All 30 MLB teams are in action today, with the Cubs and Marlins kicking things off this afternoon with a matinee. There are also three games that go off before the rest, leaving us with an 11-game main slate on FanDuel and DraftKings that locks at 7:05 p.m. ET
RotoBaller has all your fantasy baseball and DFS needs! Check our probable pitchers page to see all of today’s starters, and be sure to utilize our MLB DFS Optimizer to create unique lineups for tonight’s slate!
When we are looking for which pitchers to play, we want guys with solid run prevention and a good chance at pitching deep enough into the game to pick up the win. But we don’t always have to target pitchers on heavily favored teams. In fact, we want strikeouts more than anything whenever possible, as the scoring system on both FanDuel and DraftKings really rewards pitchers who rack up Ks.
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Best starting pitchers, sleeper SPs for Friday's MLB DFS contests
By Dan Palyo
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers @ Padres ($10,800 DK, $11.200 FD)
Kershaw sits atop the salary scale tonight -- for good reason. His 25 DK points per game is a full four points higher than any other pitcher going tonight (the next closest is his mound opponent in this game, Yu Darvish).
Kershaw is in top form right now, having allowed just one earned run in his past three starts while piling up 24 strikeouts over 20 innings. He also shut out the Mets and Cardinals, so he’s been doing it against good teams.
The Padres aren’t the best matchup on paper, but they also haven’t lived up to their preseason billing as one of the best offenses in the league either. Kershaw has proved he is matchup-proof so far, so I give him the upper hand here even on the road. You probably don’t need to spend all the way up for him in cash games, as there are several other reliable options, but I won’t be surprised if he leads the slate in points again tonight.
Jordan Montgomery, Cardinals vs. Tigers ($8,600 DK, $9,500 FD)
Watching the Tigers come to life this week and take down the Mets makes me a tad nervous here, but this Detroit offense is still a below-average unit, striking out a lot against lefthanded pitchers (28 percent).
Meanwhile, Monty comes into this game in great form, having posted 20-plus DK points in two straight outings. He’s had just one poor start this season (against Arizona) where he went for -7 DK points. Otherwise, he’s been very effective.
I have him projected for six strikeouts over six innings tonight, and if he can continue his good control (five-percent walk rate) and keep avoiding home runs (only one allowed this season), then I think he has a great chance at another 20-DK-point outing here. He’s a solid choice for cash games at this price point.
Max Fried, Braves vs. Orioles ($8,200 DK, $9,900 FD)
Remember last week when we said Fried was too cheap on DraftKings even in a tough matchup against the Mets? Well, he went out and stuck out seven in five innings before the game was eventually called for weather.
And while his DK ppg is now inflated since DK gave him a shutout for that performance, Fried has still just allowed one earned run across his first four starts.
Baltimore isn’t the best matchup, as they can roll out seven or eight righthanded hitters tonight, but I trust Fried a lot with his ability to get ground balls and limit hard contact. He’s simply too cheap again for how well he's pitching, and he has an elite offense backing him that should provide him with enough run support for a win.
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Josiah Gray, Nationals @ Diamondbacks ($6,400 DK, $8,600 FD)
Don’t look now, but Gray is figuring it out. Last year he was a pitcher we stacked against because he was throwing his fastball the majority of the time and getting lit up. This season, he’s realized that he needs to throw his breaking balls more often to keep hitters from sitting on his fastball.
The turnaround has been impressive. He struggled in his first start against the Braves, but since then has double-digit DK points in every start, including two good outings against the Mets and Pirates in his past two.
He allowed three home runs in his first start but just one homer since. This is a totally different version of Gray, and we need to adjust our thinking. Arizona is a neutral matchup for righties and there might not be a ton of strikeout upside here, but at only $6.4K, I'm very interested in Gray if he can continue to use his off-speed stuff effectively as he has been.
Brad Keller, Royals vs. A's ($6,600 DK, $8,400 FD)
I’m not sure I have the guts to roll out Sean Manaea despite his dirt-cheap price and highly favorable matchup, so I am going to roll with the slightly more reliable Keller here against the anemic Oakland offense instead.
Keller is still a volatile pitcher in DFS, as he has had two pretty bad outings against Arizona and Texas this year. However, as a ground-ball pitcher, he’s less prone to the long ball and the big inning.
Keller’s biggest issue is control right now. He’s walked five or more hitters in three straight starts, and all those baserunners end up being trouble for a pitcher who allows a good bit of contact. But Oakland walks just eight percent of the time, so it's less likely to be patient. It’s really just a price play for me on DraftKings, as I want a cheap SP2 that will allow me to stack some more expensive offenses. Hold your nose and play Keller (or even Manaea), and hope they bring their A-game.
