This season has been cruising along. We’re already halfway through, and it’s hard to believe the All-Star break is within the next couple of weeks. That’s just how life goes sometimes, but we love the everyday grind of baseball. That’s why we’re here because seeing all of these statistics every day is something that I genuinely love. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the pitchers for this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
This season has been cruising along. We’re already halfway through, and it’s hard to believe the All-Star break is within the next couple of weeks. That’s just how life goes sometimes, but we love the everyday grind of baseball. That’s why we’re here because seeing all of these statistics every day is something that I genuinely love. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the pitchers for this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
Woof, this pitching pool is tough. We really don’t have any aces available, and many of the top options have tough matchups. With that said, we do have some good values in the mid-tier. That should allow us to construct our lineups any way we want from a hitting perspective because we’ll save a ton of salary on the arms. With that said, let’s get started with the NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Spencer Strider (ATL) at CIN
Using pitchers in Great American Ballpark is risky, but facing Cincinnati is not. The Reds rank 20th in OBP, 21st in wOBA, and 22nd in OPS. That makes them a good matchup for anyone, and Strider is one of the breakout pitchers of this 2022 season. The Braves lefty has a 3.02 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 13.2 K/9 rate this year. That strikeout stuff makes him a dominant DFS pitcher, and it should continue in such a tasty matchup.
Logan Webb (SF) vs. CWS
Pitching in AT&T Park is a godsend for pitchers. That’s been the case for Webb throughout his career, collecting a 2.80 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9 rate there since 2020. That’s right on par with his impressive averages this season, scoring at least 43 FanDuel points in each of his last three starts. The White Sox’s offense is not as scary as it sounds either, with Chicago sitting 22nd in wOBA and 23rd in OPS. We also love that Webb is a -150 favorite in a game with a seven-run total.
GPP Recommendations:
George Kirby (SEA) vs. OAK
Kirby got lit up like he was in Super Smash Brothers last week, but we’re banking on a bounce-back performance here. Before that rare dud, Kirby compiled a 3.12 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 47:6 K:BB rate through his first nine starts. That dominant control has made him one of the best pitchers in fantasy, and it should continue against the worst offense in baseball. The A’s rank bottom two in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and wOBA. That was on full display when Kirby completed six scoreless innings against them just last week. Not to mention, Kirby is a -200 favorite, with the A’s projected for only 3.3 runs.
Brady Singer (KC) at DET
Singer has been in tune for most of the season, and his pitch should be on point in this matchup. Let’s start there, with the Motor City Kitties scoring the fewest runs in baseball. That’s bad news with the way Brady is pitching, posting a 3.88 ERA and 1.08 WHIP since the opener. That even includes one dud against a dominant Astros lineup, but that shouldn’t worry us with how terrible the Tigers have been.
Top Lineup Stacks
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. TBD)
It looks like Toronto is going to face a bullpen game here. That’s bad news because this is one of the toughest offenses to navigate through. Vlad Guerrero, Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez, Alejandro Kirk, and George Springer have this offense humming, and we don’t want to fade them since they avoid all of these tough Tampa starters. With all that said, don’t use Toronto against Shane McClanahan in the other slate!
This game is going to be impossible to avoid. It has the largest total by a large margin, and Dallas Keuchel is a significant reason why. Not only do the Rockies have elite numbers against lefties, but Dallas has a 7.93 ERA and 2.15 WHIP in what’s been a nightmare season. If he posts a 2.15 WHIP here, Colorado might be in line for double-digit runs!
These are the two highest-projected lineups on this slate, and it’s easy to understand why. Both of these pitchers are gas cans, with Austin Gomber generating a 6.55 ERA and 1.49 WHIP this season. That has Arizona projected for six runs, and most of their dangerous bats hit from the right side, too!
