average (.298)
The many reasons to roster Fernandez were already discussed in his entry earlier, and Oh makes for a great way to follow the slugger in your lineup. Oh boasts a .330/.397/.527 line with 37 XBH (including 14 homers and 67 RBI over 87 games, he's been a far more lethal road hitter, as evidenced by his outstanding .374/.439/.644 line with 11 homers and 48 RBI in 43 away contests.
Kim has also been an integral component of Doosan's potent offense, as he checks in with 20 home runs and a whopping 83 RBI over 100 games, the latter figure a byproduct of his solid .289 average with runners in scoring position. The versatile outfielder even has six steals for good measure, and due to the fact he's been struggling recently (.158 average over last 10 games), he could well be rostered at a lower rate than usual.
Finally, Hur has seen a long overdue price bump recently, but he's earned every penny of that increase. He boasts a .344/.393/.457 line in 78 games this season and has 13 doubles, one triple, six homers, 38 RBI and 11 steals on his resume, along with an eye-popping .411 average with runners in scoring position. The 30-year-old is also about as reliable a contact hitter as you'll find – he's struck out a scant 19 times over 322 plate appearances and has also obliterated Kia pitching for a .538 average (14-for-26) in seven contests this season.
