With just one afternoon game, fantasy owners will have 14 night games Friday. Unfortunately, we’re also losing Jon Lester against the Braves in that day game, but there are still plenty of aces to go around tonight.
MORE: Waiver wire pickups | Prospect rankings | DFS Playbook PRO
Most interesting is the fact we get to see a lot of intriguing rookies on the hill Friday, starting with the Braves’ Aaron Blair against the Cubs. At night, we have the Tigers’ Michael Fulmer, the A’s Sean Manaea and the Red Sox’s Henry Owens. These guys could be sneaky (read: risky) GPP plays Friday, but it’s at least worth watching them to see if they’ll be trustworthy in future starts.
Let’s take a look at Friday’s starting pitcher rankings and picks. As usual, we’ll also have daily fantasy baseball hitter picks and the DFS Playbook from Fantasy Alarm to help you find the best values on FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck!
Daily fantasy baseball picks
Splurge: Corey Kluber/Stephen Strasburg. Love both aces Friday in their respective matchups and I’ll try to have at least one lineup with each. Kluber ($11,000 on FD; $12,500 on DK) is a little cheaper on FanDuel, but Stras ($11,500 on FD; $11,400 on DK) comes at a significant savings on DK.
Sell: Drew Smyly, Rays at Blue Jays. I’m still not trusting a lefty against the Blue Jays, even after Jose Quintana’s stellar performance at Toronto. Smyly ($8,700 on FD; $10,400 on DK) is too expensive for the risk, especially on DK.
MORE: Hitter picks | DFS Playbook | Optimal lineup | DFS Playbook PRO
Save: Juan Nicasio, Pirates vs. Reds. I’d much rather gamble on Nicasio ($6,800 on FD; $5,800 on DK) at home against the Reds than his scheduled/canceled Coors Field start Thursday. His prices seem to factor in that Colorado start that never happened, so take advantage of the discount.
Editor’s note: Play one-day fantasy baseball leagues for real money at FanDuel! Claim your free entry and deposit bonus here.
Daily fantasy baseball rankings
Turn mobile device horizontally for best viewing experience.
