MLB DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Saturday (7/23)

We had a fantastic All-Star break, but these first few days out of the break can be frustrating for DFS. Not all starters are announced the first week out, and some bizarre things happen because of players returning from the IL. That’s why paying attention to the final moments before the first pitch is imperative because things will inevitably change. With that said, let’s look at the projected pitchers for this Saturday slate!

Starting Pitcher Rankings

Starting Pitcher Strategy

This weekend’s pitching is going to be amazing. We have the top of the rotations taking the hill the first few days out of the break, and it will lead to some low-scoring slates, despite the craziness we saw on Friday. We have a ton of aces toeing the rubber here and even more on Sunday. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with two of the frontrunners for Cy Young in their respective leagues.

Cash Game Recommendations:

Gerrit Cole (NYY) at BAL

Cole is always one of the top candidates for AL Cy Young, and he’s amid another fantastic season. The right-hander has a 2.14 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 12.2 K/9 rate over his last seven starts. That’s the guy we’ve seen for three years now, and he should keep that going against the Orioles. Baltimore ranks 25th in OBP, 22nd in OPS, and 24th in wOBA. Not to mention, Cole has at least 39 FanDuel points in eight straight starts over the Orioles, dating back to 2018. That has him and the Yanks entering this matchup as a -250 favorite.

Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs. CHC

Wheeler has been one of the best pitchers in the NL this season, and it’s laughable he wasn’t voted on to the original All-Star team. The right-hander has a 2.89 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9 rate this season. He cruised before a rare dud against a treacherous Toronto offense, providing a 1.40 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 10.5 K/9 rate over his previous eight starts. We also don’t mind that Chicago ranks 23rd in xwOBA and 27th in K rate.

GPP Recommendations:

Brandon Woodruff (MIL) vs. COL

Rocky Road is a phrase that I live by. We love to use home pitchers against the Rockies in this situation. Colorado was dead-last in nearly every offensive category outside of Coors Field last season, and they’re simply one of the worst offenses outside of that ballpark. That’s bad news against a reemerging Brandon Woodruff, totaling a 2.39 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 11.2 K/9 rate across his last six starts. All of that has him entering this matchup as a -240 favorite too!

Chris Bassitt (NYM) vs. SD

Bassitt has had two nightmarish starts this season but has been a borderline ace outside of that. CB has a 2.67 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across his other 15 starts this year. That’s the guy we expect to see here, with Bassitt posting a 2.41 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over his last five starts. San Diego is far from scary, too, with the Padres ranked 21st in OPS and 22nd in xwOBA. The oddsmakers agree, giving them a projected total of 3.5 runs here.

Top Lineup Stacks

St. Louis Cardinals (vs. Mike Minor)

• Road (Great Amerian)
• Value: Medium
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 10.5 Runs/STL -150

The Cardinals have been making minced meat of lefties all season, and it’s easy to see why with powerful righties like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tyler O’Neill, and Juan Yepez littered throughout their lineup. That won’t go over well for Mike Minor, maintaining a 6.21 ERA and 1.48 WHIP this year.

New York Yankees (vs. Jordan Lyles)

• Road (Camden Yards)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 8 Runs/NYY -250

Jordan Lyles has been a gas can throughout his career, and he’ll surely struggle against the Bronx Bombers. Let’s start by talking about Lyles, with the righty registering a 5.17 ERA and 1.43 WHIP for his career. That’s 1,255 innings of disastrous pitching, and it’s hard to imagine him throwing a quality start against a Top-3 offense like the Yanks.

Cincinnati Reds (vs. Steven Matz)

• Home (Great American)
• Value: High
• Risk: Medium
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 10.5 Runs/STL -150

Matz has been horrific ever since he left the Mets. The left-hander has a 6.03 ERA this season and a 1.39 WHIP since 2020. That’s worrisome in a hitter’s haven like Great American Smallpark, especially when looking at such a high total. That makes Cincy a sneaky stack with all these cheap bats projected for five runs in this spot!

Core Studs

• Judge and Shohei Ohtani are battling for AL MVP, but Judge would be running away with it if Shohei weren’t pitching once every five days. The Bronx Bomber is leading baseball with 36 bombs, homering in almost every other game. Despite the sky-high salary, that makes him the safest part of this Yankees stack.
• Goldy is my favorite play on the board. This guy is the frontrunner for NL MVP, generating a .330 AVG, .414 OBP, .590 SLG, and 1.004 OPS. He’s got a career OPS just shy of 1.000 against left-handers as well, picking up a .500 AVG and 1.583 OPS in 12 at-bats against Minor.
• Acuna has had a “down” year by his lofty standards, but he’s still one of the best options in fantasy. We particularly love him when he faces a weak lefty, with Acuna accruing a .420 OBP and .951 OPS against left-handers since 2020. Patrick Sandoval has also been struggling, amassing a 1.53 WHIP across his last 12 starts.
• Using hitters against Lance Lynn used to be concerning, but the veteran has been terrible in his first few starts. In fact, Lynn has a 7.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP so far this year. That’s problematic against a beast like Ramirez, leading all regulars in fantasy points per game. It also puts Jose on his more favorable left side, and he’s one of the sneakiest studs against this struggling ace.
• Stacking Cincy will be affordable, and Drury needs to be the first choice in that stack. This All-Star snub has been slaughtering southpaws all year, accumulating a .325 AVG, .687 SLG, and 1.032 OPS against them. That makes him a magical play against a pitcher like Matz!

Value Plays/Punts

• O’Neill has been struggling this season, but this guy is too good to be this cheap. The righty masher was a breakout last year with 34 homers, 80 RBI, and 15 steals, and his hard-hit numbers tell us that positive regression is right around the corner. If you want to stack Arenado and Goldy, round it off with this cheap stud too!
• India was incredible when he took down Rookie of the Year last season, and he’s starting to recapture that former recently. The second baseman has a hit in 10 of his previous 11 games, collecting a .298 AVG, .553 SLG, and .893 OPS in that span. That’s the stud we’ve been waiting to see, and we to like him here with the platoon advantage in his favor.
• Cruz has been crushing lefties throughout his career, compiling a .382 OBP, .560 SLG, and .942 OPS against them. That’s nearly two decades of dominance, and we’re certainly not worried about him facing an over-the-hill pitcher with a 1.40 WHIP.
• It’s tough to find Oakland players worth using, but Laureano has been rolling recently. The A’s best bat has a .321 OBP, .521 SLG, and .842 OPS over his last 26 games. He’s also got a .429 OBP and .937 OPS against lefties this year, which should be easy to duplicate against Taylor Hearn‘s 5.76 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.
• Vinnie P has struggled in his rookie season, but the hard-hit numbers tell us he’s about to start raking. This guy flirted with a 1.000 OPS at Triple-A, and it’s just a matter of time before he’s a beast at this level. A matchup with Luis Patino might be the start, tallying a 4.56 ERA and 1.38 WHIP for his career.

Hitter Strategy

I want to stack this Cincy-St. Louis game and then figure things out from there. I’ll stack that game in every way possible with the pitchers mentioned above and fill it out with some players from teams like the Nationals, Brewers, Royals, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees, Braves, Diamondbacks, Athletics, and Rangers. There’s plenty of value throughout these teams, which should make lineup construction a breeze.

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