Wednesday’s DFS slate was proof that if you hit on a stack, you probably won’t care how much you had to pay for it. The Rockies scored 18 runs on 21 hits while the Dodgers scored nine runs on 13 hits, so hopefully you played those stacks while ignoring my advice on the Diamondbacks and the Nationals, who inexplicably got shut out by Alex Meyer and the Angels bullpen.  That being said, I do think there are some cheaper stacks worth considering Friday, but if you like the Astros as much as I do, you should find a way to fit them in your DFS lineups.

Here are my stacks for Friday, July 21, listed in order of preference:

Houston Astros @ Baltimore Orioles (Ubaldo Jimenez, R)

George Springer, Carlos Beltran, Jose Altuve, Evan Gattis, Marwin Gonzalez, Alex Bregman, Josh Reddick, Brian McCann

Astros hitters have a .985 OPS against right-handed pitchers over the last 30 days, and they have come to the plate with runners in scoring position in 33.6 percent of their plate appearances over the last 30 days. The Indians are the only other team over 30 percent. The Astros have also scored three or more runs in 11.5 percent of their innings played over the last 30 days, which could be useful for a team you are looking to stack.

Ubaldo Jimenez has a 5.90 FIP this season, and he has been especially terrible against left-handed batters, allowing a .435 BABIP. Jimenez allowed six earned runs on 11 hits in 3.2 innings against the Cubs Sunday, and he has struggled against some of the Astros. Carlos Beltran is 10-for-28 with three home runs, seven RBI and nary a strikeout against Jimenez. Josh Reddick is 8-for-17 with three extra-base hits and a 97.0 Average Exit Velocity against Ubaldo. Brian McCann is only batting .231 against Ubaldo, but he has a 94.4 aEV. Evan Gattis is 4-for-8 with a home run against Jimenez.

Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox (James Shields, R)

Salvador Perez, Lorenzo Cain, Whit Merrifield, Mike Moustakas, Brandon Moss, Alex Gordon, Jorge Bonifacio

After a strong start, Shields is who we thought he was, allowing six earned runs in two of his last four starts. He has a 5.10 ERA and 1.49 WHIP, and he faces a Kansas City team that has been respectable since the All-Star break but remains cheap for DFS thanks to a slow start.

Whit Merrifield is 11-for-30 with a home run and a stolen base over the last seven days and Brandon Moss is showing signs of life, going 5-for-9 with a home run and six RBI over his last two games.

If you are looking for a cheap stack, Kansas City is your best option.

Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (Trevor Williams, R)

Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, Gerardo Parra, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado

I wouldn’t try to talk you out of including any Rockies in a stack, but the five guys listed above are on fire right now, so I would go with them unless the price becomes prohibitive. As a team, Colorado has a .414 wOBA over the last seven days, and each of the Rockies in my stack is batting .375 or better over the last week, and only DJ LeMahieu has failed to hit a home run over that span. Trevor Williams probably hasn’t pitched as poorly as his 4.57 ERA and 1.31 WHIP would suggest, but there is no reason to believe a start in Coors Field will actually help his numbers.

San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants (Jeff Samardzija, R)

Cory Spangenberg, Jabari Blash, Hector Sanchez, Wil Myers, Carlos Asuaje, Jose Pirela, Hunter Renfroe

The Padres roughed up Samardzija for seven earned runs on nine hits Sunday, the second consecutive game Samardzija has allowed nine hits. The Padres have a .363 wOBA over the last seven days, and they just got Hunter Renfroe off the disabled list, which makes their lineup even more potent.

The lineup is in a bit of flux with Manny Margot on paternity leave. Jose Pirela has led off twice in the last five days, and will most likely remain in that role Friday. Hector Sanchez has batted cleanup in his last three starts, going 5-for-12 with two home runs over that stretch. He is probably my favorite catcher of the slate if he bats fourth again, but he might get pushed back thanks to Jabari Blash and Cory Spangenberg. Blash has a .541 wOBA over the last seven days while Spangenberg sits at .546.