We have every team in action for this Saturday card, and we’re going to focus on the 12 games starting at 4ET. That should leave us with plenty of options, and it should give all of you recommendations across the two main slates. The one thing that all of you need to zone in on is the weather. We got some snow here in Denver on Friday for the first time in months, and there’s rain all over the country right now. Weather can cause chaos in DFS, but if you pay attention, you’re already a step ahead of the field!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Carlos Rodon (SF) vs. SD |
$9,600 |
$9,900 |
Low |
Medium |
| Shane Bieber (CLE) vs. DET |
$8,800 |
$8,600 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Joe Ryan (MIN) at KC |
$8,800 |
$9,100 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Justin Verlander (HOU) vs. TEX |
$10,300 |
$10,800 |
Low |
Low |
We have every team in action for this Saturday card, and we’re going to focus on the 12 games starting at 4ET. That should leave us with plenty of options, and it should give all of you recommendations across the two main slates. The one thing that all of you need to zone in on is the weather. We got some snow here in Denver on Friday for the first time in months, and there’s rain all over the country right now. Weather can cause chaos in DFS, but if you pay attention, you’re already a step ahead of the field!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Carlos Rodon (SF) vs. SD |
$9,600 |
$9,900 |
Low |
Medium |
| Shane Bieber (CLE) vs. DET |
$8,800 |
$8,600 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Joe Ryan (MIN) at KC |
$8,800 |
$9,100 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Justin Verlander (HOU) vs. TEX |
$10,300 |
$10,800 |
Low |
Low |
Starting Pitcher Strategy
This is the slate of young aces! Some of these guys come with their fair share of risk, but some of these pitchers are on the doorstep of superstardom. We have three young guys that we love and one ace who’s been doing work for over a decade. Let’s go ahead and start with him!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Justin Verlander (HOU) vs. TEX
It’s wild that Verlander took nearly two years off and has come back as good as ever. The former Cy Young has a 1.38 ERA and 0.68 WHIP this season. You usually see those averages from the best reliever in baseball, and it’s scary what JV is doing in this pitcher-friendly environment. Getting to face Texas’ terrible offense is the icing on the cake, with the Rangers ranked 27th in OBP and 25th in wOBA. Verlander has also owned them throughout his career, pitching to a 2.66 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 10.0 K/9 rate in their 32 career matchups.
Joe Ryan (MIN) at KC
This kid is fantastic. It looks like Ryan is blossoming into ace status, amassing a 2.39 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 8.6 K/9 rate this year. That’s far from surprising when looking at his minor league averages, totaling a 2.67 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 32 percent K rate at that level. Those are absurd numbers, and facing Kansas City is like facing a Triple-A lineup. The Royals rank 28th in wOBA, 25th in xwOBA, 26th in runs scored, and 27th in OPS. Ryan showed us that when he threw six scoreless innings against them earlier this season while allowing just three baserunners.
GPP Recommendations:
Carlos Rodon (SF) vs. SD
Rodon just had the worst start of his career on Sunday, but we will call that an outlier in an otherwise stellar season. The lefty had at least 45 FanDuel points in five of his first six starts, generating a 1.80 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 13.6 K/9 rate in that span. That’s the ace we saw for most of last season, and he shouldn’t have any issues against this subpar San Diego lineup. The Padres rank 20th in OPS and 19th in xwOBA, with Manny Machado being their only threat. As long as Rodon navigates around Machado, he will cruise to a quality start.
Shane Bieber (CLE) vs. DET
Bieber’s numbers have been down this year by his standards, but he is still one of the best pitchers in baseball. Shane had one seven-run dud against Toronto last season but has a 2.29 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 9.2 K/9 rate in his other five starts. That’s the guy we’ve become accustomed to, and we can write off a dud against the scariest offense in baseball. Detroit is far from problematic, with The Motor City Kitties ranked 28th in OBP, 29th in OPS, and 27th in xwOBA.
Top Lineup Stacks
Using hitters in Coors Field is a cheat code. That ballpark has been surrendering runs all season, and it’s still the most hitter-friendly ballpark around. That has the Mets with a projected run total of around six, and it’s not like Austin Gomber will slow them down. The lefty has a 4.81 xERA this season while accumulating a 4.76 ERA and 1.59 WHIP at home. If he’s allowing 1.6 baserunners per inning here, the Mets will go crazy!
