Well, folks, we’ve made it to Friday. Last night’s slate was quite the wild ride, and tonight we’re back in action with a full 12-gamer starting at 7:10 PM ET. The Rockies are still on the road, but the A’s are still at home, so it’s pretty easy to see where the chalk will be on the hitting side.
Pitching also looks pretty solid, so it looks like we have lots of options on both sides of things.
Now that that incredibly generic intro is out of the way, I suppose we can move right along to The Stuff.
MLB DFS Pitcher Picks for Friday
- Dylan Cease ($11,500, vs. Mariners)
- Cam Schlittler ($10,700, vs. Red Sox)
- Logan Henderson ($10,500, vs. Rangers)
- Hunter Brown ($9,500, at Mets)
- Reid Detmers ($8,800, vs. Phillies)
- Christian Scott ($7,900, vs. Astros)
- Tanner Bibee ($7,600, vs. Royals)
- Mean Dean Kremer ($7,400, vs. White Sox)
- Patrick Sandoval ($6,700, at Yankees)
- Andrew Painter ($6,500, at Angels)
- Jared Jones ($6,300, at Cardinals)
- Jacob Lopez ($6,200, vs. Orioles)
- Quinn Mathews ($5,700, vs. Pirates)
That’s a lot of names. And it’s not even all the names. It’s only some of the names. You can consider some of the other names, but these are the names I’ll be focused on. It’s not really a focus, though, with so many names.
Dylan Cease isn’t the longest name, but it is the biggest name. He’s been terrific in his first season with the Blue Jays, really the only thing terrific about the 2026 Blue Jays. His 36.1% strikeout rate is downright Misiorowskian, while his 11.1% walk rate is, admittedly, pretty gross. That’s Dylan Cease for ya. The walks really haven’t caught up with him, though, as he’s sporting a 2.37 ERA next to a 3.01 SIERA.
Tonight, he’ll face the Mariners at home. Seattle’s hitters will take their walks (10% vs. RHP), but it’s been a pretty middling lineup for most of the season (.155 ISO, .321 wOBA). There’s always a chance an offense with this much talent will do some damage, but I’m not overly concerned. I like Cease quite a bit, even at $11,500, though I see him projecting for nearly 50% ownership. That’s rather ridiculous on a slate with this much pitching, and I expect to come in closer to 20-25% exposure.
Cam Schlittler is from Boston, so a matchup with the Red Sox is kind of a revenge game, even if he’s never played for the Red Sox. He’s been consistenly great all year (30.8% Ks, 5.9% walks, 2.92 SIERA), though his matchup, on paper, is a bit more difficult than Cease’s. Over the past month, the Red Sox have really walloped right-handed pitching (.207 ISO, .366 wOBA). I still expect Schlittler to be fine here, even though Aces Love to Pitch Like Shit. If forced to choose, I’d find the extra $800 for Cease, but Schlittler should come at a fraction of the ownership, and they’re really not that different in terms of ceiling.
Logan Henderson and His Mustache have been steadily great, too. His numbers across the board aren’t all that different from Schlittler’s (29.8% Ks, 5.3% walks, 3.10 SIERA), though there is a bit more power risk in Henderson’s flyball style. The sample of Henderson’s work is also smaller, though we have seen the Brewers loosen the leash, as he’s topped 90 pitches in 3 straight outings, including a 100-pitch start last time out against Atlanta. He’s mowed down some impressive lineups of late, too. There are also plenty of Ks available in this Texas lineup (23.2% vs. RHP). I have no issues with Henderson whatsoever if you land there.
Hunter Brown goes into Citi Field to face the Mets. His 13.7% walk rate for the season is easily the worst of his career, and he hasn’t reined it in at all over the last month (13%). I’m not sure where the control went. His strikeout stuff (24%) is more good than great, though the Mets certainly aren’t a scary offense these days (.146 ISO, .309 wOBA vs. RHP). I suppose Brown is okay enough, but on this pitching-heavy slate, he’s really just a large-field leftover.
Reid Detmers is always too cheap, and you can certainly argue $8,800 is still that. He’s really found it this season (28.5% Ks, 7.3% walks, 3.36 SIERA), and the Phillies (.153 ISO, .320 wOBA) are not a prolific offense against lefties. One issue is the Angels are playing for nothing, so Detmers is most often being held to around 90 pitches, but that hasn’t stopped him from flashing an occasional ceiling. I have plenty of interest.
From here we can skip right down to the $7,900 Christian Scott on the other side of Brown’s matchup. The rookie has given the Mets some good innings (28.5% Ks, 10% walks, 3.68 SIERA), and he’s been particularly tough on right-handed bats (.083 ISO, .305 wOBA). Most of the Astros’ better hitters swing it from the right side, so he should be solid here if he can skate around Yordan Alvarez. Scott isn’t at all a core play for me, but he makes the pool party.
