Baseball is in an unfortunate spot from here on out. The weekend slates used to be owned by MLB, but college and NFL will be taking over from here on out. We’ll keep grinding away with MLB DFS because we’ve been doing it all year. Every team is in action for this card, with the main slate beginning at 7ET. We’ll zone in on that slate because that’s where the big bucks are! With that in mind, let’s dive into this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Baseball is in an unfortunate spot from here on out. The weekend slates used to be owned by MLB, but college and NFL will be taking over from here on out. We’ll keep grinding away with MLB DFS because we’ve been doing it all year. Every team is in action for this card, with the main slate beginning at 7ET. We’ll zone in on that slate because that’s where the big bucks are! With that in mind, let’s dive into this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
Oof, this pitching pool is not the best. It was challenging to even find four guys I liked, but there were cheaper options in some great spots. We’ll also be able to save a ton of salary at the pitching positions, which makes lineup construction so much easier when it comes to position players. With that said, let’s get started with our two favorite pitchers of the day.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Triston McKenzie (CLE) at MIN
McKenzie is becoming one of my favorite players in baseball. This stick figure on the mound has been one of the best pitchers in the game, tallying a 2.31 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9 rate across his last 12 starts. He has his season WHIP below 1.00, and he’s one of the best bat-missers in the sport. A matchup with Minnesota isn’t too bad either, with the Twins ranked 17th in runs scored.
Jose Urquidy (HOU) vs. LAA
Urquidy got off to a rough start this season, but he’s been incredible since the opening two months. In fact, Jose has a 2.44 ERA and 0.84 WHIP since the middle of June. That’s 13 starts of dominance, and it’s no surprise since he has a career WHIP just above 1.00. He should keep that momentum rolling against the Angels, with LA ranked 26th in runs scored, 25th in wOBA, and dead-last in K rate. In his three starts against the Halos this season, Urquidy has a 1.00 ERA and 0.78 WHIP.
GPP Recommendations:
Jack Flaherty (STL) at PIT
Flaherty used to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, but some injuries have slowed him down. With that said, he’s too talented to be in this price range, particularly against a team like Pittsburgh. The Pirates rank bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and K rate. A former ace like Flaherty should keep them at bay, with Jack generating a 3.36 ERA and 1.09 WHIP throughout his career. We also don’t mind that he enters this matchup as a -200 favorite.
Matt Manning (DET) at KC
Manning has a nightmarish start last week, but he’s been excellent outside of that. If you take out that rare dud, Manning has maintained a 2.57 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across his other eight starts. That’s really all you could hope for from a player in this price range, and he shouldn’t have any issues with the Royals ranked 24th in runs scored, 23rd in OBP, and 25th in wOBA.
Top Lineup Stacks
Everyone knows that Toronto has one of the best lineups in baseball, and they’re terrifying with Vlad and Bo Bichette raking right now. This team is Top-10 in every offensive statistic and should keep that momentum rolling against Kohei Arihara. The Rangers righty has a 5.29 ERA and 1.76 WHIP this season and should be relegated to the bullpen.
Chase Anderson has been in and out of the league for years now, and it’s hard to understand why he’s still pitching. The veteran right-hander has a 12.60 ERA and 2.20 WHIP in limited time this year, posting a 7.27 ERA since 2020. The simple fact is that he’s just filling in for this beat-up rotation and will likely be pitching the final games of his career this season. The Brewers offense has been struggling, but guys like Christian Yelich, Willy Adames, and Hunter Renfroe make them an intriguing stack.
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. Jose Urena)
Any team in Coors Field is a good stack. This Arizona offense has been terrible for most of the season, but they rank Top-10 since the All-Star break. That makes them tough to avoid here, projected for six runs in Coors. It’s easy to understand why though because Jose Urena has an 8.65 ERA and 1.83 WHIP across his last nine starts.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.(TOR) |
$5,700 |
$4,000 |
| 3B |
Jose Ramirez (CLE) |
$5,900 |
$4,000 |
| C |
Daulton Varsho (ARI) |
$4,600 |
$3,600 |
| OF |
Christian Yelich (MIL) |
$5,000 |
$3,300 |
| 2B |
Brendan Rodgers (COL) |
$4,900 |
$2,900 |
- Vlad finished second in AL MVP voting last season, and he’s been playing at that level for months. Over his last 92 games, Guerrero has a .282 AVG, .503 SLG, and .842 OPS. He’s also one of the few hitters who hits better with opposite splits, and that’s great since he faces one of the worst righties in the league here.
