Friday nights bring with them large daily fantasy baseball slates, and tonight’s is a 14-game slate. The massive slate offers a delightful blend of top-flight pitchers and high-upside offenses in favorable matchups.
Check out today’s MLB Grand Slam contest at FanDuel 
Friday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Chris Sale is my favorite pitching option. However, Robbie Ray's nipping at his heels. The upside of both is immense, yet I expect Sale to be on a higher percentage of rosters, adding to his cash game appeal. Conversely, Ray's a tantalizing pivot in GPPs.
Sonny Gray has a tasty matchup with the Marlins. Meanwhile, Miles Mikolas is greeted off the injured list by the woefully inept Pirates. Since Mikolas is returning from the injured list, he's a touch riskier than Gray -- despite Gray pitching at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park tonight. As such, Gray's the more desirable SP2 option in cash on DraftKings and Mikolas a nifty option in GPPs.
Friday nights bring with them large daily fantasy baseball slates, and tonight’s is a 14-game slate. The massive slate offers a delightful blend of top-flight pitchers and high-upside offenses in favorable matchups.
Check out today’s MLB Grand Slam contest at FanDuel
Friday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Chris Sale is my favorite pitching option. However, Robbie Ray's nipping at his heels. The upside of both is immense, yet I expect Sale to be on a higher percentage of rosters, adding to his cash game appeal. Conversely, Ray's a tantalizing pivot in GPPs.
Sonny Gray has a tasty matchup with the Marlins. Meanwhile, Miles Mikolas is greeted off the injured list by the woefully inept Pirates. Since Mikolas is returning from the injured list, he's a touch riskier than Gray -- despite Gray pitching at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park tonight. As such, Gray's the more desirable SP2 option in cash on DraftKings and Mikolas a nifty option in GPPs.
Cash Game Recommendations
Chris Sale (BOS) vs. TEX
Sale was sharp in his season debut. He held the Orioles to two runs on six hits (two solo shots), zero walks, and eight strikeouts. The strikeouts weren't smoke and mirrors, either. He netted an 18.0 SwStr% and 34.8 CSW%, per FanGraphs.
Tonight, he draws the lowly Rangers. They rank 29th in wRC+ (78) against lefties in 2021, and they're 29th in wRC+ (63) since the MLB trade deadline. Not coincidentally, Betting Pros lists the Red Sox as huge -335 favorites.
Sonny Gray (CIN) vs. MIA
Speaking of commanding favorites, Gray and the Reds aren't slouches, either, as -210 faves. Gray's 5.75 ERA in his last eight starts spanning 40.2 innings isn't fantasy-friendly. However, it's significantly out of whack with his 3.57 FIP, 3.60 xFIP, and 3.85 SIERA. Gray's also struck out a notable 26.5% of the batters he's faced. The Marlins are a favorable matchup, with a 25.2 K% against righties and a 26.8 K% since the trade deadline.
GPP Recommendations
Robbie Ray (TOR) vs. DET
Strikeouts are a theme that continues here. The Tigers aren't a pushover, ranking tied for 10th in wRC+ (103) against southpaws this year. However, their 26.1 K% is enticing to use Ray against.
In addition, Ray has the punchout prowess to take advantage of Detroit's penchant for striking out. The 29-year-old hurler has a 30.3 K% for the year and a 28.8 K% in his last 10 starts. Add in that the Blue Jays are -222 favorites, and there's a lot to like about using Ray on daily fantasy baseball teams.
Miles Mikolas (STL) vs. PIT
Injuries have limited Mikolas to only one start lasting just four innings. However, the Cardinals have taken their time with him on a rehab assignment, so he should be good to go after throwing 86 pitches across seven innings of three-run, eight-strikeout ball in his last Triple-A start.
A matchup with the Pirates encourages me to throw caution to the wind and use Mikolas. The Buccos rank 28th in wRC+ (82) against righties and 27th in wRC+ (72) since the trade deadline.
Top Lineup Stacks
Carlos Carrasco has been dreadful since his reinstatement from the injured list. As a result, he's a shell of his once brilliant self. He's yet to complete five innings in a start, and he's totaled a combined three innings in his last two starts combined. Yikes. The Dodgers are one of the top offenses in baseball and more likely to exacerbate his issues than resolve them.
Tyler Gilbert took the baseball world by surprise in his first big-league start (fourth appearance overall), twirling a no-hitter against the Padres. His reward for the shocking performance? A trip to Coors Field for his second start. Good luck, rookie. Seriously, though, Coors Field is a pitcher's nightmare that makes Nightmare on Elm Street resemble a rom-com. To put the impact of the park factors in Colorado in perspective, the Rockies have the highest home wOBA (.357). Therefore, the Rockies have an implied total north of six runs.
The Cardinals got the better of ace Brandon Woodruff last night. Tonight, they face Mitch Keller. To say Pittsburgh's starter isn't an ace is putting it mildly. In fact, he's the polar opposite. Among pitchers who've totaled at least 60 innings, Keller's 6.86 ERA is the third-highest mark. Suffice to say, this is a mouthwatering matchup for the Red Birds. So, I expect them to take full advantage.
- C.J. Cron has teed off at Coors Field in his first year with the Rockies. He also holds the platoon advantage tonight. He's easily my favorite hitter tonight.
- Max Muncy should have little trouble against the struggling Carrasco. The left-handed slugger has recorded a .302 ISO and 158 wRC+ against righties in 2021.
- Trevor Story's not having a banner year. Nonetheless, he's feasting on lefties at home (.414 wOBA), something he's done the entirety of his career.
- Connor Joe is fairly priced at FanDuel. Yet he's a steal at DraftKings. He's serving as Colorado's leadoff hitter and raking of late.
- A.J. Pollock's having a fantastic season, but he's not priced like it. In righty-righty matchups, he's amassed a .226 ISO and 137 wRC+.
- Lars Nootbaar slugged a homer last night. He has a .229 ISO and 121 wRC+ against righties in his rookie season without even accounting for his homer on Thursday night. Those numbers are better than you should be able to roster at his near-minimum salary.
- Josh Donaldson's creamed lefties throughout his career, and he's not slowing down. He has a .362 OBP, .216 ISO, and 126 wRC+ this season.
Friday's Hitter Strategy
I'm not planning to get cute. Instead, I'll grab a mix of Rockies and Dodgers, sprinkling in some Cardinals, too. Thankfully, there are enough bargain options available to allow me to use Cron, Muncy, and Story together.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
