If you’re looking for fantasy baseball advice ahead of Friday’s slate, we have everything you need. Here are two lineups to stack, a hitter recommendation to anchor your DFS lineups, and a pitcher with a favorable matchup on tap. Conversely, we also have a pitcher you should fade in this slate.
Why You Should Stack the Texas Rangers Against Luis Severino
Stacking the Texas Rangers lineup would be an excellent choice ahead of Friday’s fantasy baseball slate since it’s a stack that has both floor and ceiling. The standout hitter is none other than Jake Burger, boasting a massive .368 average and 1.560 OPS with 4 home runs in just 19 at-bats against Luis Severino.
Brandon Nimmo complements that with a .385 batting average and 1.269 OPS, so he tends to see the ball well against Severino. They’re not the only ones, as Joc Pederson (.455 AVG, 1.182 OPS) and Josh Smith (.333 AVG, 1.121 OPS) add depth as well. Considering the struggles of Severino this season (6.20 ERA, 1.70 WHIP across 24.2 innings in 5 starts) and the success Rangers hitters have had against him, this is a must-play across all formats.
Why Stacking the Los Angeles Dodgers Lineup Could Be a Solid Fantasy Choice
The Dodgers’ stack is top-heavy as well. It features two of the game’s best hitters in Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker, but it also has strong support based on the fact that several Los Angeles hitters have had success against Jameson Taillon in the past. Ohtani is the headline play, posting a ridiculous 1.462 OPS with 2 home runs in just 10 at-bats against the Cubs’ hurler, but be aware that adding Ohtani to any stack means you’ll probably have to sacrifice something elsewhere due to his high salary.
Teoscar Hernandez adds another layer with a .982 OPS and 2 homers, reinforcing the power profile of this stack. Then there’s Kyle Tucker, who brings a .333 average and 1.051 OPS into the matchup. With three elite options to choose from, it’s hard to overlook the Dodgers as a potential stack on Friday’s slate.
Why Gunnar Henderson Could Be an Excellent Hitter to Anchor Your DFS Lineups
Henderson has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 MLB season, and although he’s cooling off a bit after hitting .114 over his last 10 games, he’s putting up solid numbers despite a low batting average. He might be hitting .189, but he has a .712 OPS, 7 homers, 15 RBIs, and 15 runs scored across 25 games. He also has 4 steals to his name in 5 attempts.
Considering he has a favorable matchup against the Boston Red Sox and Brayan Bello, Henderson could be in line for a big performance Friday. For what it’s worth, he’s hit .263 with a .943 OPS and 4 extra-base hits in 19 at-bats against the Red Sox hurler, so the production is clearly there.
Why You Should Be Confident Streaming Will Warren Against the Houston Astros
Given how good he’s looked this season and his roster percentages across most leagues, it’s getting harder and harder to call Warren a “streaming” option. But in the event that he’s available in your leagues, or if you want to start him in a DFS format, you should take advantage of the chance and do so.
Warren owns a 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a dazzling 31:6 K:BB ratio through 5 starts and 25.1 innings this season, so he’s been very effective. He struck out a career-high 11 in his last start when the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals last Saturday, April 18 by a 13-4 score. Warren doesn’t have the best matchup, as he’ll be facing the Astros on the road, but given how good Warren has looked lately, it’s not hard to choose him if you’re looking for a non-ace pitcher to bolster your staff.
Why You Should Fade Luis Severino in Friday’s Matchup Versus the Rangers
Severino might be experiencing an uptick in velocity this season, but that’s where the positives end for the veteran right-hander. This will be the second time he faces the Rangers this season, and the previous outing didn’t go well: He took the loss on April 13 after allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7 batters over 6 innings.
Severino has made 3 starts on the road this season, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.80 WHIP, and although the 11.5 K/9 in those 3 outings is encouraging, this is not a good matchup. As outlined above, several Rangers have had plenty of success against Severino in the past, so it would be wise to just fade him and look for other options to bolster your fantasy lineups this Friday.
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