Tanner Bibee always seems to underperform his peripherals, for whatever reason. His K-rate has dipped to just 19.3% this year, albeit with nice control (6.9% walks) and good power-limiting against righties. Lefties (.218 ISO) have given him some trouble. While the Royals do have a trio of imposing LHBs near the top of the order, it’s still not a super imposing offense overall (.167 ISO, .322 wOBA vs. RHP). Bibee looks like he’ll fly almost completely under the radar, and I’ll likely take an overweight approach in GPPs.
Mean Dean Kremer has pitched very well since moving to Minnesota from Baltimore before the deadline (23.3% Ks, 9.3% walks, .143 ISO, .235 wOBA, 46.6% groundballs). We know the White Sox will throw a lot of power at him (.190 ISO, .332 wOBA vs. RHP), but Chicago will also do some striking out (23.1% vs. RHP). Can’t say I love Kremer here, but $7,400 is reasonable enough. I prefer Bibee if choosing between them.
For whatever reason it always feels like I’m shouting from the abandoned rooftops on Patrick Sandoval Island, and here I am again, doing more shouting. There is nothing great here, but he’s a cheap lefty with passable strikeout stuff (23.3% over the past month), and tonight he’ll face a Yankees lineup that generally doesn’t profile as well against southpaws. They’ve still it for a lot of power (.191 ISO), but there are also plenty of strikeout-prone bats here (23.5%). Sandoval is only $6,700 and I kinda like the matchup. I will surely have an alarming amount of exposure.
Andrew Painter was a disaster early in the year, but he’s been better (23.2% Ks, 8.9% walks, 47.9% groundballs) since his recent return from the depths. He really flashed upside in his last outing against the Cardinals, and tonight he’ll face that Angels offense we pick on seemingly every night (25.9% Ks vs. RHP). I don’t trust Painter at all, and I’m wondering if the matchup and salary will lead to some ownership, but he does project decently enough overall.
Jared Jones is still working his way back from Tommy John, and the Pirates haven’t let him crack 90 pitches yet this season. He is getting closer – 87 in his most recent start – and tonight he’ll face a mediocre Cardinals offense that really only has 2 menacing hitters (.161 ISO, .327 wOBA, 21.6% Ks). Jones is allowing a lot of power (.197 ISO), especially to lefties (.212 ISO), but he’s also still showing strikeout ability (26.6%). He’s not safe, but he’s also just $6,300, so the salary helps to mitigate the risk.
Much like Andrew Painter, Jacob Lopez got off to a nightmarish start, but he’s looked terrific since returning from the minors (31.6% Ks, 6% walks). I assume the Orioles will be a chalky offense tonight – because the opponent in Sacramento is always chalk these days – but stacking against Lopez has gone exceedingly poorly for weeks now. I assume the real J-Lo is somewhere in between the early-season version and the present-day version. Baltimore has a lot of power (.192 ISO), but they’re also the highest-strikeout offense in baseball against lefties (27.3%). There’s a lot of potential boom/bust here, but Lopez gives you leverage on a likely chalky stack.
Both last and last, we have Quinn Mathews Band at home against the Pirates. The most important thing here is that Mathews throws with his left hand, and left-handed baseball throwers have a habit of giving the Pirates absolute fits (26.6% Ks, .149 ISO, .311 wOBA). Mathews isn’t a great prospect by any means, but he profiles as a solid combination of strikeouts and groundballs. He’s also just $5,700 and facing a punchless offense, so he’s quite a viable punt on this slate.
SP Rankings
- Cease
- Sandoval
- Detmers
- Bibee
- Mathews
- Jones
- Schlittler
- Painter
- Kremer
- Scott
- Henderson
- Lopez
- Brown
Best MLB DFS Stacks for Friday
- Braves (vs. Tomoyuki Sugano)
- Orioles (at Jacob Lopez)
- A’s (vs. Brandon Young)
- Rockies (at Grant Holmes)
- Brewers (vs. Cody Bradford)
- DBax (at Blade Tidwell)
- Giants (vs. Kohl Drake)
- Mets (vs. Hunter Brown)
- Cardinals (vs. Jared Jones)
- Pirates (at Quinn Mathews)
- Phillies (at Reid Detmers)
- Royals (at Tanner Bibee)
- Blue Jays (vs. Emerson Hancock)
- Twins (vs. Luis Castillo)
It’s a pitching-heavy slate. As a result, I’m not seeing a whole lot of standout offense. The team with the highest total is the Braves, who’ll face the junk-throwin’ Tomoyuki Sugano at home. It’s not in Colorado, but Sugano (.257 ISO, .358 wOBA, 13% barrels) has poor numbers across the board. His one plus skill is his control. If BABIP goes his way, things won’t go the Braves’ way.