Stacking against Corbin is one of the safest things you can do in MLB DFS. The lefty has an unsightly 0-6 record this season, no thanks to a 6.28 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. Those are some of the worst numbers in baseball, but it’s not far off of his horrendous three-year averages. That makes this Milwaukee lineup a great stack, especially since many of these guys are affordable on both sites.
Houston Astros (vs. Jon Gray)
The Astros are always one of the safest stacks out there. This is a Top-5 lineup in nearly every metric, and we don’t anticipate Jon Gray to mow them down. The former Rockie has a 5.73 ERA and 1.32 WHIP this season, failing to go six innings in any of his five starts. That’s bad news with this rough bullpen behind him, and it should lead to a big night for Houston. In his last start against them, Gray allowed eight baserunners and four runs across 4.1 ugly innings.
Core Studs
- Martinez has been one of the best pure hitters for five years now, and he’s scorching the ball right now. J.D. has a hit in 15 of his last 16 games, providing a .397 AVG, .662 SLG, and 1.078 OPS in that span. That’s rough news for Chris Flexen, with the righty putting together a 4.35 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.
- Ramirez has been terrible over the last two weeks, but this is simply one of the best fantasy producers around. This guy has finished Top-3 twice in the previous four years, totaling a .280 AVG, .377 OBP, .553 SLG, and .930 OPS this season. It’s unbelievable to have averages like those despite the recent form, but we expect him to bounce back against a righty who’s only made three career starts.
- Getting Alonso in Coors Field is a treat. This has been one of the best power hitters since his call-up, accruing a .540 SLG and .887 OPS. We love that since he gets to face a lefty here, with Pete batting from the right side. He’s hot, too, posting a .391 OBP, .613 SLG, and 1.004 OPS over his last 20 games.
- Goldy has been smashing lefties throughout his career. He’s got his career OPS north of .900 against them and is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now. The former All-Star has a .402 AVG, .451 OBP, .696 SLG, and 1.147 OPS over his last 26 games played. Jose Quintana has been good this season, but he’s been a 5.00 ERA guy for a few years now.
- It’s fantastic just how steady of a hitter Alvarez has been. The worst year of this guy’s career was an .834 OPS. There are dozens of players who would kill for a career year like that, and it’s turned Yordan into one of the best pure hitters around. That looks even better against a crappy righty, with Jon Gray having an ERA just shy of 6.00, while giving Alvarez the platoon advantage from the left side.
Value Plays/Punts
- Choi has been a regular in this section since I started these articles, and he will remain in them. This dude absolutely crushes righties, providing an .843 OPS against them since 2020. That consistently earns him a prominent spot in this talented Tampa lineup, and it’s one of many pieces in one of the best stacks out there.
- Arraez has almost no power, but this is one of the best ball-on-bat guys in baseball. His K rate is always one of the lowest in the game, accumulating a .314 career average and a .379 career OBP. That has forced him atop this lineup, leading to a season-best 44 FanDuel points on Thursday.
- Renfroe has been a cheat code against lefties throughout his career. He’s got a 1.098 OPS against them this season and has his OPS north of .900 against them since 2020. That means he’s way too cheap, and it should continue against a lefty with a 6.28 ERA and 1.68 WHIP.
- Cutch just returned to the lineup on Friday, but he has all the same benefits as Renfroe. They both get to face the gas can known as Corbin, and Cutch has been just as good with the platoon advantage in his favor. Andrew has a .392 OBP, .587 SLG, and .979 OPS against southpaws since 2020.
- Nimmo has been NY’s leadoff hitter for a month now, and he’s thrived atop this lineup. He’s got a hit in 14 of his last 15 games, generating a .328 AVG, .418 OBP, and .883 OPS in that span. We don’t anticipate those numbers to slow down in Coors Field, especially against a lefty!
Hitter Strategy
Stacking Coors Field is usually expensive, but it’s not too bad on this slate. The Rockies and Mets have plenty of good value bats, and that’s an excellent place to start your build. With that said, we love mixing them with the Brewers because that lineup has some cheap bats as well. You can’t forget about stud offenses like the Red Sox, Astros, Cardinals, and Braves, all in fantastic spots.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Whether you’re new to fantasy baseball or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Baseball 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with our Sabermetrics Glossary or head to a more advanced strategy – like Maximizing Your Potential in Multi-Lineup Contests – to learn more.
Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
