This is a strange Saturday slate. We have some day games, but most of them will be at night. That means we’ll zone in on the night slate beginning at 6ET, with 26 teams taking the diamond. That gives us plenty of players to pick from, which will be the largest prize pool out there. With that in mind, let’s get started with the pitching!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
This is a strange Saturday slate. We have some day games, but most of them will be at night. That means we’ll zone in on the night slate beginning at 6ET, with 26 teams taking the diamond. That gives us plenty of players to pick from, which will be the largest prize pool out there. With that in mind, let’s get started with the pitching!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
The pitching pool on this slate is fantastic. We have two aces in the cash game section and two GPP players in brilliant spots. Mixing and matching these four pitchers is the way to go because there’s not much else I like on this slate. The only other starter I’d consider is Aaron Ashby against the Reds, but he’s a risky option as well. With that said, let’s take a look at these two aces in fantastic spots!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Carlos Rodon (SF) at OAK
Rodon was spectacular on Sunday Night Baseball last week, and we believe he’ll carry that form over here. The lefty struck out 10 batters across seven scoreless innings, giving him a 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 11.6 K/9 rate on the season. That includes one eight-run drubbing, which surely won’t happen against Oakland. The A’s rank 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA this season.
Shane McClanahan (TB) at DET
The only offense that might be worse than Oakland is Detroit. This club ranks bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA as well. That certainly won’t go over well against an ace like McClanahan, maintaining a 2.07 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 11.7 K/9 rate. Those are some of the best averages in baseball, and it has Shane entering this matchup as a -250 favorite, with The Motor City Kitties projected for just three runs.
GPP Recommendations:
Reid Detmers (LAA) at SEA
Detmers was demoted to Triple-A last month, but he’s been unhittable since then. In fact, the Angels lefty has allowed just three runs in his four starts since then, amassing a 1.13 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 11.6 K/9 rate in that span. We already saw this guy throw a no-hitter earlier in the season, and it looks like he could be an ace in years to come. Facing a Seattle team without Julio Rodriguez isn’t worrisome either, with the Mariners ranked 21st in runs scored.
Ranger Suarez (PHI) vs. WAS
Suarez was a stud last season behind a 1.36 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, and it appears he’s returning to that player. The left-hander has not allowed a run in three straight outings, posting a 2.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across his last six starts. That should be easy to duplicate against this dismantled Nats lineup, trading away Juan Soto and Josh Bell at the trade deadline. Those trades make this one of the worst lineups in baseball, and it’s a team we want to exploit for the remainder of the season.
Top Lineup Stacks
Stacking against Corbin has been the easiest play in DFS this season. The former All-Star is simply one of the worst arms in the league, accruing a 6.57 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. That won’t go over well in a hitter’s haven like Citizens Bank Smallpark, with the Phils projected for six runs in this spot.
The BoSox offense has been down this season, but a matchup with Daniel Lynch could get them back on track. The left-hander has a 4.70 ERA and 1.55 WHIP this year, which is sadly better than his career averages across 145 innings. Squaring off with a southpaw is nice, too, with the Red Sox throwing out righties like Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, and Tommy Pham.
I might be an idiot for believing this team, but this lineup has too much talent to be this poor. The lackluster production has led to some cheap pricing for many of these bats, but they could get going against Dane Dunning. The right-hander has a 4.30 ERA and 1.43 WHIP this year while donning a 1.70 WHIP across his last seven starts.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| DH |
Yordan Alvarez (HOU) |
$6,000 |
$4,400 |
| 1B |
Jose Abreu (CWS) |
$5,000 |
$3,300 |
| 1B |
Rhys Hoskins (PHI) |
$4,300 |
$3,100 |
| DH |
J.D. Martinez (BOS) |
$3,900 |
$3,200 |
| OF |
Aaron Judge (NYY) |
$6,000 |
$5,300 |
- It’s pretty crazy how good of a hitter Yordan has become. The Astros DH has his career OPS just shy of 1.000, posting a .447 OBP and 1.174 OPS over his last 43 games. That run makes him a safe option on every slate, especially since he has a 1.136 OPS against right-handers this year.
