Friday’s main Major League Baseball slate features 14 games, starting at 7:05 pm ET. We will be using Bales Model to highlight some of the best players to consider.
Pitchers
The four pitchers projected to score the most fantasy points are:
Corbin Burnes (R)
Chris Bassitt (R)
Alek Manoah (R)
Kyle Muller (L)
The highest-priced pitcher on the main slate for DraftKings and FanDuel is Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers. After five consecutive strong performances, Burnes struggled last outing. In his most recent start, he allowed nine hits which led to five earned runs in only four innings pitched. Hoping to rebound from his poor game, Burnes will be on the hill pitching against the San Francisco Giants. This game is a battle between two division leading teams that rank top three in team ERA. Not only is Burnes priced the highest, but he is also the top-rated pitcher on Bales Model for both fantasy platforms.
A pitcher who is coming off a stellar last outing is Chris Bassitt from the Oakland Athletics. Bassitt has been dominant this season. In 137 innings pitched, he has struck out 139 opposing batters, has a 3.29 ERA, and 11-3 record. Last start he did not allow any runs over the seven innings he pitched, while striking out one batter per inning. Bassitt will be pitching against the Texas Rangers who are projected for the lowest implied runs total on the slate (three runs).
If you thought Bassitt’s last start was impressive, look at Alek Manoah from the Toronto Blue Jays. Last outing, Manoah pitched seven scoreless innings, while allowing only two hits and striking out four batters. Manoah will face a tough task tonight as he takes on the Boston Red Sox, but he pitched well against them earlier this year. In that June 14 start, he allowed only one run to cross the plate in his six innings pitched. The Red Sox have lost seven of their last 10 games and this might be a perfect time for Manoah to take advantage of the struggling team from Boston.
Once a minimum priced fantasy play, Kyle Muller from the Atlanta Braves has quickly made a name for himself in the major leagues. In his rookie campaign, Muller has struck out 33 batters over 29.2 innings, and allowed only eight earned runs. Looking to keep his ERA below three, he will be pitching against the Washington Nationals who are currently on a four-game losing streak. Although the Nationals rank third in MLB for team batting average, they were just swept by the Philadelphia Phillies at home. Due to pricing, Bales Model considers Muller a much stronger option on FanDuel ($7,700) compared to DraftKings ($9,200).
Value
On a huge slate. I would like to highlight two lower-priced pitchers that are projected for a high points/salary on Bales Model.
Logan Webb from the San Francisco Giants will be on the mound against the Milwaukee Brewers in what seems to be a pitching duel. Although Webb allowed seven hits over six innings last starts, he did a great job with damage control. Webb’s strike out numbers are low; however, the Brewers rank sixth in MLB with 1,036 team strikeouts.
Another pitcher worth consideration due to his low fantasy price is Mike Foltynewicz from the Texas Rangers. Foltynewicz has been less than impressive in his 2021 campaign. In 111 innings pitched, he has a 6.00 ERA, 2-10 record, and only 78 strike outs. Pro Trends considers Foltynewicz a 90% bargain and he’s projected to have extremely low ownership.
Hitters
Notable Stack
The top projected points stack comes to you from the Tampa Bay Rays (-144):
- Randy Arozarena (R)
- Wander Franco (S)
- Nelson Cruz (R)
- Yandy Diaz (R)
The Rays are projected for the fourth-highest implied runs total on the slate at 5.5 runs. One of the biggest trade deadline moves was acquiring Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins. Since the trade, Cruz has been somewhat quiet, too quiet if you ask me. The Rays will be taking on the Baltimore Orioles, who have the second-worst record (38-69) this season. This is a perfect opportunity for Cruz to break out of his recent slump. On FanDuel, this stack will cost you $14.3k in salary and are projected for a combined 51.8 fantasy points.
Other Hitters
The highest rated floor play on Bales Model for DraftKings and FanDuel not named Cruz is Freddie Freeman from the Atlanta Braves. Freeman has collected three multi-hit performances in his last five games and is looking build on this recent hot streak.
Another Braves batter worth considering is Joc Pederson. He’s the highest-rated batter on Bales Model on DraftKings and FanDuel. After hitting his 14th home run of the season Thursday, Pederson will be hoping to add to that tally as the Braves take on the Washington Nationals.
Let’s not forget that the Colorado Rockies are playing at Coors Field. A few of their batters rate very highly on Bales Model and are projected for mid-low ownership.
Value
Finally, here is a handful of batters to consider while completing your lineups who are projected for a high fantasy points/salary:
- Myles Straw
- John Nogowski
- Tommy Pham
- Mark Canha
- Nick Ahmed
