This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
PITCHER
Robbie Ray, ARI at SDP ($8,300): Look beyond Ray's 4.83 ERA. That's based largely on his struggles at home. On the road, he has a 2.70 ERA, and last season he had a nigh-pristine 1.86 road ERA. There is no better park for a pitcher than San Diego's, and the Padres offer up a great matchup as well. As a team, the Padres have a .298 OBP.
GPP Fade: Freddy Peralta, MIL at STL ($7,900): The fact Peralta is in the majors as a 22-year-old is impressive, but there is still improvements he could make. He has a 4.47 ERA, and in away games his ERA rises to 5.17. Now he has to face a Cardinals team that has been hot for several weeks. In fact, the Cards rank third in runs scored since the All-Star break.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Joey Lucchesi, SDP vs. ARI ($7,600): Lucchesi has a 3.45 ERA as a rookie, and over his last eight starts that ERA has improved to 2.95. While he's actually been a little better on the road so far, the fact Petco Park has a lengthy track record of suppressing offense takes precedence over that, given that Lucchesi has only pitched in 18 games in his career. The Diamondbacks have a good offense, but on the road they only rank 18th in runs scored. If you are looking for a cheap option Friday, this appears to be your best bet. There are a lot of iffy pitchers taking the mound.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Jose Abreu, CWS vs. KC ($3,500): Abreu has the worst batting average of his career, and not surprising also the worst BABIP of his career by a wide margin, but he still has power. The Cuban has a .484 slugging percentage with 21 homers in 118 games. Now he gets to tee off on Jakob Junis, who has a 5.10 FIP. More than that, he's allowed 1.84 home runs per nine innings.
SECOND BASE
Scooter Gennett, CIN vs. SF ($3,000): Gennett broke out last year when he joined the Red, hitting 27 homers with a .873 OPS. While he's shown less power this year, he still has 18 home runs, and he's raised his OBP to .356. Plus, he's still raking against righties. Due to an injury to Dereck Rodriguez, Casey Kelly is getting a spot start for the Giants. He has a career ERA of 5.93.
THIRD BASE
Jurickson Profar, TEX vs. LAA ($3,400): Profar is finally proving why he was such a vaunted prospect all those years ago. He's had a good year, but he's been particularly hot recently. The 25-year-old has a .270/.362/.528 slash line over his last 30 games. Odrisamer Despaigne is getting a spot start for the Angels. The veteran pitcher has a career 4.76 ERA and hasn't been a regular starter since 2015.
SHORTSTOP
Carlos Correa, HOU at OAK ($3,600): Correa is finding his footing after returning from injury, and on the year his numbers are down a smidge. Still, the first-overall pick has a career slash line of .283/.362/.491, so we know he can hit. Edwin Jackson may have a 2.48 ERA in nine starts, but his 3.88 FIP belies that. He also has a career ERA of 4.61, and the 34-year-old isn't going to suddenly turn his game around.
OUTFIELD
Justin Upton, LAA at TEX ($4,200): Upton has been smashing righties this year, posting a .895 OPS and hitting 22 of his 26 homers in those matchups. This was going to be a matchup with lefty Mike Minor, but Minor is hurt, so now righty Drew Hutchison is stepping in. That would be the same Hutchison who has a 6.75 ERA this season.
Kole Calhoun, LAA at TEX ($3,600): With Hutchison on the mound sporting a career ERA of 5.01, why not double up on Angels? Don't look at Calhoun's overall numbers, because a change to Calhoun's swing has completely remade his game. Over his last 30 contests he's slashed .333/.411/.721 with 11 home runs.
Kyle Schwarber, CHC at PIT ($3,200): Schwarber is still a liability against lefties, but against righties he has a .862 OPS. Additionally, all 20 of his homers have come against right handers. Trevor Williams is a righty, and he has a 4.31 FIP as well. Williams has also only struck out 6.00 batters per nine innings, giving Schwarber more opportunity to make contact.