- If we want to stack the Sox against Dane Dunning, Abreu needs to be one of the first selections in your lineup. The former MVP has a .356 AVG, .434 OBP, and .990 OPS since May 22. That’s over two months of dominance, and it looks even better with Abreu homering in three of his last five games.
- Hoskins is my favorite play of the day. We already discussed how bad Corbin has been, which gives Hoskins the platoon advantage from the right side. Rhys has been raking against lefties throughout his career, registering a .401 OBP and .991 OPS against them since 2020. We love that with his recent form, amassing a .373 OBP and .945 OPS over his last 50 games.
- Martinez has been mired in a slump for most of the season, but he’s in too good of a spot to be this cheap. We discussed how the BoSox square off with a crappy southpaw in Daniel Lynch, but we didn’t talk about how ridiculous Martinez has been with the platoon advantage in his favor. In fact, J.D. has a .453 OBP and 1.062 OPS against them this year.
- I had trouble finding a fifth cash game option, so let’s just ride Judge. This has been the best power hitter in baseball, leading the league with 43 dingers. He’s been even more impressive lately, accruing a .519 OBP, 1.063 SLG, and 1.582 OPS over his last 17 games.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Nick Castellanos (PHI) |
$3,600 |
$2,500 |
| OF |
Eloy Jimenez (CWS) |
$4,400 |
$2,700 |
| 2B |
Jonathan India (CIN) |
$4,900 |
$3,200 |
| OF |
Andrew McCutchen (MIL) |
$4,400 |
$3,100 |
| OF |
Taylor Ward (LAA) |
$3,900 |
$3,000 |
- It’s been a rough year for Castellanos, but a matchup with Corbin could be just what the doctor ordered. This is still one of the most talented bats in our sport, compiling a .832 OPS since 2016. That’s a large sample size of success, especially since he’s flirting with a .900 OPS against lefties in that same span.
- Jimenez has been struggling this season as well, but he has too much power to be this cheap. The power hitter is just shy of a .500 SLG and .250 ISO for his career, and many intelligent people believe that will be his floor in what could be an amazing career. That potential is intriguing in such a tasty matchup, particularly with Eloy establishing a .432 AVG and 1.166 OPS over his last 10 games.
- India amazed Reds fans when he took down NL Rookie of the Year last year, and he’s returned to that guy since coming off the IL. The Cincy leadoff hitter has a .307 AVG, .373 OBP, .587 SLG, and .960 OPS over his last 17 games. We love that since he gets the platoon advantage against a lefty with a 1.45 WHIP.
- Cutch has quietly had a monster season in Milwaukee. The former MVP has earned himself the cleanup spot in this Brewers lineup, accumulating a .298 AVG, .381 OBP, .479 SLG, and .860 OPS over his last 48 games. That’s quite the total from a player in this price range, and we obviously adore the fact that he has a .375 OBP and .928 OPS against lefties since 2020.
- Ward finally went deep on Thursday, and we’re hoping it’s a sign of things to come. This has been one of the Angels’ best hitters, posting a career-best .838 OPS. He’s also got a .421 OBP over his last five games and should do well here since he has elite splits against southpaws.
Hitter Strategy
We talked about how there are only four pitchers that we like on this slate, and it’s led to a massive hitting pool that we love. There are so many ways we can go, with the Phillies looking like the premier stack of the day. They’re not the only offense we love, though, with the White Sox, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Rays, Blue Jays, and Astros in beautiful spots. Having that many teams to choose between is a massive benefit, with two elite aces taking the mound because you could find a cheap stack with Rodon and McClanahan. That’s probably the route I’ll take, but you better believe I’ll be mixing in some of the high-priced hitters with pitchers like Suarez and Detmers.
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.
