Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Friday’s MLB games

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared towards ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

For an in-depth look at what to expect in this daily article and for how to best utilize the information contained within, check out our handy primer here.

Note: This file has been updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

What you need to know for Friday’s MLB Games

By Todd Zola

Buoyed by four rescheduled opening days, Friday offers a nearly full 14-game slate. Eight of the contests are matinees, so be sure to attend to your lineups early. It’s also the first of 81 Coors Field slates. Something to keep in mind is there are a few venues better for power; Coors Field is mostly about inflating runs by 40%. Yes, the ball travels further at altitude, but the fences are very deep to keep long balls in check. However, the vast expanse of fair territory avails much more acreage for lofted balls to land safely, increasing hits and ergo runs.

• Using the RST% (rostered percentage) on starting pitcher rankings for Friday as a guide, Tylor Megill (6.8% rostered in ESPN leagues) is a no-brainer to pick up as we head into the last three days of the first scoring period in head-to-head formats. Megill is at home at Citi Field, the best pitching venue in the league. He’s facing a Marlins offense averaging the second-fewest runs per game in the league.

• Zach Eflin (20.6%) is available in fewer leagues than Megill, but he’s a better pitcher in an equally favorable setup. The former Phillies hurler takes the hill at home in pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field, to be opposed by the Athletics, who have plated the eighth-fewest runs per game.

• In past years, Alex Cobb (45%) may not have been available in as many leagues, but with ESPN standard rosters now requiring just seven pitchers (it was previously nine), at least 20 more pitchers are in the free agent pool, compared to past seasons. Cobb was effective in his debut, fanning six Yankees in 3 2/3 innings, but he threw 76 pitches and was lifted early. He should be able to go deeper against the Royals offense toting the lowest weighted on base average (wOBA) into Oracle Park.

• Cobb will be opposed by Brad Keller (1.9%). Admittedly, this is more of a heart-over-head call, but Keller has a chance to thrive under new pitching coach Brian Sweeney, who last served as the Guardians pitching coach. Cleveland has a magic touch with pitching, so the hope is Sweeney brings some of that with him. Keller had a mixed opener as he fanned six in 4 2/3 innings, but he also walked four and yielded five hits and two runs.

• Clarke Schmidt (7.9%) is the fourth-lowest pitcher on the rankings, but he and the Yankees are the third biggest favorites based on our own W% metric. This factors into Schmidt’s FPTS, but if you’re way behind and need to take some chances, it may be better to pick up Schmidt than wait for the weekend where there will be more of a demand for the available starting pitchers.

• While many others are concentrating on hitters in the Rockies-Nationals matchup, consider swerving to St. Petersburg where the predominantly right-handed Tampa lineup squares off with southpaw Ken Waldichuk. Waldichuk was acquired by Oakland in the Frankie Montas deal. While he has potential, Waldichuk is still a work in progress, with control his main issue. Isaac Paredes (14%), Jose Siri (5.3%) and Manuel Margot (5.1%) are all righty swingers with a chance to work together for a big night.

---

---

Starting pitcher rankings for Friday