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Vlad Guerrero Jr. (TOR) |
$5,200 |
$4,200 |
| 1B |
C.J. Cron (COL) |
$5,300 |
$4,000 |
| 2B/OF |
Ketel Marte (ARI) |
$5,000 |
$3,200 |
| 1B |
Rhys Hoskins (PHI) |
$4,200 |
$3,300 |
| DH |
J.D. Martinez (BOS) |
$4,800 |
$3,400 |
- Vlad is always one of the safest plays on every slate. This is a .300 AVG and 1.000 OPS guy since the start of last season and he has been that same player over the last month. Over his last 34 games, Guerrero has a .359 OBP, .560 SLG, and .919 OPS. We like that no matter who Tampa throws out here.
- Cron has been a monster at home ever since he signed with the Rockies. The slugging first baseman has a .324 AVG, .400 OBP, .638 SLG, and 1.037 OPS at Coors Field since 2020. His numbers against lefties are comparable, collecting a .357 OBP, .557 SLG, and .912 OPS against them in that same span.
- Marte has been slaughtering southpaws throughout his career, and he will be tough to fade here. Since 2020, Ketel has compiled a .374 AVG, .626 SLG, and 1.044 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Facing a crappy lefty in a place like Coors only adds to his intrigue.
- Hoskins has been one of the hottest hitters for a month now. The mashing first baseman has homered in three straight games, posting a .416 OBP, .623 SLG, and 1.039 OPS over his last 29 games. That’s terrible news for a lefty like Liberatore, with Rhys registering a .399 OBP, .607 SLG, and 1.006 OPS against lefties since 2020.
- Martinez hasn’t been hitting for too much power this season, but he’s quietly having a monster year. In fact, J.D. has a .313 AVG, .385 OBP, .502 SLG, and .897 OPS. We’re obviously not worried about him facing a guy with a 9.87 ERA and 1.73 WHIP (Alec Mills).
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Christian Walker (ARI) |
$4,000 |
$3,400 |
| 2B/SS |
Brendan Rodgers (COL) |
$4,400 |
$3,700 |
| OF |
Jordan Luplow (ARI) |
$2,300 |
$2,700 |
| OF |
Garrett Cooper (MIA) |
$3,100 |
$2,800 |
| 1B |
Jared Walsh (LAA) |
$3,600 |
$2,800 |
- If we stack this Coors Field game, Walker needs to be a piece of it. He’s the best power hitter on this Arizona roster, totaling a .465 SLG, thanks to 19 homers. That alone makes him a good option in this price range, but getting the platoon advantage against a lousy lefty is the jelly in the donut.
- Rodgers is one of my favorite value plays of the day. He’s been a stud since the opening month, amassing a .313 AVG, .514 SLG, and .866 OPS since May 1. That’s no surprise when looking at his splits, providing a .977 OPS against lefties this year and flirting with a .900 OPS at home.
- Luplow typically bats leadoff for Arizona when they face left-handers, and it’s easy to understand why. He’s got a .322 OBP, .625 SLG, and .947 OPS against them this year. We’ve seen that throughout his career, making him one of the best values in this Coors Field stack.
- Cooper has quietly had a monumental season in Miami. The best bat for the Marlins has a .321 AVG and is just shy of a .900 OPS after another big game on Friday. That makes him tough to overlook in such an outstanding matchup, facing a pitcher with a 1.41 WHIP. This is simply some of the worst pricing on this slate.
- Walsh has been killing righties throughout his career, and it’s hard to understand why he remains so affordable. The first baseman has a .306 AVG, .369 OBP, .569 SLG, and .937 OPS against right-handers since 2020. That success should continue against Jose Urquidy, who’s got a 4.36 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in his worst season.
Hitter Strategy
Wow, the value on this slate is incredible. It’s usually impossible to stack Coors Field bats with elite pitching, but it can be done on this slate! Many of these Coors bats are far too cheap, and it will be a chalky stack. It’s chalk you’ll have to swallow, though, because we could be looking at a 9-8 sort of game. We also have a ton of value from the pitching pool, so it should allow you to do whatever you want in terms of lineup construction.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
