Rain has been causing chaos on many of these DFS slates, which could be the case again here. Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Miami all look like trouble spots, but we’re fortunate that KC is the only one without a roof. There’s also plenty of humidity in the forecast, so be sure to check weather reports before submitting lineups. With that in mind, let’s kick things off by talking about the pitchers for this Saturday slate!

Starting Pitcher Rankings

Starting Pitcher Strategy

This is an exciting slate from a pitcher’s perspective. We don’t have any aces toeing the rubber, but we’re digging into the middle of these rotations. That still leaves us with plenty of pitchers to pick from, and many of these young arms are developing into frontline starters. Getting value from these breakout arms is a bonus that we shouldn’t overlook because it makes lineup construction so much easier. With that in mind, let’s start with the Giants best pitcher!

Cash Game Recommendations:

Logan Webb (SF) at MIA

Throwing in Miami is a cheat code. Not only is Marlins Park one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks around, but the Marlins also have one of the worst offenses in baseball. Their numbers have skyrocketed because of the Coors Field series, but this team was bottom-10 in nearly every offensive metric before that. All of that is terrible news against Logan Webb, with the right-hander registering a 3.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP since the start of last season.

Dylan Cease (CWS) at TB

Tampa usually has a tough lineup, but with Brandon Lowe and Wander Franco both sidelined, they look like one of the worst offenses in baseball. The Rays rank 23rd in wOBA, 24th in xwOBA, 21st in K rate, and 26th in OBP. They’ve been even worse recently, and it should continue against a guy like Cease. The White Sox slinger has two duds against the Red Sox and Yankees but has a 1.74 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 11.8 K/9 rate over his other eight starts. One of those was against Tampa, with Cease collecting 28 DraftKings points!

GPP Recommendations:

Triston McKenzie (CLE) at BAL

This is one of my favorite pitchers in baseball. The skinny right-hander has a 2.65 ERA and 0.86 WHIP this season. That WHIP is one of the best rates in baseball, but it’s the same guy we’ve seen since the closing two months of last season. He should keep that rolling against Baltimore, with the Orioles ranked 24th in K rate, 23rd in xwOBA, and 25th in runs scored.

Luis Garcia (HOU) at KC

Kansas City has been one of the worst offenses in baseball this season, and they’re going to struggle in this Houston series. The Royals rank 23rd in OBP, 26th in wOBA, and 27th in runs scored. All of that should benefit a pitcher like Garcia, generating a 3.37 ERA and 1.14 WHIP for his career. That’s exactly what we’ve seen this season, amassing a 2.45 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 10.2 K/9 rate over his last six starts.

Top Lineup Stacks

Atlanta Braves (vs. Kyle Freeland)

• Road (Coors Field)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 11 Runs/ATL -160

The Marlins just had a fantastic week in Coors Field, and it’s clear that the hitting environment is back in full force. Coors Field is the best place to hit in MLB, and we expect the world champs to go nuts there. It wouldn’t really matter who they faced, but Kyle Freeland is a gas can for Colorado. The lefty has a 4.96 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in what’s become a typical year for the subpar southpaw. That has the Braves projected for nearly six runs!

Houston Astros (vs. KC Bullpen)

• Road (Kauffman Stadium)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 8.5 Runs/HOU -170

We’re not exactly sure who will toe the rubber for the Royals, but it will not be anyone good. A minor leaguer is taking over Zack Greinke‘s spot in the rotation, which is scary since KC ranks 28th in OBP allowed. That won’t go over well against this offense, with the Astros sitting Top-10 in nearly every offensive category. We’re unsure who we like yet because we don’t know the matchup, but Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve are all in play.

Pittsburgh Pirates (vs. Zach Davies)

• Home (PNC Park)
• Value: High
• Risk: Medium
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 8.5 Runs/PIT -130

Stacking Pittsburgh is risky, but Zach Davies is a disaster. The soft-tossing righty has a 5.55 ERA and 1.54 WHIP since the beginning of last year. He’s simply one of the worst arms around, and it should make this cheap Pirates team a sneaky stack. Most of these guys are super affordable, and we have them projected to score five runs!

Core Studs

• Ramirez has been one of the best players in fantasy for years. He’s simply one of the best power-speed bats in baseball, averaging 11.7 DraftKings points per game. That’s one of the highest totals around, and he should continue that success batting from his more favorable side against a horrible Orioles staff.
• If we love the Braves, we have to adore their best hitter. That’s Acuna, who’s simply one of the best players in fantasy. Getting to hit leadoff atop the highest projected lineup is enough incentive to use him, but he’s also averaging over 10 DK points per game in what’s been a “down” year for the perennial All-Star.
• Soto has been slow to get going, but he’s still flirting with a .450 OBP over the last three years. That alone makes him tough to fade below $5K, especially since he gets to bat from the left side against a pitcher with a 5.53 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
• Mookie is always one of the frontrunners for MVP, and he’s undoubtedly one of the leaders with the way he’s swinging the bat right now. Betts has a .400 AVG, .469 OBP, .894 SLG, and 1.363 OPS over his last 21 games played. He should continue that success against a subpar southpaw like David Peterson.
• Blackmon facing a righty at home is a cheat code. He’s flirting with a 1.000 OPS against righties in his Rockies career while posting an OPS just shy of 1.000 at home. Both of those boxes are checked here, with Charlie facing an inexperienced righty.

Value Plays/Punts

• Semien was one of the worst players through the opening month, but he’s starting to get going now. The shortstop has a .341 OBP and .841 OPS over his last nine games, swiping three bags in that span. That’s the stud we saw last season, with Marcus totaling 39 doubles, 45 homers, and 15 steals.
• Ozuna’s standard numbers aren’t great, but he’s still got some of the best advanced statistics in baseball. He’s one of the league leaders in exit velocity and hard-hit rate, which means positive regression is right around the corner. Facing a lefty in Coors Field might be the way to get him going.
• Reynolds has quietly been Pittsburgh’s best player for a few years now. The switch-hitter has a .351 OBP, .580 SLG, and .931 OPS over his last 13 games played. That’s the stud we saw last year, and he’d be the heart of our sneaky Pirates stack against Davies. He’s crushed Davies throughout their careers, generating a .409 AVG and 1.091 OPS in 22 at-bats against the soft-tosser.
• Using BvP is dangerous, but these Hayward numbers against Wainwright are crazy. Jay-Hey has faced Wainwright 44 times, tallying a .357 AVG, .595 SLG, and .981 OPS against him. Good luck finding that from another player this cheap!
• Winker has killed righties throughout his career, and we love that he’s batting leadoff for the M’s right now. He’s had a tough time getting going, but a .389 OBP, .527 SLG, and .917 OPS against righties since 2020 is tough to overlook. If he gets four at-bats against an unknown commodity like Glenn Otto, Winker should never be this cheap.

Hitter Strategy

Lineup construction is going to be a breeze on this slate. Not only do we have a ton of value at pitcher, but many of the bats are in great spots too. We already discussed that we like the Braves, Pirates, and Astros, but the Rockies, Cardinals, Yankees, Dodgers, and Reds are all in brilliant spots, too. Mixing and matching those clubs should be simple with how much value is out there, and it’s going to be another high-scoring slate after that wild Friday card.

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.