Major League Baseball welcomes the weekend with a massive 14-game slate on Friday night. Only the Mets and Pirates are not in the player pool, giving fantasy managers plenty of options as they fill out their lineup cards for Friday night. As you get your squad assembled and ready for action, you may need to balance spending with some options that come with a lower salary to giveyou the space you ned for stars. In this post, I’ll highlight my top three bargain plays for Friday night. Each player has a favorable matchup and strong recent form that indicates a good chance of delivering elite value.
For the most part, the weather looks relatively cooperative this Friday. Some rain could impact play in Cincinnati, Detroit, Atlanta, Cleveland and Kansas City, so be sure to check back for radar updates before first pitch, especially for the games where your starting pitcher can be spoiled by a delay. Wind could also be a factor, especially in New York (blowing in) and Chicago (blowing out). Check back before the first pitch for the latest forecast and conditions, and also check to be sure your players are in the lineup in the position you want them in before contests lock at 7:05 p.m. ET.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
SP Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels vs. Washington Nationals, $7,400
Soriano has had a few dominant stretches this season and has looked very sharp in his last three outings, earning over 23 fantasy points in three straight starts. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 starts, and gave up zero or one earned runs in six of those contests, including each of his last three.
Soriano has had outstanding movement on his breaking pitches in his last three starts while keeping plenty of heat on his fastball and hard sinker. He posted double-digit strikeouts against the Athletics and Astros in those three starts for 35.35 and 33.4 fantasy points, respectively.
He’s only 5-5 on the season with a 3.22 FIP, but his ceiling is very high and his strikeout upside makes him worth considering at this salary under $7,500 on Friday night. The Nationals are a pretty neutral matchup since their offense is right around league average in most categories and splits.
2B/3B Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers, $2,700
Lee is extremely affordable based on how excellent he has been in June. The 24-year-old was one of my top fantasy baseball sleepers at 2B coming into the season, but had some early-season injuries and a slow start. He has picked up his play this month, hitting .358 in his 22 games in June with four home runs, three doubles and a stolen base. His .405 wOBA is backed up by a solid 43.3% hard-hit rate, per Statcast, and he caught a barrel on Thursday when he smashed his eighth homer of the season.
Lee had 16 fantasy points in his team’s 10-1 victory and is averaging 9.4 fantasy points over his last 11 games. He and the Twins are in Detroit to face Sawyer Gipson-Long ($6,000) on Friday as long as the weather cooperates. The switch-hitting Lee has hit seven of his eight homers off right-handed pitching and has a .339 wOBA in the split. If he keeps rolling like he has all month, he’ll be a great play at either of his two infield spots this Friday.
1B/OF Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds vs. San Diego Padres, $2,700
Steer has been heating up over the past few weeks for the Reds and has moved into the cleanup spot just behind Elly De La Cruz ($6,200). Steer and the Reds host the Padres this weekend and open their series with a matchup against Dylan Cease ($9,000). Cease has been up and down this season and comes into this contest with a 6.26 road ERA even though his road FIP is only 2.74. He has given up 3+ runs in four straight road starts, so he’s not a matchup you have to avoid on Friday night.
Steer is hitting .243 with six homers and six stolen bases in his 74 games this season, but he is hitting .271 with a .307 wOBA at home. After a slow start, he’s hitting .301 in his last 20 games and has five multi-hit games in his last eight contests. In those eight games, he averaged 10.6 fantasy points per game while hitting .419 with a .455 wOBA.
He’ll look to stay hot in a good hitters’ environment on Friday night at Great American Ball Park, and his versatility with eligibility at both outfield and 1B makes him fit in lots of different lineup constructions.
