The aces are back in action, which creates the perfect opportunity to rack up the points in Friday’s daily fantasy baseball contests.

While there are certainly days when the list of probable starters is full of unrecognizable names and bottom-of-the-barrel options, that won’t be the case Friday, as you get to choose from a wide variety of top pitchers. 

You can still find some value in your lineup if needed, but here is a look at the top choices at pitcher for April 17.

Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals ($11,700)

Clayton Kershaw is still arguably the top pitcher in the game, but he hasn’t looked like himself in his first two starts of the season. To this point, he has allowed eight earned runs in 12.1 innings to equal a 5.84 ERA.

While there isn’t much to worry about in regular fantasy leagues, there is little reason to take a chance for $12,600 in daily fantasy.

If you want to grab a big-named pitcher, it is smarter to go after Max Scherzer for a slightly cheaper price tag. The Washington Nationals ace has done well in his first two National League starts (0.66 ERA), even if he is yet to get a win.

Although it is a bit scary for a pitcher to face the same offense two starts in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies represent very little threat with one of the worst lineups in baseball. This is a safe bet for big points Friday.

Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds ($9,700)

David Kohl/Associated Press

After Michael Wacha and the St. Louis Cardinals handed Johnny Cueto a loss last week, the two pitchers will battle again Friday night in what will certainly be an entertaining game.

Although Wacha represents a solid option to keep the score low again, what makes Cueto a better option is his ability to earn strikeouts. He has 14 already this season and finished fifth in the majors a year ago with 242.

The Cardinals aren’t necessarily a free-swinging team, but Cueto remains a safe option with his ability to rack up points through strikeouts.

Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics ($8,300)

After two losses in a row, the Kansas City Royals aren’t quite as terrifying as they were during the 7-0 start. This provides a good chance for Sonny Gray to keep up his own great start with just one earned run allowed in 15.1 innings, including a no-hit bid on Opening Day into the eighth inning.

Competing in the spacious Kauffman Stadium will also ensure the ball stays in the park. This is more than you can say about Julio Teheran, who costs around the same price on DraftKings ($8,500) but could struggle against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Rogers Centre.

Similar-priced options like Jake Peavy and Jered Weaver also lack the consistency to be reasonable picks this week.

Bartolo Colon, New York Mets ($7,000)

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

You can make your jokes about Bartolo Colon, but when he is good, he is usually very good. He had nine starts last season of at least seven innings and either one or zero earned runs allowed.

This year, he is also off to a relatively good start with a 2.77 ERA and a 2-0 record in his first two appearances. Last game he even hit an RBI single to help his own cause (although you shouldn’t count on this in the future).

The Miami Marlins have gotten off to a slow start to the year, and Colon has the tools to take advantage of this for another win in this matchup.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Baltimore Orioles ($6,000)

This is admittedly a huge risk considering his track record. Ubaldo Jimenez struggled throughout most of 2014 and could easily revert back to his problems in his next start. However, he was nothing short of brilliant his last time out, with no runs and just one hit allowed in seven innings.

He noted his success was based on his ability to locate his fastball, via Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun:

That’s the number one thing, to command the fastball and then you can throw your breaking ball off the fastball. I’ve been doing the same in the bullpen, working on the two-seam fastball, breaking balls, all the same work. […]

If I’m able to locate my fastball and keep it down in the strike zone, I’m going to get people out.

The former All-Star has the potential for another big game against the Boston Red Sox and for the price, it might be worth the risk.

Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference. 

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