Make no mistake, Madison Bumgarner is the consensus DFS play of the day
In case you’ve been hiding out in storm shelters or looking for water to steal in California (we’re talking about you Tom Selleck), then you will have known that the top daily experts have been competing all season long to take the crown of being the top daily expert in the industry. After each week, they have stopped by to name who their top plays are for Friday’s daily games.
The competition will be over after tonight and we would like to thank all the experts along with our friends at FanDuel for hosting the first ever DFAC competition for baseball. After 13 weeks of picks, the experts are here to offer their advice one more time. So for one last time, get your lineups set with the pundits’ advice.
Round out your lineup with our FanDuel Cheat Sheet 
Q1. What one pitcher will you be including in your daily lineups Friday and why?
Madison Bumgarner (P, SF) – $11,900
“While he’s expensive, Bum is one of only a few starting pitchers in a good spot Friday night. Bumgarner and the Giants will take on an offensively inept Phillies team at home where Bumgarner has been dominant this year (2.49 ERA, 27.2 K%). On a night full of relatively volatile pitching options, it makes sense to roster the best starting pitcher that will not only provide you with the safest floor, but also the highest ceiling.”
– Dan Gaspar (FantasyInsiders)
“Maddy B’s high price is a bit of a risk considering he is not a strikeout machine consistently. I will take the chance I get his 7+ strikeout performance as the Phillies offense is turning into a AAA team quicker than a MLB Team. It also helps that the Giants will be home for the game, where the Phillies chance of coming out with the victory is slim to none. There are a few good priced pitchers in the field, I will go after a BEAST.”
– Muntradamus (BEASTDOME)
“There are a lot of nice pitchers going Friday night, but none rank even close to Bumgarner in my eyes. The others’ matchups come with several negative aspects, and MadBum literally has none. The Phillies are ranked 29th in team wOBA and dead last in team wRC+, and Bumgarner carries a solid 9.05 K/9 and 3.13 xFIP into this matchup. He should also be by far the biggest favorite of the night, solidifying that important four points for a win on FanDuel.”
– Jamie Calandro (Fantasy Team Advice)
Gerrit Cole (P, PIT) – $10,600
“While Madison Bumgarner is the obvious choice tonight against the Phillies, I have some ground to make up in the DFAC. I may go with the more contrarian Cole, who has a favorable matchup of his own. He squares off against a depleted Cardinals’ offense that is ranked 27th in both wOBA and strikeout rate over the last 14 days. Cole also gets to face them at home in the pitcher-friendly confines of PNC Park.”
– Notorious (RotoGrinders)
Noah Syndergaard (P, NYM) – $8,400
“Let’s take a break from exploiting the Mets’ feeble offense and instead ride Noah Syndergaard. Through 10 starts, the rookie has notched a 3.38 ERA and 2.89 FIP with 9.05 strikeouts and 1.84 walks per nine innings. While the Arizona Diamondbacks are far from a vulnerable offense, they’ll lose a bit of their bite away from Chase Field. Like many young hurlers, Thor has excelled at home, posting a 1.89 ERA. Picking New York’s opponent has worked well over the past few weeks, but Chase Anderson’s 4.08 FIP and 5.57 K/9 doesn’t cut it as anything short of a tournament flier.
– Andrew Gould (Bleacher Report)
Q2. What one hitter will you be including in your daily lineups Friday and why?
Derek Norris (C, SD) – $2,400
“Norris hasn’t done much as of late, but thankfully for us all, he is at a greatly reduced price tag because of it. It’s tough to know exactly where Norris will bat in the order Friday night, as Padres interim manager Pat Murphy seemingly shuffles the lineup every other night. But it’s a good bet he’ll slot somewhere in the top 4 of the order, which is ideal for fantasy purposes. In addition to a good lineup spot, he’ll have the platoon advantage against over-the-hill lefty Wandy Rodriguez. Lefty pitching has been favorable to him throughout his young career (.368 wOBA, .187 ISO), and he’s the top salary saver catcher option on the day.”
– Dan Gaspar (FantasyInsiders)
“I felt it was cheesy to go Bumgarner AND Bryce Harper (my top overall hitter) in this article, so I’m highlighting my top value in Derek Norris. He has been leading off lately for the Padres (likely to get five at-bats on the road), and Norris has a career .368 wOBA and .187 ISO vs. LHP. He is getting an extreme park boost in his favor going to Texas and opposing pitcher Wandy Rodriguez has allowed a career .328 wOBA and 1.11 HR/9 to RHB. His price tag will anchor my lineups tonight.”
– Jamie Calandro (Fantasy Team Advice)
Nelson Cruz (OF, TEX) – $3,300
“Anytime I can target Cruz at a discount against a left-handed pitcher, I am going to take advantage. Since the start of last season, Cruz has a .449 wOBA and a .320 ISO against southpaws. He draws a favorable matchup against Hector Santiago, who is an extreme fly-ball pitcher. I like Cruz’s chances to homer tonight and at a price of $3,300, he’s my favorite hitter on the board.”
– Notorious (RotoGrinders)
“Cruz is starting to heat up and I will jump on the power train before the field will. The matchup against Hector Santiago does not sound good at first, but the speed of Santiago with the power of Nelson Cruz should mean big things if Hector makes that mistake pitch. Not an expensive price to pay for that mistake. Nelson Cruz is a $4,500 player when he is swinging a hot bat.”
– Muntradamus (BEASTDOME)
Mark Trumbo (OF, SEA) – $2,300
“Even in a down year, Trumbo is slugging .522 against left-handed pitchers. Between him hitting .196/.221/.250 since joining the Mariners and Angels’ lefty Hector Santiago sporting a 2.40 ERA, the big bopper only costs $2,300. Slumps are meant to be broken, and Santiago is hardly a pitcher to fear given his 4.11 FIP. The southpaw’s 52.5 fly-ball percentage makes him the perfect opponent for Trumbo to go yard against.”
– Andrew Gould (Bleacher Report)
Set your lineup for a chance at $10,000 >
—
Thank you to the experts for their top Friday plays. Got lineup questions or want to talk DFS? Join us in our Forums