But, whatever. Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Michael Harris, and Austin Riley all have double-digit barrel rates vs. RHP this season, and it’s very difficult to imagine them not finding at least some success against a guy with a sub-14% K-rate. I do not know why Mauricio Dubon hits cleanup for this team, but he’s cheap and has MPE, so he’s fine. Ditto for Dom Smith, while Mike Yastrzemski looks solid at a sub-$3,000 salary. This team almost has to be the co-chalk by default.
I assume Baltimore will be the Braves’ co-chalk. A 4.8 total is not amazing for a game in Sacramento, and I suppose it has everything to do with both Lopez’ recent form and the Orioles’ General Untrustworthiness. Lopez is still a guy we can play RHBs against, so Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo, and Christain Encarnacion-Strand look appealing. Unfortunately, you can’t actually play all 3 of them together on DK, so that’s nice and stupid. Christian Franklin is nice and cheap, while I’m generally fine with Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday lefty-lefty. I have more faith in Atlanta chalk than Baltimore chalk.
The A’s typically project well at home despite a glaring lack of talent. The elements, and all. Brandon Young hasn’t even pitched poorly for the Orioles, so it’s not very exciting over here, either. I’m always happy to play Zack Gelof and approximately nobody else in this lineup. The Fake Max Muncy, Lawrence Butler, Tommy White, and Carlos Cortes have decent barrel rates vs. RHP, while Henry Bolte and Jeff McNeil should hit 1-2 in the order. Given the likely ownership, I think I’d rather play the A’s than the O’s.
Cody Bradford is a lefty with a wide reverse split, so he’s had more issues against same-handed hitters. I suppose that bodes well for Brice Turang and Sal Frelick, but Milwaukee is otherwise projected to be righty-heavy tonight. Jackson Chourio is a clear standout, while Andrew Vaughn and Gary Sanchez would be next on my list.
I’m generally not a fan of this DBax offense, but Blade Tidwell is one of the slate’s weaker pitchers. He projects for an average right-handed split, so Arizona’s LHBs (Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Lars Nootbaar, Max Kepler) profile pretty well. Gabriel Moreno is the rare Catcher Who Rakes, so I like him enough.
Kohl Drake isn’t as cool of a name as Blade Tidwell, but it is a cooler-than-average name, at least. That’s really the only above-average thing about him, though, as he’s gotten lit up (.254 ISO, .394 wOBA, 16.4% barrels) in the majors this year. He is a lefty, though, and the Giants’ lineup has been absolute garbage (.139 ISO, .274 wOBA) against lefties. I suppose you can even make a case to punt with Drake if you have boulders for testicles. I think I’d rather play the Giants for value. Jonah Cox is a nice cheapie who should lead off, while I’m perfectly fine with Rafael Devers or Bryce Eldridge lefty-lefty. Boulders for Testicles would be a pretty good band name.
Hunter Brown hasn’t really found it, for some reason, so I suppose you can play some Mets. Francisco Lindor, of course, while AJ Ewing, Carson Benge, Bo Bichette, and Jared Young will hit near the top of the order.
I’d rather play Detmers than stack against him, but he is a lefty who’s had a reverse split over the years. Sneaky spot for Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper from the left side.
I will play more Painter than Angels, but you can power-hunt with some Halos against a volatile child. Mike Trout, Zach Neto, Moises Ballesteros, Vaughn Grissom, Jose Siri, Christian Moore…I kinda like it? Hitting sucks tonight, friends.
Some of Pittsburgh’s RHBs are playable against Mathews, namely Esmerlyn Valdez, Bryan Reynolds, Nick Gonzales, and Rafael Flores.
Jared Jones is allowing a lot of power, especially to LHBs. Alec Burleson and JJ Wetherholt are St. Louis’ best LHBs, though it looks like Nolan Gorman is back, too.
Luis Castillo has been attackable with LHBs for the past few years. That’s no secret, so maybe the Twins will attract some attention. Brooks Lee, Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, and Trevor Larnach will have the coveted platoon edge.
I mentioned Bibee’s issues with LHBs, so a Jac Caglianone-Carter Jensen-Vinnie Pasquantino mini is pretty good.
The early-season magic seems to have largely worn off for Emerson Hancock, who’s allowed a .400 wOBA to lefties over the last month. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays have zero good lefties, but I guess you can play these dweebs in large-field stuff.
Noah Simpson is a New England-based DFS writer who has spent the better part of a decade obsessing over MLB DFS. He got his start playing DFS recreationally before realizing he was spending more time building spreadsheets than actually watching games, and decided to make it official. At DFSBuild, Noah covers MLB DFS strategy with a focus on finding edges that casual players overlook. When he’s not staring at Statcast data, he’s somewhere on a hiking trail in Maine with his two dogs, Sandboy and Johnner, who are undefeated at ignoring his lineup advice, because they are dogs. They don’t have the cognitive or motor skills required to operate a computer, let alone process complex theories and information.
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