We’re winding down the closing days of the regular season. This is the final weekend, and we’ll actually be looking at postseason baseball this time next week. That’s a treat for us, but it’s sad that we have less than a week of regular season DFS. Getting to use all of these teams and players is a massive boost because DFS isn’t the same when we’re talking about single or two-game slates. Let’s take advantage of that and make the final Friday one of the best of the season.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Jacob deGrom (NYM) at ATL |
$11,700 |
$11,600 |
Low |
Low |
| Joe Ryan (MIN) at DET |
$8,600 |
$9,600 |
Medium |
Low |
| Corbin Burnes (MIL) vs. MIA |
$10,500 |
$10,300 |
Low |
Low |
| Clayton Kershaw (LAD) vs. COL |
$9,600 |
$10,700 |
Low |
Low |
We’re winding down the closing days of the regular season. This is the final weekend, and we’ll actually be looking at postseason baseball this time next week. That’s a treat for us, but it’s sad that we have less than a week of regular season DFS. Getting to use all of these teams and players is a massive boost because DFS isn’t the same when we’re talking about single or two-game slates. Let’s take advantage of that and make the final Friday one of the best of the season.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Jacob deGrom (NYM) at ATL |
$11,700 |
$11,600 |
Low |
Low |
| Joe Ryan (MIN) at DET |
$8,600 |
$9,600 |
Medium |
Low |
| Corbin Burnes (MIL) vs. MIA |
$10,500 |
$10,300 |
Low |
Low |
| Clayton Kershaw (LAD) vs. COL |
$9,600 |
$10,700 |
Low |
Low |
Starting Pitcher Strategy
The amount of elite pitching we have on this slate is insane. We’re only able to squeeze in four guys, but there’s a handful of others we like as well. We didn’t have room for studs like Sandy Alcantara, Merrill Kelly, Yu Darvish, Logan Gilbert, Drew Rasmussen, Jose Urquidy, Max Fried, and Alek Manoah. Anyone of those pitchers can go off, but we’ve limited it down to four players that we think are the best per-dollar plays on the board. With that in mind, let’s start with the greatest pitcher in baseball.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Jacob deGrom (NYM) at ATL
deGrom is the easiest plat on every DFS slate. The right-hander has a 2.93 ERA and 0.74 WHIP on the year after posting a 1.08 ERA and 0.55 WHIP last season. He’s also flirting with a 40 percent K rate in that span, scoring at least 42 FanDuel points in eight of his last nine starts. A matchup with Atlanta is alarming, but they own the second-worst K rate in baseball.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) vs. COL
Kershaw facing the Rockies is a can’t-miss opportunity. Colorado is ranked dead-last in road scoring, and they rarely score in Dodgers Stadium. That’s scary, considering Kershaw’s recent form, registering a 1.80 ERA and 0.87 WHIP since coming off the IL. He’s also the oddsmaker’s favorite play, making him a -300 favorite, with the Rockies projected for just 2.5 runs. In 20 career home starts against the Rockies, Kershaw has a 1.93 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while striking out 152 Rockies across 128 total innings.
GPP Recommendations:
Corbin Burnes (MIL) vs. MIA
It’s wild that we have these three aces in such brilliant spots. The 2021 NL Cy Young winner might be the best option of the bunch, tallying a 2.69 ERA and 0.98 WHIP since 2020. He’s also striking out over 30 percent of the batters he’s faced, whiffing 31 batters across his last four starts. We also have a total of six in this game, which is one of the lowest I’ve seen all season. Not to mention, Milwaukee enters this minuscule total as a -180 favorite as well.
Joe Ryan (MIN) at DET
It’s been an inconsistent season for Ryan, but he’s flashed moments of brilliance at times. The right-hander has scored at least 34 FanDuel points in five of his last eight starts, generating a 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate in that span. A matchup with Detroit is dandy, too, with the Tigers ranked bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. That has The Motor City Kitties projected for just three runs!
Top Lineup Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. Chad Kuhl)
We all know that the Dodgers have the best offense in baseball. They’re only going to add to those numbers this week, facing a Rockies team with the worst ERA in the league. Chad Kuhl has done his part to add to those atrocious averages, amassing an 8.15 ERA and 1.79 WHIP across his last 12 starts. Most managers would bench a pitcher in a stretch like that, but the Rockies have no choice but throwing these guys to the wolves.
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. Erick Fedde)
The Phillies got spurned into a doubleheader, but we love them in this matchup with Erick Fedde. The Nationals righty has a 5.34 ERA and 1.57 WHIP on the year, posting a 7.42 ERA and 1.90 WHIP since the beginning of July. That’s fantastic for the Phillies, with Philly sitting Top-10 in OBP, OPS, and runs scored.
