We have a stacked 15-game MLB slate on Friday, which means there are plenty of entries to sift through on PrizePicks.
A quick refresher if you aren’t familiar with PrizePicks: You can combine up to five different player squares to pay out up to 10x your entry.
You can do a Flex Play or a Power Play. A Flex Play gives you lesser odds, but you can win money even if you don’t nail every pick. A Power Play is all-or-nothing.
Here’s how I would approach Friday's MLB slate.
What is PrizePicks? A daily fantasy operator — meaning they’re available in more states (30) than sports betting is! — PrizePicks offers a unique opportunity for action on player picks in which you combine two or more entries together.
Jose Ramirez Fantasy Score More Than 7.5
To kick off Friday's MLB slate, the Chicago Cubs host the Cleveland Guardians. Superstar Jose Ramirez is putting together another terrific campaign as he boasts a .297 BA, a .527 SLG and a .893 OPS through 75 games.
His underlying metrics suggest regression is unlikely as he ranks in the 84th percentile or better in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, K% and Whiff%. Additionally, Ramirez has cleared this number in eight of his past 10 games.
Facing left-hander Justin Steele is certainly a challenge as Steele has thrown well all season. However, Ramirez is starting to peak and I'll ride the train until it falls off the tracks.
Corey Seager Fantasy Score More Than 8
The first installment of this four-game AL West showdown features the first-place Texas Rangers hosting the second-place Houston Astros. Ronel Blanco, who could be a good fade candidate to fade, will get the start for Houston.
Blanco possesses a 4.70 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP through four starts. His underlying metrics are just as poor as he ranks in the 22nd percentile or lower in xERA/xwOBA, xSLG and Barrel%.
The first Texas hitter to back in this contest is Corey Seager, who missed over a month with an injury and has only played in 49 games this season. However, if it weren't for Shohei Ohtani, Seager would be the front-runner in the AL MVP race as he boasts a .345 BA, a .609 SLG and a 1.020 OPS.
His underlying metrics are just as dominant as he ranks in the 98th percentile or higher in Average Exit Velocity, HardHit%, xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and Barrel%. Seager has cleared this number in each of his past two games.
Marcus Semien Fantasy Score More Than 8
The other Rangers hitter to back in this contest is Marcus Semien. Through 80 games, Semien boasts a .282 BA, a .460 SLG and a .801 OPS.
He has recorded at least eight fantasy points in four of his past five games and is averaging 10.8 fantasy points per game over that span. This strong offensive stretch is likely to continue against Blanco, who Semien is 2-for-3 against in his career.
Since 2021, Semien's splits jump by approximately 4% (.263 BA, .492 SLG and a .812 OPS) against right-handed pitching.