- Jose has been one of the best players in fantasy for five years now. He’s a .300 hitter who constantly flirts with 30-30 seasons. That’s why he has the Guardians in the playoff hunt, posting even better splits against righties. This is a pitcher he can blow up, too, with Chris Archer accruing a 4.47 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. In 17 at-bats against him, Jose has a .529 OBP and 1.314 OPS.
- We rarely have catchers in this section, but Varsho has been unstoppable recently. The 26-year-old has 24 homers and nine steals this year, totaling a .395 OBP, .904 SLG, and 1.299 OPS across his last 13 games. Not to mention, he’s got a .829 OPS against righties this year and faces one of the worst ones in Coors Field.
- Yelich is not the MVP we saw in the past, but this guy is still a solid fantasy producer. The former All-Star has been leading off for the Brew Crew, compiling a .308 AVG, .386 OBP, and .886 OPS across his last 21 games. That makes him the first choice in this Milwaukee stack, and he’s a good value in this price range.
- Rodgers has been one of the league leaders in hits since the opening month of the season, providing a .290 AVG and .784 OPS since May 1. He also faces a lefty at home here, and those two variables are critical when evaluating Rodgers. He’s got a .884 OPS against lefties since 2020 while posting a .881 OPS at home this year. It’s not like Madison Bumgarner is the ace we saw in the past, either, amassing a 4.83 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Randal Grichuk (COL) |
$4,100 |
$3,000 |
| 1B/OF |
Josh Naylor (CLE) |
$4,000 |
$2,800 |
| OF |
Colby Carroll (ARI) |
$2,800 |
$3,400 |
| 2B |
Kolten Wong (MIL) |
$3,900 |
$2,700 |
| OF |
Corey Dickerson (STL) |
$2,600 |
$2,300 |
- Not many people outside of Colorado might realize it, but Grichuk has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. That’s why they’ve been hitting him leadoff, with Randal registering a .316 AVG, .511 SLG, and .861 OPS across his last 37 games. He’s also been slaughtering southpaws all season, swinging a .570 SLG and .905 OPS against them.
- Naylor has always been a sneaky choice of mine against righties, and I never understand why he remains so affordable. He bats cleanup right behind Jose Ramirez in these circumstances, with Naylor producing a .287 AVG, .520 SLG, and .847 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this year.
- Carroll was considered one of the top prospects in baseball, and he’s making good on those projections. The young outfielder collected a .426 OBP and 1.014 OPS throughout his minor league career, posting a .885 OPS in limited time this season. That’s amazing since he has the platoon advantage against Urena in this unbelievable spot.
- It’s unclear if Wong will be ready to suit up here, but he’s an excellent play if he can. The slugging second baseman has been batting fifth against righties, registering a .355 OBP, .483 SLG, and .837 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. We also don’t mind that he has a .400 OBP and 1.057 OPS across his last 11 games.
- Dickerson has always been one of my favorite players, crushing righties throughout his career. His career OPS against right-handers is north of .800, providing a .455 AVG and 1.091 OPS across his last 15 games. That should earn him a spot behind Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldshmidt in this lineup, which is incredible against a guy with a 1.43 WHIP.
Hitter Strategy
The amount of value on this slate is impressive. We don’t have much pitching to pay up for, and we have a ton of salary-savers at the hitting positions. That should make lineup construction a breeze, with the Coors Field game looking like the most profitable stack. That game has a massive total after 23 combined runs on Friday, and there’ll surely be a few players in the optimal lineup from that game. Some of the other offenses we like include the Cardinals, Tigers, Guardians, and Rockies to go along with the Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, and Brewers.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
