If good pitching is the key to success in daily fantasy baseball, Friday’s contests should be a piece of cake with aces all over the board.

With a plethora of top options available, the challenge will be separating those expected to come through with truly elite performances from the rest of the pack. These picks shouldn’t necessarily mean you count out the other choices, but they are the ones who could provide the most value for May 22.

Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals ($12,700)

Yes, this is a lot of money for one player. Choosing him means you will have to compensate in other areas of your lineup. That said, this is as good of a pick as you will find.

Max Scherzer has been great for the Nationals, posting a 1.75 ERA while averaging more than seven innings and eight strikeouts per start. Even his worst start this season (five runs allowed in seven innings) ended up being worth 23.8 points on DraftKings thanks to 10 strikeouts. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have been much better lately, but hitting will be more difficult outside of Coors Field. Expect more struggles against Scherzer in Friday’s matchup.

Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates ($9,200)

H. RUMPH JR/Associated Press

There are reasons to be cautious about picking a number of the top options Friday. Players like Felix Hernandez, Garrett Richards and Lance Lynn will compete in tough locations for pitchers, while Zack Greinke and 1.52 ERA seem destined to fall back to earth, especially considering his 3.19 FIP is more in line with his career numbers. 

However, Gerrit Cole has a much better chance of succeeding against a New York Mets team that has struggled offensively lately. In the last 10 games, they have scored two or fewer runs in six of them.

Cole—who hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game this year—has a chance to have a truly special game with a lot of strikeouts in this one.

Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays ($8,600)

The key to a good pitching performance in fantasy baseball is strikeouts. They turn a good performance into a great one, and can even save a poor showing from killing your team. This is good news for those who have Chris Archer in their lineups.

While a bit inconsistent, the Tampa Bay Rays starter has 62 strikeouts this season and is among the major league leaders with 10.21 strikeouts per nine innings. Even though the Oakland Athletics have been solid at the plate this year, Archer can put up some big numbers from a fantasy perspective in this one.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Baltimore Orioles ($7,000)

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The Miami Marlins came into the year with high expectations, but the team has completely fallen apart, losing seven games in a row, all at home. They will try to turn things around this weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, but there isn’t too much reason for optimism at this point.

As a result, Ubaldo Jimenez has a chance to continue his surprising success this season. After posting a 4.81 ERA in 2014, the veteran is down to a 2.43 mark this year after cutting his walks per nine innings in half (5.5 to 2.7).

With Marlins Park ranking near the bottom of the majors in home runs allowed, per ESPN, he should be ready for another quality start.

Alfredo Simon, Detroit Tigers ($5,500)

Considering the quality of arms available, this might not be the day to be thrifty when it comes to starting pitching. If you do want to find a high-upside sleeper, however, Alfredo Simon might be your best bet.

As good as the Houston Astros lineup has been this year, they still lead the American League in strikeouts while sitting near the bottom in batting average. If you can keep the ball in the park, you have a chance to beat them.

Considering Simon also has a 1.25 ERA in three home starts this season, the 34-year-old starter has the ability to outperform some of the more expensive options on the board.

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

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