We usually have a ton of games spread throughout on a Saturday, but most of the games take place at night. That’s why we’re going to zone in on the main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET, which features 10 games. There are plenty of teams to talk about, so let’s start by looking at the pitchers for this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
We usually have a ton of games spread throughout on a Saturday, but most of the games take place at night. That’s why we’re going to zone in on the main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET, which features 10 games. There are plenty of teams to talk about, so let’s start by looking at the pitchers for this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
This was an interesting slate from a pitching perspective. We have two high-end aces and two risky GPP options. With that said, both of these GPP plays are in fantastic spots, and I wouldn’t be scared to pair one of the aces with one of the risky guys. That should make lineup construction easier when looking at the bats because we want to stack some expensive offenses.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Zac Gallen (ARI) vs. SD
Gallen has usurped Spencer Strider as the NL Cy Young favorite, and it feels like no one is taking notice. The Arizona arm has a 3.04 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 rate since the opening two starts of the year. His consistency is as impressive as anything, scoring at least 31 FanDuel points in 15 of those starts. Another one of those should be in play against San Diego, with Gallen picking up 64 FD points in his last matchup with the Padres.
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) at CWS
Woodruff has been injured for most of the season, but he’s been unstoppable when he’s on the mound. The Milwaukee ace has a 1.65 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, striking out 21 batters across 16.1 innings. You might be worried about the workload, but 85 pitches in his most recent start indicate he’ll be ready for 100 here! That’s huge against the White Sox, with Chicago sitting 25th in runs scored, 28th in wOBA, and last in OBP.
GPP Recommendations:
Steven Matz (STL) vs. KC
Matz has been horrible for a few years now, but something has changed over the last two months. The St. Louis southpaw hasn’t allowed more than four runs in any appearance since May 24, posting a 2.03 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 rate since then. That’s hard to fathom, but it makes him impossible to face against Kansas City. The Royals rank bottom four in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA.
Tony Gonsolin (LAD) vs. COL
It’s been a rough season for Gonsolin, but this is a spot for him to get right. Facing the Rockies on the road is massive for any opposing pitcher because they rank last in OBP, OPS, and runs scored on the road in each of the last two years! They’re usually even worse in Dodgers Stadium, which is awesome since Gonsolin has a 3.00 ERA and 1.04 WHIP throughout his career. The oddsmakers agree, making TG a -330 favorite in this sensational spot.
Top Lineup Stacks
Using the Dodgers against the Rockies is a cheat code. LA has owned Colorado for most of my lifetime, and there’s no chance the Rockies hold them down this weekend. Colorado sits 29th in both ERA and WHIP, with the Dodgers projected to score over five runs in every game this weekend. That’s far from surprising since Los Angeles ranks Top 3 in homers, runs scored, and OBP.
It’s been an ugly season for Tyler Anderson, accruing a 4.92 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. That’s the southpaw we saw in Colorado for many years, and it’s a rough matchup to face this righty-heavy Astros lineup. In his last three meetings with the Stros, TA has an ERA above 5.00 and a WHIP just below 2.00.
Seattle Mariners (vs. Cole Irvin)
The Mariners offense has been a disappointment this season, but a matchup with Cole Irvin could get them going. The Orioles lefty is making a spot start, sporting a 5.44 ERA and 1.50 WHIP this year, That’s right on par with his disappointing career averages, and it has to be scary for Irvin since most of Seattle’s stout bats him from the right side.
Core Studs
- It’s honestly insane how good Freeman has been in the second half of the season. The MVP candidate has a .439 AVG, .504 OBP, .816 SLG, and 1.320 OPS across his last 28 games. Not many players will do that for a season, let alone in one month. We obviously don’t mind that he has the platoon advantage against Peter Lambert‘s 5.57 ERA and 1.44 WHIP.
- Don’t look now, but Altuve is starting to get hot. The perennial All-Star enters this matchup amid a 12-game hitting streak, tallying a .420 AVG, .482 OBP, .700 SLG, and 1.182 OPS in that span. He’s also got six steals as well and is back to being a fantasy beast. Altuve has slaughtered southpaws throughout his career as well, compiling a .891 OPS against them in nearly 2,000 at-bats.
- J-Rod got off to a rough start, but this superstar is starting to find it in the second half. Rodriguez has a .324 AVG, .375 OBP, .608 SLG, and .983 OPS across his last 17 games. He’s also got five steals in that sensation stretch, which is awesome since he gets the platoon advantage against a lackluster lefty.
- Acuna could be in this section every day. He’s on pace for 35 homers, 75 steals, and nearly 150 runs, leading all players with 12 DraftKings points per game. That’s no surprise since he hits atop the best lineup in baseball, and he shouldn’t have any issues against a TBD for the Mets.
- Why aren’t more people talking about how good Yelich has been this season? He’s going to earn some MVP consideration, providing 16 homers, 64 RBI, 80 runs, and 23 steals. He’s also got an OBP just shy of .400, making him one of the best DFS outfielders this season, Almost all of that damage has come against right-handers, generating a .922 OPS against them this year.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Chas McCormick (HOU) |
$4,400 |
$3,400 |
| 3B |
Eugenio Suarez (SEA) |
$3,800 |
$2,900 |
| 1B |
Christian Walker (ARI) |
$4,800 |
$3,400 |
| 2B |
Zack Gelof (OAK) |
$4,400 |
$3,700 |
| OF |
Austin Slater (SF) |
$3,100 |
$2,300 |
- McCormick has been a massive surprise for the Stros, and he remains a solid value in DFS. The outfielder has a .866 OPS on the year but has established a .404 OBP, .592 SLG, and .995 OPS across his last 45 outings. His splits against lefties are even more incredible, tallying a .402 OBP, .616 SLG, and 1.019 OPS against them.
- Many people don’t realize this, but Suarez is one of the best power hitters of our generation. He’s actually second in MLB in home runs since the 2016 season and is starting to get hot in the second half. Geno has a .270 AVG, .462 SLG, and .791 OPS across his last 22 games. He’s also one of these Seattle righties that gets the platoon advantage against Irvin, posting a .343 OBP against southpaws this season.
- Arizona’s offense has been horrid recently, but it’s no fault of Walker. The first baseman has a .281 AVG, .361 OBP, .543 SLG, and .904 OPS across his last 59 games. That’s two months of raking, and we love that he’s got a .355 OBP, .564 SLG, and .918 OPS against left-handers as well. Rich Hill is far from a scary southpaw, generating a 5.09 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
- There’s not much hope in Oakland right now, but Gelof does look like someone they can build around. The rookie second baseman has a .250 AVG, .560 SLG, and .875 OPS in his first month with the A’s. That’s amazing since he had 20 steals at Triple-A as well, which means the speed should be right around the corner as well. Gelof’s splits are gigantic as well, producing a .999 OPS against righties.
- Slater is always a safe play whenever San Fran squares off with a southpaw. He has been the leadoff hitter numerous times in that circumstance recently, registering a .373 OBP, .483 SLG, and .855 OPS against lefties over the last three years. Andrew Heaney has had a horrible second half too, accumulating a 4.43 ERA across his last eight starts.
Hitter Strategy
Stacking teams like the Dodgers and Astros can always be tricky, but we have plenty of value plays to help build around them. All of the value plays mentioned are way too cheap, and they should fit in nicely with a few players from LA and Houston. Some of the other offenses we love include Seattle, Arizona, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Oakland, and Washington. There are plenty of cheap players to pick from in those final three teams, but we need to see lineups before recommending any of them!
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