Minnesota Twins (vs. Drew Hutchinson)
We’ve been stacking against Hutchinson for years, and it works like a charm. The journeyman has a 4.54 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in his best season in years, compiling a 5.17 ERA and 1.51 WHIP since 2016. That’s a long time to be that bad, and it’s hard to understand how he keeps getting jobs. In any case, we’ll use the Twins against him, with Minnesota sitting ninth in OBP.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Freddie Freeman (LAD) |
$5,400 |
$4,400 |
| OF |
Bryce Harper (PHI) |
$5,100 |
$NA |
| OF |
Aaron Judge (NYY) |
$6,500 |
$5,100 |
| OF |
George Springer (TOR) |
$5,000 |
$3,600 |
| 2B |
Luis Arraez (MIN) |
$3,400 |
$2,800 |
- Freeman will likely be the runner-up in the NL MVP race, but it’s a testament to how incredible he’s been since the opening month. The trip to Atlanta is what kickstarted his season, collecting a .335 AVG and .941 OPS since the middle of May. He’s also one of the league leaders in RBI, and that’s an easy task in the three-hole of the best lineup in baseball.
- Harper has been one of the best hitters since his call-up, totaling a .403 OBP and .949 OPS since 2019. His numbers are even higher against right-handers, posting a 1.044 OPS against them since 2020. We already discussed how bad Fedde has been, which is no surprise since Bryce has a .625 OBP and 2.151 OPS in 24 at-bats against him.
- Judge just knocked out his 61st homer on Wednesday, and he’s truly having a season for the ages. Now that he got that monkey off his back, we expect Judge to go on another home run binge. It could continue here against Austin Voth, with the Orioles arm accumulating a 4.82 ERA and 1.37 WHIP throughout his career.
- Springer has been in and out of the lineup all season, but he’s been a beast whenever he’s healthy. The Toronto leadoff man has four home runs across his last four games, generating a .359 OBP and .894 OPS since 2019. Getting to hit atop this dominant lineup is the best par, because they face a pitcher with a 4.48 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. In 19 at-bats opposing Nick Pivetta, Springer sports a .526 OBP, .800 SLG, and 1.326 OPS.
- Arraez is the one guy keeping Judge from winning the coveted triple crown, leading the AL with a .316 AVG. That has earned him the leadoff spot for the Twinkies, and we like him even more against righties. Arraez has a .326 AVG, .381 OBP, and .816 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 2B/3B |
Max Muncy (LAD) |
$4,800 |
$2,900 |
| OF |
Corey Dickerson (STL) |
$2,500 |
$2,100 |
| OF |
Taylor Ward (LAA) |
$4,200 |
$3,600 |
| 3B |
Eugenio Suarez (SEA) |
$4,300 |
$3,500 |
| 2B |
Jake Cronenworth (SD) |
$4,600 |
$3,500 |
- Muncy’s average is still creeping around .200, but he’s been producing for two months now. Over his last 48 games, Muncy has maintained a .359 OBP, .531 SLG, and .890 OPS. That’s the stud we saw last year, and he’s an easy piece to this profitable Dodgers stack.
- Dickerson has been cheap all season, and it’s hard to understand why. This guy already has a career OPS north of .800 against right-handers and has been hitting in the heart of this lineup against them all year. Corey’s recent form is fabulous, too, tallying a .315 AVG and .762 OPS across his last 32 games.
- Ward has quietly had an excellent season in LA, and he should do well against Glenn Otto. The Rangers righty has a 4.73 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. Ward has been rolling recently, too, accruing a .373 AVG and 1.050 OPS across his last 21 games.
- Suarez just made his return off the IL, and we can’t forget about how hot this former All-Star has been. The third baseman is up to 31 bombs, providing a .344 AVG, .417 OBP, .938 SLG, and 1.354 OPS across his last nine outings. That makes him way too cheap since he faces a rookie lefty with a 7.15 ERA.
- Cronenworth has traded off good and bad months all year, but it feels like he’s starting to get hot again. He’s scored at least 12 FanDuel points in 10 of his last 21 games, driving in runs ahead of studs like Juan Soto and Manny Machado. His biggest asset here is getting the platoon advantage against a rookie like Davis Martin.
Hitter Strategy
On the final Friday of the season, we’re going to ride the chalk. The Dodgers are so clearly the best stack on the board that you will need exposure to them across all of your lineups. We only mentioned Muncy and Freeman, but every bat in this lineup is in play. Mixing and matching from teams like the Twins, Padres, Mariners, Angels, and Yankees should help to fill the rest of the lineup because we have so many studs we want to pay up for. Saving salary will be impossible on this slate and it’ll be interesting to see where the ownership percentages sit right before first pitch.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
