Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts lines out with the bases loaded on a pitch from Colorado Rockies reliever Daniel Bard to end the baseball game Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Denver. The Rockies won 8-5. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - KC
FD - 47.17 DK - 26.79
We have two of the biggest money line favorites you’ll ever see taking the mound on Friday and we are going to want to prioritize them for cash games. The first is Cole who is a -367 favorite against the Royals at home. It’s easy to see why. He’s having another excellent season with a 2.78 xFIP, 11.5 Ks per nine, and a 4.8:1 K:BB ratio. The Royals rank 24th in team wOBA on the season and just generally stink. Even with a game in Coors that has expensive bats, we are going to want to prioritize Cole here.
Opponent - DET (Bryan Garcia) Park - DET
FD - 45.28 DK - 24.08
Manoah is cheaper than Cole and in just as good a spot against Detroit. He’s a whopping -396 home favorite, again one of the higher numbers you’ll ever see in that respect. The Tigers rank second-to-last in team offense this season and strike out nearly 24% of the time. Manoah’s peripherals aren’t as good as Cole but he’s still shown very good control on the season. The matchup is just too good to pass up and I like pairing them together on DK.
Opponent - COL (Chad Kuhl) Park - COL
FD - 17.1 DK - 12.88
Opponent - COL (Chad Kuhl) Park - COL
FD - 14.81 DK - 11.01
It’s going to be tough to fit the higher-priced arms in with some of the bats in the best spots. That’s jus the way this slate is shaping up. But when you have a team with an implied run line over 7.0 it’s time to really start prioritizing them in cash games. That’s the case with the Dodgers playing again in Coors on Friday. They put up 13 runs on Thursday evening and could be in line for a ton today as well. Freeman and Smith are expensive here, and with good reason. They should hit three-four in the order respectively against Kuhl and have plenty of power upside. Smith is a bit cheaper on FanDuel which really helps with some of the salary concerns.
Plus Jake Lamb (FD $2600 DK $2100) is coming way too cheap on both sites, especially on DraftKings where he’s pretty much a must-play at the minimum hitting in Coors.
If you want to stack a team other than LAD, Alejandro Kirk (FD $3500 DK $4700) or Anthony Rizzo (FD $3600 DK $4500) both make good options and are coming cheaper on DraftKings.
Opponent - COL (Chad Kuhl) Park - COL
FD - 13.33 DK - 9.85
Muncy is another LAD bat who’s coming a bit too cheap considering the spot and he makes an enticing play on FanDuel in particular. The problem here is that he’s struggled so, so much this season. The OPS is in the tank and the power looks nearly gone. That being said, he’s run so bad in BABIP (70 points lower than career average) and Hr/FB rate that I do think luck has played a bigger part than most realize. I’m fine running him again here just because of where we are getting him in price.
Opponent - WSH (Aníbal Sánchez) Park - WSH
FD - 10.36 DK - 7.91
The Cardinals are in a decent spot here on Friday and Gorman is hitting around the middle of the order at fair prices. He makes for a better DraftKings play than anything else, sitting in the low-$3K range. He’s K-ing a ton in his rookie debut, going down on strikes more than 30% of the time. But he’s also got 10 home runs and will take walks from time to time. Assuming he hits fifth or higher, I think the DraftKings price is totally fine for cash games.
Opponent - COL (Chad Kuhl) Park - COL
FD - 16.44 DK - 12.66
As far as shortstops are concerned, it’s going to be tough getting away from Trea Turner even at these prices. The spot is just too good and he’s such a fantasy talent that, all things considered, it’s pretty tough to go wrong here. On the season he has 15 home runs and 18 stolen bases with the OPS sitting at .860 and a .369 wOBA. The speed and power combination gives him an incredibly high floor and while he’s been better against lefties for his career, it’s not by an overwhelming amount. I’m moving heaven and Earth to get him into lineups even with these big-money arms on this slate.
If you feel like you need to get away from Turner on this slate because the price is just too much, then pivoting to Bo Bichette (FD $3400 DK $5200) isn’t terrible but I would really only consider it on FanDuel.
On DraftKings Tommy Edman (FD $3300 DK $4000)
is a bit cheaper.
Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - KC
FD - 12.69 DK - 9.46
The Yankees are another team in a great spot on Friday, playing at home against Kris Bubic and the Royals. Donaldson is coming at a very advantageous FanDuel price, though there is some context with that number. He’s currently having a rough season, with the OPS sitting under .700. The strikeouts are up and the power is down. Neither are good signs. But this is a guy who’s crushed lefty pitching throughout his career with a .931 OPS and .394 wOBA. While the best days are most certainly behind him, I think we can still run him out there if the Yankees trust him to hit fifth in the order.
For what it’s worth Max Muncy, who we already mentioned, qualifies at 3B on DraftKings and he’s the play there considering the price is under $4K.
You can also pay up for Justin Turner (FD $3500 DK $4700) as well.
Opponent - COL (Chad Kuhl) Park - COL
FD - 16.72 DK - 12.59
In prioritizing the Dodgers’ bats on Friday, Betts has to be near or at the top of the list. He’s hitting leadoff for this group and putting up another excellent season. The .873 OPS is right in line with his career average and he has 23 home runs with seven stolen bases already. And in Coors you want to put the ball in play, something Betts does at an elite level considering he strikes out less than 17% of the time. This is almost a no-brainer considering the park and matchup.
Opponent - WSH (Aníbal Sánchez) Park - WSH
FD - 11.78 DK - 8.96
Carlson should be in the leadoff slot for the Cardinals when they face Anibal Sanchez and the Nationals on Friday. He’s a solid option at these price points, especially on FanDuel coming under $3K. The power and speed won’t knock your socks off, but they are there and he has a mid-700s OPS on the season. I like him getting the ball in play against a low-K arm in Sanchez.
Opponent - DET (Bryan Garcia) Park - DET
FD - 10.99 DK - 8.6
If you are looking to save some on DraftKings then Tapia could fit the bill. He’s slated to hit leadoff in place of George Springer who was injured on Thursday evening. Tapia is a solid, if unspectacular hitter who has an OPS in the 700s while being tough to put down on strikes. The main thing he has working in his favor is hitting first in front of other solid bats for the Blue Jays who have one of the higher implied run lines on the slate.
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