Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Studs and Duds for June 26

After a few teams had a day off Thursday, we’re back with a full slate of MLB games Friday for DraftKings daily fantasy leagues.

This week’s players to use and avoid feature former All-Stars and young guns. Game matchups and batter vs. pitcher matchups were some of the factors included in this list.

Here are a few of the studs and duds to note when playing in DraftKings daily fantasy leagues Friday.

Stud: Tyson Ross, SP, San Diego Padres

Ross hasn’t been spectacular this season, with just a 4-7 record and a 3.61 ERA. However, when Ross has played the Arizona Diamondbacks, he has been at the top of his game.

He dominated the Diamondbacks in his previous start, recording nine strikeouts while allowing just one earned run and four hits. Through two starts this season against the Diamondbacks, Ross is allowing Arizona to hit just .176 against him, the worst batting average for any team against him in his career.

Ross is known as a pitcher who consistently records a high amount of strikeouts. Against Arizona this season, he has recorded 15 career strikeouts, his third-highest strikeout total against any team in MLB in 2015.

He will have the opportunity to pitch at home against a team he has dominated against in the past. Ross’ previous two starts against the Diamondbacks are signs that he is ready to explode Friday in daily fantasy leagues.

Dud: Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays

Donaldson has picked up where he left off after an All-Star season in 2014 with the Oakland Athletics. Now with the Blue Jays, Donaldson is hitting .298 this season with 17 home runs and 46 RBI.

While his season as a whole has been impressive, he is currently in a hitting slump with a .217 batting average over the past week. Donaldson will face Texas Rangers starter Nick Martinez, a pitcher against whom he has struggled mightily in the past.

He is hitting just .182 over his career against Martinez, with just two hits in 11 career at-bats, including just one extra-base hit. While Donaldson is hitting an incredible .358 at home, his struggles against Martinez make him a non-starter in daily fantasy leagues.

There is little doubt that Donaldson will end his recent hitting struggles, but it won’t come against Martinez and the Rangers. Sitting this former All-Star is the best move for Friday.

Stud: Logan Morrison, 1B, Seattle Mariners

Morrison has moved up and down the Mariners’ lineup this season due to the team’s offensive struggles. After an impressive month of May in which he hit .273 with 27 hits, he has struggled for a good chunk of June and is hitting just .192 in the past week.

Morrison’s recent struggles are set to end against a pitcher he has performed well playing in the past: Los Angeles Angels starter Matt Shoemaker.

He is hitting .571 over his career against Shoemaker. Morrison has played well against the Angels as a team this season with a .286 batting average through 21 games. He has also performed well at Angels Stadium this season with a .400 batting average.

Morrison demonstrated his power against Shoemaker earlier this season.

Shoemaker has struggled this season with a 5.20 ERA. In his last start against the Oakland Athletics, he allowed five earned runs and two home runs in a 12-7 win.

Morrison has had his fair share of success against the Angels and Shoemaker this season. Especially with injuries to star first basemen such as Freddie Freeman and Ryan Zimmerman, Morrison is a good plug-in pick for daily fantasy leagues Friday.

Dud: Lucas Duda, 1B, New York Mets

Duda got off to a fast start this season with a .325 batting average in April. Since then, he has struggled to find his hitting rhythm, which has led to his .181 batting average in June.

If Duda hopes to end his batting struggles, fans shouldn’t expect him to catch fire against Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto.

Cueto allowed just three earned runs combined in two starts against the Mets last season. Duda has hit just .231 over his career against Cueto with zero extra-base hits.

Duda has struggled especially against right-handed pitchers this season. He is hitting .344 against left handers while hitting just .237 against right handers in 2015.

Duda has all the intangibles to be a productive player for the Mets going forward. However, his recent struggles combined with facing an elite pitcher like Johnny Cueto make him a fantasy pick to avoid for Friday.